How would you rate yourself as a servant of God? I asked this question in this section of my study guide and asked myself the same question. If we’re talking pass or fail, I definitely fail, but the reason may surprise you.
If you’re a Christian, you are a servant of God whether you recognize that fact or not. But just because you are one doesn’t mean you’re a good one. I’ll give you scenarios based on the story of the three bears.
Your church is having a potluck fellowship meeting, and they don’t have a committee to take care of everything. (Like the church I attend now does. If you are on that team, Thank You!) You will fall into one of three categories.
- You plan the theme, set up the activities, set the menu, and decorate before the day of the meeting. Then you cook your famous casserole and make a dessert from scratch. When the meeting is over, you and a handful of faithfuls do all the cleaning while complaining about the ones who said they had to leave but are still standing out in the parking lot gossiping.
- You ask how you can help as soon as the meeting is announced and do what’s asked of you to the best of your ability. You make a dish to bring to the potluck, but if you’re pushed for time, you will grab something tasty from the store. When it’s time for cleanup, you pick a chore and stick with it until it’s done.
- You’re clever enough to bring plates, cups, utensils, or drinks so you won’t be responsible for cooking or dishes. Also, you’re not the best cook and you don’t want anyone talking about you for bringing storebought. This also frees you up to hang out in the parking lot talking to your friends or heading home in time for your favorite show.
Only one of these passes and that is #2. Even if you’re #3, you can easily guess that doesn’t cut mustard. So what is wrong with #1? (Which is me, by the way.) That person’s heart might be in the right place, but they are setting themselves up for resentment. The Bible says not to grow weary from doing good for a reason.
I was recently told, “You don’t love yourself. How can you love your neighbor as yourself when you don’t love yourself?” It’s something I struggled with before, couldn’t figure out, and gave up. Now I’m analyzing the concept again and still don’t have a solution.
My problem is, if I like someone, I will give too much. Then I feel resentment when that person takes me for granted. They take me for granted because that’s what I trained them to do. So who is really at fault?
I challenge you to do as I have and take a hard look at yourself as a servant of God. Are you doing too much? Could you stand to do a little more? Or are you just right? If you do fall in the just right category, keep up the good work!
I wrote a study guide on the book of Ruth. You can find the link here-https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FN6B7YP1 This blog series will follow along with each section of the book. I plan to post every Monday. If you’d like a reminder, please sign up to receive notification.
Next post- https://andreaboyd11.com/2025/12/08/lord-this-doesnt-make-sense-ruth-36-7/
Andrea Boyd 