MODELS OF SERVANTHOOD
And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it.
Genesis 35:14 ESV
But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering … I am glad and rejoice with all of you.
Philippians 2:17 NIV
Have you ever noticed that the most frustrated people insist on having their way? And the harder we try to overcome a bad habit, the more intense it becomes. The world teaches that the pinnacle of human achievement is self-actualization. Jesus turns that message upside down, saying that the greatest among you will be your servant (Matthew 23:11 NIV). I love that about Jesus. His message is simple enough for a child to understand yet so deep that the most learned theologian can only scratch the surface of understanding. It’s the paradoxical Kingdom, where God Almighty comes as a poor, Jewish son of a single mom and the meek… inherit the Earth (Matthew 5:5). As C.S. Lewis said, Reality… is usually something you could not have guessed. That is one of the reasons I believe Christianity. Faith is the only key that unlocks the door of truth.
In the Old Testament, the drink offering was a sacrifice of fine, red wine poured out before the Lord. That seems like a terrible waste of good wine, especially when wine symbolized the blessing of God. It was as if the priests were saying, I know how much you have blessed me, and I offer it back to you as a sign of my love for You. This takes on even more significance when we realize that red wine foreshadows the blood of Christ. Jesus poured out His blood for the love of God and His people. The very same Jesus who poured out His blood for you before the Father, currently resides in your body, the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Jesus isn’t just calling us to follow His example. He’s calling us to actively yield to His Spirit in us. As we said previously, if our obedience becomes the focus, we can only become proud or despondent. There are no other possible outcomes. However, if Jesus is actively displaying His self-emptying nature in our hearts and we yield to His showing, we cannot rightly say it’s coming from us but from Jesus. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. (Romans 7:18 ESV). Yes, we are called to have the same attitude as Jesus (Philippians 2:5-11), but we know that even the desire to do right is a gift from God (Philippians 2:13). Are you willing to pour out your life to God as an offering?
APPLICATION: What areas of your life have you been holding back in reserve for yourself? Be brutally honest. Yield to the Spirit who openly displays His self-emptying nature to your mind and asks you to reenact the same attitude in that situation you just thought about. Worship the Lord in this act of surrender.
PRAYER: Lord, I offer up to you _________. I willingly pour out my life to you as an offering regarding that situation/person as a reenactment of the display of Your self-sacrificial love in my mind. Amen.
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?