A Servant’s Heart

“Walk across the floor of your upper room and wash the feet of your Judas.” – Max Lucado

When I read the quote above the word that caught my attention was “upper.” My week had been full of comments from different people about the privileges that their social and financial statuses should give them, as well as my own prideful thoughts of the value I was placing on my time and paycheck.

How often we strive for some resemblance of significance that we hope to find in what the world defines as important. Prestigue, sofistication, wealth, influence and appearance are nothing more than steps leading to our “upper” room of thinking they make us more important than someone else. When in reality they are just perceived images that are paper thin, shaky facades of the insecurities that dwell within.

While I don’t have an acutal betrayer (Judas), my motives betray me. They show the haughiness, pride and ambition that exists within my heart, which I try to disguise and justify. Wrong motives tell us to seek our own good first and to value ourselves based on what the world perceives as important. They are the furthest thing from a servant’s heart.

This message was a clear correction from God that challenged me to ask myself, “are you truly living with a servant’s heart or are you living with an upper room mentality that will eventually draw you away from God’s will?” God’s Word tells us to do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. Your attitude should be the same as Christ Jesus. (Philippians 2:3-5)

Today’s message was a call to action for me to address and wash clean the things that hinder my walk with God. When wrong motives betray me into thinking that they bring value, I need to clean my thinking with the Truth of God’s Word, then follow through with acts of humble submission. I will then be able to clearly see where my real value is found; in loving God and loving others…….just like Jesus.