Servant ministry

At today's ministers fellowship we were discussing how to integrate leadership and servanthood. And it dawned on me that I have lost any kind of passion for serving others. Perhaps that's putting it too strongly, but when I examine my motives for the things I do during an average day there are an awful lot of selfish motives. I think about what I'm going to eat, what music I'm going to listen to, whether I can fit in an after-dinner nap. Even the things I do as a minister are motivated by thoughts like "if I visit this person I won't feel guilty about not visiting" or "if I prepare this service well enough I won't end up looking like a total idiot".

What gets me out of bed in a morning? The opportunity to serve others? The opportunity to serve Christ? No, it's the opportunity to enjoy another day doing largely pleasant things. I've returned home with the desire to re-orientate my motives. If each moment I asked myself what I can do to please God, or what I can do to help others (the two answers will have a large overlap), then I will be far more likely to be acting as a servant should, instead of a self-centred hedonist.

As we prayed in pairs at the end of the meeting I was going to ask for prayer to help me be more of a servant. But my colleague had family concerns which needed prayer and support, so I didn't get time to say anything about myself. On reflection this was a good start. Forget self. Focus on others.