What Does It Really Mean to Have a Servant's Heart?

Have you ever wondered what the Bible actually means when it talks about a servant's heart? Recently, I’ve been asking myself that question. A lot. In fact, I’ve been angry at those who weren’t serving because it seemed that it was always me or my family that had to step up to fill the gap. Thankfully, God has begun revealing a piece of the answer to me. I don’t pretend to know the exact answer, but I do feel that I have a little more insight than I had a month ago.

What does God say about it?

The Word is clear that the core of a heart that yearns to serve is simply humility. “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love." ~ Galatians 3:15. We have been handed freedom through Christ. With that freedom, God asks us to love and serve. We shouldn’t be serving to make ourselves look good (ouch) or because we feel like we have to. Serving is about love and humility, if you become angry while serving, something is wrong. Just like something was wrong in my heart because I got angry.

An example of a biblical character who showed perfect humility and love in servitude was a Moabite widow. She followed her mother-in-law back to a strange land that the older woman used to call home—Bethlehem in Israel. This woman, if you haven’t guessed, is Ruth. She gave up everything to serve Naomi in a foreign land. Amazing, right?

How can we embody a servant’s heart?

1 John 3:18 (NIV) states that we should love in actions and in truth instead of just with words. This means that we need to be actively looking for opportunities to serve others around us. We need to ask God to point out where we can offer ourselves as living sacrifices for him. Remember that God is a real God and He answers prayer. If you ask him to show you opportunities, he will, and you’ll feel called to serve in that situation. The moment you decide not to listen to his nudge, the Holy Spirit will convict you. Be careful not to harden your heart to this conviction. He’s showing you where you can aid his Kingdom, you asked for it, and you can’t take it back! His whisper is not something you can turn on and off.

We’ve been given freedom as believers, and we should use it to further God’s Kingdom in humble, loving servitude, asking our Helper to show us where we can be of service. It’s not an easy thing because it requires selfless love, but we can serve because He will give us the help we need.

Do you have any extra thoughts on how we can serve God fully? Put them in the comments! I’d love to see what you think about this topic!