Wednesday, March 3rd, 2021
Happy Hump Day!! 🐪 🐫
— Matthew 20:26-28 —
Today, I am sharing about “servanthood” and the knowledge that Jesus came to serve and not be served. I found the below definition and defining of what that means:
Henri J. M. Nouwen says this about servanthood, “It is in his servanthood that God chooses to reveal himself as God to us.” (1). When we read about Jesus’ compassion, his entering with us and the world, as a slave. We see the true nature of God, not as a conqueror or ruler demanding worship or allegiance. No, it was when Jesus emptied and humbled himself, we were encountering and seeing God for who is really is, his true divinity.
God did not come into the world under any false pretenses; his servanthood is God’s self-revelation. Nouwen introduces, “RADICAL SERVANTHOOD,” it is a new level of encountering God. Being humble and persecuted cannot be desired unless we can find God in them. As be begin to see God as the source of all our comforts and consolation, at the very center of servanthood, we see compassion as more than simply caring for the unfortunate.
RADICAL SERVANTHOOD when encountered with COMPASSION, transports us past the differences that our eyes see and we can begin to see with our hearts.
🔔 A Profound Spiritual Truth 🔔
Service is an expression of the search for God and not just a desire to bring about individual or social change.
Wealth ↔️ Proverty
Success ↔️ Failure
Fortune ↔️ Bad Luck
Here’s an excerpt from Nouwen’s book where he brilliantly describes, “RADICAL SERVANTHOOD” (2)
When we see real service, we also have the opportunity to see real joy, because at the heart of it, is a divine presence, the presence of God.
Friends, following in the footsteps of Jesus and the example he set for us was never promised to be free of pain and disappointments, but I can tell you there is joy! Joy and peace that can only come from God. We know the truth of God’s compassion because we have witnessed it. We are loved not because of anything we have done, we are redeemed by means of our own actions…God loves us. No matter what trials this life can heap upon us, we can rise above, for if God is with us who can be against us.
“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” —Romans 8:31 (NIV)
Lenten M•I•C•R•O Practice for today:
~Press Pause – Day 13
Press pause on videos, shows, movies and streamed content. What can you fill this time with instead?
Artwork by: Me 🤗
🔹 ~ Prayer ~ 🔹
Lord,
you are the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
No one comes to the Father
except through you.
— After John 14:6
~Charlotte, the Seeker of unexpected Comfort, Happiness, Joy and Patience.
References:
Show Me The Way — Henri J.M.Nouwen • 1992 The Crossroad Publishing
(1) Show Me The Way — Henri J.M.Nouwen • 1992 The Crossroad Publishing • Page 49 paragraph 2.
(2) Show Me The Way — Henri J.M.Nouwen • 1992 The Crossroad Publishing • Page 50, paragraph 1.
(NIV) New International Version Bible/Translation
(NRSVA) New Revised Standard Version Apocrypha
(NJBV) New Jerusalem Bible Version/Translation
HOPE SEEKER 
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