Servant Or People-Pleaser?

I’ve been thinking lately about how much I like to help people.  I guess it’s just a part of my personality, but I really do love to serve others.  I like to think of it as a gift from God, actually.  Jesus calls us all to be servants, so if I didn’t like serving, I’d probably be quite miserable.  I got to thinking, though: what is the difference between being a servant and being a people-pleaser?  They’re very similar, and many times look exactly the same on the outside.  They both excel at doing things for others, and both are usually very happy to help.

The difference is in the heart of a person.  What motivates them?  A people-pleaser loves to be respected and loved by others.  A servant loves to respect and love others.  A people-pleaser works to fill a void in his heart, but a true servant works because that void has already been filled.  A people-pleaser serves out of insecurity, but a true servant is secure in the love of God.  A people-pleaser stores up pride in his heart, but a true servant is humble.  Even though they may look similar on the outside, their hearts are completely opposite.

My challenge is this: check your motives.  Why do you do what you do?  Is it to gain respect from others, to look good?  Or is it because you are good, and you serve others because you love them?  I’ve struggled with this myself, and I can tell you with confidence that being a true servant is much more fulfilling in the long run.  If you find that your heart is not in the right place, pray to God, and He will be faithful to change it in His grace.

“You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.”–Romans 6:18

“Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.  Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”–Colossians 3:22-24

Sitting at the Feet of Jesus

I was praying at IHOP yesterday, trying to press in and listen to the Spirit, asking for something to intercede for.  I came across this passage in Ecclesiastes 5:1-3:

“Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil.  Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes with much business, and a fool’s voice with many words.”

So I was thinking, why do we pray?  Obviously, Jesus told us to pray.  Jesus gave us examples of how to pray.  He also told us to personally pray in secret, not to be seen by others(this doesn’t include corporate, or group, prayer).  Simply, prayer is communicating with God.  It’s not for show, and it’s not because we’re required to by any religious means.  Why do we pray?  Because we want to know God.  Take a look at this passage:

“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”"–Luke 10:38-42

Prayer is not really about the words we say, but more about the heart we bring to the throne of God.  God knows what we’re going to say before we even say it.  Have you ever had an entirely one-sided conversation?  The person you’re talking to doesn’t even give you a chance to speak.  I wonder if it’s like that with us and God sometimes.  He really wants to tell us something, but our mouths are running a mile a minute, listing every request we can think of.  Like Martha, we need to learn to slow down, forget our worries, and sit at the feet of Jesus like Mary did(I don’t know about you, but I can be like Martha sometimes).  Because of our love for God, we should want to be with Him.  That is the “good portion” of prayer: the chance to be still and know that He is God.

Next time you pray, try something different if you haven’t in a while.  After making your requests, be quiet and listen to His voice.  I’m sure He has something to say to you.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”–Mark 12:30

Holiness

In my last post, I talked about the futility of the law in changing the hearts of people.  Laws are here for us.  That means for them to accomplish anything, we need be willing to follow them.  If we don’t want to follow them, they’re just annoying.  That doesn’t mean, if you don’t feel like following God’s laws right now, that you shouldn’t.  You definitely should.  But it does mean that your heart needs to change.  In Psalm 119, David tells God, “Your law is my delight.”  Do we delight in doing good?

If not, there is a solution.  Leviticus 20:7-8 says, “Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God.  Keep my statutes and do them; I am the LORD who sanctifies you.”  Look at that.  God commands us to be holy, set apart from evil things.  That’s the law.  But it also says that He is the one who sanctifies us, makes us holy.  Without God, we can’t be holy, because He is the source of all holiness.  Thank God He doesn’t leave it all up to us.  You see, by ourselves, we are lost.  We are fallen.  We can never do enough “good” things to make it into heaven, but through His mercy and grace, we can be good again.  James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”  We must make that choice to seek after God.  In order for the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit to work, we must be with Him.

On a last note, we are to be in the world.  That’s why we’re still here, and not in heaven already.  We are the light of the world.  Through us Christians, the world will see the goodness of God.  Don’t think you’re “above” going to clubs and talking to people about God.  Don’t ever think that the corner where the prostitutes hang out is “beyond” you.  We should be in those places, and we should be different.  What does the love of God look like?  Hopefully, someone will be able to look at me and see it.  Here is part of what Jesus prayed for us:

“They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.  As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.”–John 17:16-18