Many believers want to serve the Lord. Many aspire to be servants of the Lord. This is wholesome. However, not many believers have asked themselves what this service of the Lord is. It is easily discernable that most of what people call the service of God is really the service of man.

Many who would be glad to be called the servants of God would be offended if they were called the servants of man. This is unfortunate. The Lord Jesus taught that those who intended to be firsts in heaven must become the slaves of all men, and those who intended to be great in heaven should become servants of men. The Lord Jesus, therefore, exalted the offices of servant and slave. This is the divine view.

There is a lot of strife in the world today. Everyone wants to be the boss. This is unfortunate. There is enormous strife in the Church today. Everyone wants to have his own ministry and run his own show. No one wants to serve another. No one wants to work for another without preoccupation with his own interests. This is most unfortunate.

The one obstacle to becoming the servant of another man is self. When self is dealt with, a person can become the servant of God and, with increasing dealings with self, the servant of God can become the slave of God and, with even more dealings with self, the slave of God can become the slave of all men. In this way, God’s purpose in His Church will be realized and those who pay the price will qualify for the first place in heaven.