What is God trying to do in your life? Lots! But one of those is to build a servant’s heart in you. That is a daunting task because we are deeply and naturally self-centered!
DAY 1
Read Matt. 20:20-28
1. Why reasons contributed to the disciples’ indignation?
2. How did the rulers/leaders of the day approach their work? (v. 25).
3. Jesus offers up a completely new and opposite approach to life and leadership! What is it? (vv. 26-27)
4. Jesus is talking about voluntary servanthood, and voluntary “slavery.” How does this approach to life strike you?
5. What rewards does He promise when we adopt a servant-approach to life?
6. If anyone had a right to “claim my rights,” it was Jesus. How does Jesus illustrate what He just taught? (v. 28)
7. Where is God stretching you to adopt a servant approach?
___ Family
___ Work
___ Church
___ Community
DAY 2
Read John 13:1-17
1. The setting is the Last Supper. He knows that later that night He will be arrested, tortured and die the next day as a common criminal on a cross. If you knew this was your last night what would you be doing?
2. What did Jesus do on His last night?
3. How does that strike you?
4. What do you think He wanted to communicate to the disciples?
5. Jesus washed all twelve of the disciples’ feet, including Judas Iscariot’s. Did Jesus know Judas would betray Him that very night?
6. How hard would it have been for you to wash the feet of Judas? What would you have had to overcome in order to do it?
7. What points does Jesus want to drive home? (vv. 12-17)
8. What attitudes or actions do you need to add to your “bag of serving?”
DAY 3
Learning to be a servant has a positive effect on your life. You begin to see God using your life. You sense a new meaning to your life. You begin to become the light of the world where you live. But serving also comes with a cost.
Read 2 Corinthians 4:4-12
1. Paul describes the world we live in using the metaphor of darkness and blindness (vv. 4, 6) and light and knowledge (vv. 4, 6). What are some ways you see “darkness” and “blindness” in everyday life?
2. With such a context, how did Paul and his missionary team see themselves? What were their roles? (v. 5)
3. List four trials Paul experienced and his response to each trial. (vv. 8-9)
a.
b.
c.
d.
4. To which of these trials do you most relate? What strikes you about Paul’s response to the trial you chose?
5. In vv. 10-12 Paul uses an analogy of “life” and “death” to illustrate how our sovereign God uses trials to impact a world filled with darkness and blindness. Is Paul using “life” and “death” to describe physical life and death or is he talking about another kind of life and death?
6. In our daily lives, “death” occurs in some of the following ways:
___ When we don’t get what we want
___ When someone misunderstands us
___ When we are falsely accused
___ When we are unjustly criticized
___ When what we do goes unrecognized
___ When someone else gets or takes credit for something we did
How does “death” show up in your life, either in the examples above or in another way?
7. Thankfully, our experiences of “death” are not in vain. They are “pregnant with purpose!” What ways does Paul see “the life of Jesus” being shown in vv. 10-12. Look for three ways.
8. No trial is endured that is not “pregnant with purpose!” What do you want to remember today?
DAY 4
Sometimes serving costs us finances or time. But today, we’ll look at the steepest cost–when others treat us like a servant! Humility may the toughest virtue to implant in the human heart. It sooooo goes “against the grain.”
Read Luke 17:7-10
1. Jesus asks a series of rhetorical questions to His disciples in story form. In these questions he puts the disciples (and you) in the seat of the master who owns a servant.
This story, at first glance, is like “nails on a chalkboard.” What are some ways the mentality of the master rubs you the wrong way?
2. What strikes you about:
v. 7-
v. 8-
v.9-
3. In v. 9, Jesus hits upon a familiar theme–we demand recognition! We expect gratitude. Someone “ought” to acknowledge what we did. Is that how Jesus sees the mentality of a servant?
4. One reason this story rubs us the wrong way is we believe we deserve better treatment. How does Jesus address this issue head on in v. 10?
5. As you try to live with this mentality of a servant in your daily life, you will see just how committed to self you are! Ugly self will pop up over and over and over again. What should you do when you realize that old ugly self has raised its ugly head? (see 1 John 1:9)
6. If we saw Jesus as The Master in this story, and ourselves as the servant, how would this change your view of service?
DAY 5
We have talked about serving, the cost of serving, and the mentality of a servant. Today we’ll look at some of the rewards of serving.
Read Matt. 25:31-46
1. In the parable of the Sheep and the Goats, two groups of people appear at the Final Judgment. What had the sheep done? (vv. 35-36)
2. What was the attitude or mentality of the sheep? (vv. 37-39)
3. What was God’s (the king) response? (v. 40)
4. What had the goats done? (vv. 42-43)
5. What was the response of the goats? (v. 44)
6. What was God’s response to the goats? (v. 45)
7. What rewards are promised for the sheep? (vv. 34, 46)
8. What consequences are promised for the goats? (vv. 41, 46)
9. What strikes you about the mentality of the goats?
10. How can you be a better sheep?