As I sit in Dakar, Senegal, hoping to minister to everyone I meet around me, I found myself at an International Church full of many different languages, backgrounds, colors, financial statures, ages and sizes. The one thing we all had in common was our love for Jesus. How rewarding and humbling.
The message today reminded me that “we must die to the idea that we are better than others.”
If anyone wants to be first, they must be last and the servant of all." Mark 9:35
The scripture (Mark 9:35) hit me in the gut and was a great reminder of why I am here. To serve others. The message during the church service emphasized a few strong points:
We need to treat everyone the same; you are no better than anyone else.
We must not exclude anyone, even if they don’t believe as we do.
We must die to our rights and privileges.
The spiritual wellbeing of others is always more important than my/our comfort.
Choose to do the very opposite of what your “self” is telling you to do.
Also asked during the message was: "Do you find yourself having an attitude of superiority towards others?" OUCH. That was another punch in the gut.
The pastor gave us some ways to help you be more like Jesus (not superior to others), acting like servants:
Begin to intentionally spend time with the people you feel superior to.
Serve those people.
Ask God to speak through them to you.
Go into the conversation thinking about what can you learn from them.
Don’t exclude others. Lay alongside them; be with them.
Pray about your actions. Ask God to do this deep work in you.
By excluding others, feeling superior to them, and always wanting to go first, you are not serving them, God, or yourself. You are shutting the door on the grace God wanted to give you through them.
Today, open your hearts to EVERYONE, include everyone, learn from everyone. Take on a servant mindset. Serve and give generously to everyone you encounter.
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