Posture in servanthood has to do primarily with our posture toward God.
“…taking the form of a bondservant…” (Phil. 2:7)
Previously Paul told us that Jesus was in the “form of God” (2:6), a phrase meaning a continuous state or condition. Paul’s emphasis is on Jesus’ divinity – completely and thoroughly. He was not masked as God, He was God.
Here, Paul tells us Jesus took the “form of a servant” (2:7) – He didn’t just put on a servant lanyard – He became a servant through and through.
Though He was God and God’s son, when taking on human form He also became God’s servant. He put himself into complete subjection to His Father, without surrendering any of his deity.
He moved into a Master-Servant relationship with his Father:
- He would do exactly what the Father asked him to do, always doing those things that would please His Father.
- He was no longer self-directed, as the God-Man, he would now be Father-directed in all things.
- He lived as a slave to God.
And we’re called to the same posture – the posture of a slave. I am here to serve my Master, the Lord Jesus.
This is surrender to God. This is putting yourself on the altar of His plan and resigning yourself, unconditionally, to His will. It’s the mentality of: “My life, as I’ve known it, is over. I am here to do your bidding, my Lord.”
The first three move us into a spiritual position to begin to exercise servanthood with others, seen in identification, subjection, and sacrifice.
Now that your attitude is in the right place, you’ve self-emptied yourself of your rights, and you’re surrendering yourself to God and His will – NOW you’re ready to put it into practice with others. How? Read about identification in servanthood, here.