Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with
her sons, worshiping him, and desiring a certain thing of
Him. And He said unto her, What will you? She said unto
Him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on
your right hand, and the other on the left, in your kingdom.
But Jesus answered and said, You know not what you ask.
Are you able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to
be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They
said unto him, We are able. And he said unto them, You
shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the
baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand,
and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to
them for whom it is prepared of my Father. And when the
ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the
two brothers. But Jesus called them unto him, and said,
"You know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion
over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon
them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will
be great among you, let him be your minister; 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 20:20-28)
There will always be more people willing to do “great” things for God than there are people willing to do the little things.
The race to be a leader is crowded, but the field is wide open for those willing to be servants.
Sometimes you serve upward to those in authority, and
sometimes you serve downward to those in need. Either way, you develop a servant’s heart when
you’re willing to do anything needed.
God often tests our hearts by asking us to serve in ways we’re not shaped. If you see a man fall into a ditch, God expects you to help him out, not say,
“I don’t have the gift of mercy or service.”
While you may not be gifted for a particular task, you may be called to do it if no one gifted at it is around. Your primary ministry should be in the area of your
shape, but your secondary service is wherever you’re needed at the moment.
By Pastor Rick Warren
Senior Pastor of Saddleback Church
and author of "Purpose Driven Life"
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