Suffering Servant

Today's Reading Isaiah 49-51

Take a sheet of paper and divide it in half. Now pretend for a moment that you can afford to hire a servant to do all the tasks you normally perform but find unpleasant. On the left side of your paper, list those tasks. (Think of it as writing your personal servant's job description.) On the right side, list the tasks you presently do that you would want to keep for yourself, even if you had a servant.

Chances are, the tasks you listed on the left side are menial and repetitive. They require fitting your schedule to someone else's; they demand time, money, and inconvenience.

The remarkable thing about Isaiah's depiction of the coming Messiah is this: Through Christ could have come with swords flashing and armies marching to impose His righteousness upon mankind, He chose instead to come as a Suffering Servant, allowing people to smite Him to a similar lifestyle of servanthood, demonstrating God's love in action.

It's easy to be served; it's difficult to serve. But with God's help, even the activities on the left side of your paper can become joy (rather than drudgery) in your life. Look around for creative ways to do those mundane tasks, and thank God for the opportunities He gives you each day to be a servant to others.