O to Be Like Thee
And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. – Matthew 20:27-28
“You’re not the boss of me!” the boy responded to his older sister, who was attempting to make him do a chore while their
mom was busy in another part of the house. True, the big sister was a bit bossy and might have received a better response if she had not been shaking
her finger at him. He, on the other hand, was aware that he needed to complete the chore.
We can dismiss this by saying that they are just children; certainly they will not act like that when they grow up. But is that true? As adults we may
have more tact, but being submissive still does not always come naturally. How do we respond to others who ask something of us that we do not want
to do, or who will not do as we think they should? If we are following Jesus’ example, we will take the way of a servant.
At church we sing a hymn by Thomas Chisholm, “O To Be Like Thee.” To be like Jesus is a worthy desire, but do we really know what it means to be more like
Him? Today’s focus verse highlights one attribute of Jesus that we can all share. While it is human nature to want to be important, to be looked up
to, or to be in charge, Jesus said the way to be the greatest is to be a servant to others.
Even Jesus came to earth to do the will of His Father, not His own (John 6:38). If we want to be like Jesus, we must determine that whatever the cost,
we will be obedient to the will of God. If we want to be like Jesus, we must be quick to forgive. God will give us the grace to truly forgive. If we
want to be like Jesus, we must develop a love for souls, and do whatever we can to help others find Christ.
The greatest work we can do for the Lord is to serve others. What is God laying on your heart to do today?