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NASB | Matthew 20:28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 20:28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many [paying the price to set them free from the penalty of sin]." |
Subject: Service to others - service to God? |
Bible Note: Greetings David! Thanks for the excellent Scriptures. My thinking on this verse is as follows: When we are focused on serving God alone, (Lk 10:27, Mt 6:33) then we will have the heart attitude that God desires. But when we focus on serving others as a way to please God, we deny the freedom we have in Christ. Jesus came to serve (He came to do the will of the Father Who Sent Him!) When we have the same attitude of Christ, desiring to be obedient to the will of God FIRST, then what flows from our lives toward others will be true service - for only in this manner is it empowered with the love of God. Service toward others is not always service to God. I suspect that believers have a tendency to confuse the two at times when they do not recognize that a difference may exist. In this Scripture (Matthew 20:28), Jesus shows us that our motivation must also arise from a heart that longs to love (serve) God above all else. To those who respond in love for Him, God will reveal His pleasing and perfect will. When we respond in obedience to the will of God, then we will be serving in the same manner as Jesus did. He gave His life. We too are told to present our bodies as "living sacrifices" (Romans 12:1,2). Jesus also instructs us to deny self (Mt 16:24). When we do this, we relinquish control to the reign of Christ in our lives; We become a "bond servant". (One who willingly sells himself to another) The result is that the Christ-follower is freed from the slavery of self that so often guides their actions. "For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ." Gal 1:10 What is pleasing to God? At times, I suspect that we are still motivated to "do good things" in order to gain His approval or acceptance. But in essence, when we fall prey to this thinking, we miss the awesome, freeing Truth of the Gospel. The good news is that we never have to seek the approval of God for Jesus has already secured that for us! As you can see, I am still processing this . . . in light of this passage, I am prompted to evaluate what my motives are in service to God and others. My cry is "Create in me a clean heart O Lord and renew a steadfast spirit within me!" Psalm 51:10. Your sister in the Lord! t |