Bad to Worse: The Servant Olympics

“From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. So he left in Joseph’s care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.” (Genesis 39:5-6)

Looking to be a great servant? I mean, did you ever have a goal to be in the top five in your class in servanthood? Seriously, would you love it if every person had written in your yearbook, “Nobody was a better servant than you, dude!”?

btw_350Yeah, me neither. I wish I was that ambitious about being a servant. I wish my attitude was more like Jesus’ thinking. Remember what he said to the disciples when he caught them playing “who’s the greatest”? He said the greatest in God’s kingdom will be the servant of all. Much later, Paul wrote that Jesus nailed that attitude when he “made himself nothing” even though he was God.

Joseph, too, destroyed the servant competition. Okay, he was a slave, but he didn’t let that stop him from also out-serving everyone in his weight class. How? He did everything he was asked to do better than expected. If you gave it to Joseph, it always got done on time, on budget, and improved upon. He was so reliable, his boss gave up keeping tabs on Joseph completely. What was the point? That’s the quality of a great servant.

Think: Have you ever wished your were better at being a servant? Do you think there’s much competition for “best servant”?

Pray: Ask God to give you the desire to serve him and the people he puts in your life with excellence and dependability.

Do: Make a list of the top 5 most selfless and reliable servants you know.