My dear readers,

Will You Make Yourself Servant unto All?

The above title is taken from 1 Corinthians 9:19-23: “For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.”

With an increase in the knowledge of the Word of God comes a heightened sensitivity of the spiritual well-being of everyone around us. The knowledge that we are left behind after salvation as a witness for Christ becomes more real and significant. To please the Lord Jesus Christ at all costs and to be constrained by love for Him will make being His witness a top priority in every believer’s life, more so of every leader in our homes, church, including places of work. Like Paul, we ought to make ourselves servants (i.e. slaves) to all and not just a select few. Our desire is to be a spiritual blessing and impact the lives of others for Christ. Therefore, we must learn to be all things to all men that we might by all means save some. We cannot serve only those whom we like; we must serve all. Worse still, to serve those we hope to gain something from is hypocrisy and a sin. Self-denial is for Christ’s sake and glory.

To make ourselves servants means to practise self-denial. Self-denial becomes paramount in our daily lives. We become sensitive to the weakness of the faith of our fellow brethren and will do everything within our power (without compromising the truth, righteousness and holiness according to Scriptures) to ensure that they grow in grace and knowledge of Christ Jesus. In the presence of sinners, we are even more sensitive of our own holiness. We will sacrifice anything that is of this earth to help them see Christ in our lives. Hopefully by the grace and mercy of God, our good works and the sharing of the gospel will bring about salvation in Christ thus bringing glory to God. Like the apostle Paul, we make ourselves servants (i.e. slaves) unto all so that we might gain more men, women and children for Christ and the glory of God! Self-denial ought to be the heart of every child of God as he matures in faith.

How is your sensitivity to the spiritual well-being of the brethren around you? Are you a servant to all at home, work, church and school? Self-denial is the key to this Christian virtue.

But self-denial in today’s compromising and lackadaisical apostate Christianity has become an unwanted and lost virtue that nobody seeks after. Self-centeredness and the great “I” have dominated almost every aspect of our lives: from getting all the food from a buffet spread that we like, not caring if there is enough for others, to arguments at home where others are expected to apologize first. Relationships that God blessed us with are not cherished. Without self-denial, we leave behind a trail of broken relationships without a single thought to obey the Lord’s injunction: “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men” (Rom 12:18).

Sadly, what is cherished today in many believers’ lives are mammon and the great materialistic world of sin and greed! We do not even realize how sinful it is to have a huge idol in our hearts! May we pray that our good Lord will open our spiritual eyes to see our need to repent and return to Him in self-denial. Was that not the beginning of our journey of salvation when we first accepted Christ into our lives? Matthew 16:24: “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

The bar of holiness is as low or as high as the spirituality of the father in every Christian home, the pastor in every church and leader in every Bible Study and Fellowship. It is appalling and tragic that it is so low today that a believer who keeps his Quiet Time regularly is considered a mature believer. Let us pray to the Lord to help us raise the bar of holiness to His biblical standard for Christ’s sake. May we never forget what God did to His people in the Book of Judges when they did what was right in their own eyes! And what God did to backsliding Israel when they stubbornly refused to repent or to stop bowing to the golden calves! And what He did to treacherous Judah when they followed in the footsteps of backsliding Israel and committed more evil and sins! All of them faced the severe wrath of God and paid a heavy price for their failure to bear a holy witness for Christ.

The Apostle Paul was deeply convicted by a great need for self-denial in his ministry for Christ’s glory and the spiritual blessing of others. He would sacrifice anything to help others know Christ and grow in the Lord. Self-denial is not an option but a fruit of the Spirit. Self-denial is to exercise the mind of Christ which is one of humility and to esteem others better than ourselves (cf. Phil 2:1-5).