Sincere Servanthood

If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. (John 12:26)

I remember seeing a cartoon once where someone was following the footprints of another. The one following was concentrating on the footprints so intently that he bumped into the one who made them when he suddenly stopped. As the leader began to walk again, he was reminded of the one following every time he stopped. The one following would always bump into him, causing us all to laugh. The episode communicated to me that you couldn’t follow much more closely than that.
Sometimes we are following the Lord so intently, looking down on His footprints, that we aren’t watching the Lord Himself. We don’t stop when He stops. Even when we are following, we can be following too closely. Like a car that cannot stop in time, we bump into areas the Lord does not want us to go to. Sometimes the lessons are painful. God is glorified when we learn to follow Him rightly. Jesus gave the disciples these words in the context of impending danger. He wanted His servants close to Him in those kind of times. And He still does.

I. A SINCERE SERVANT WILL BE CLOSE TO THE MASTER. When we take servanthood seriously, we should strive to be where we can be used. The servant should be in the presence of the master. The master should not have to search for the servant. The servant should be readily available and immediately responsive. Being close to the Master will give us a sense of His desires. A sincere servant will take the initiative in doing what he knows to be the will of the Master. The sincere servant does not always have to be told what to do. He knows to do what the Master wants done.
II. TO BE CLOSE TO THE MASTER, A SERVANT MUST FOLLOW. A servant learns to follow closely. Following at a distance reminds us of Peter’s denial and removal of himself from the experience of the crucifixion. By not being close to Christ at the cross, Peter lost intimacy with the Savior. Christ calls us to die to self. He calls us to the cross. There is no way to be a sincere servant of Christ without the experience of the cross. When we follow Christ closely, and seek to know His will, know that it begins at the cross.
III. THE GOAL OF SERVANTHOOD IS HONOR. Honorable service to God honors God. And it has its own reward. God will honor the servant as well. To be honored is to be recognized for the effort. To be honored is to be appreciated. God loves the sincere servant. The sincere servant appreciates the opportunity to serve. The sincere servant aspires to be an honorable servant. The honorable servant honors the master.
Are you a sincere servant to the Master today?