Hello my friends!! Serving others is healthy for us; serving others gets our eyes off of ourselves; it promotes a vision to effect change; it is love in action. Serving others releases oxytocin, one of our “feel good” hormones, in both the one we serve and in ourselves. It is called the “love” hormone. Secretion of this hormone creates a win/win situation. Below is a win/win situation from the Second Book of Samuel. Let’s have a look.
2 Samuel 9:11
“Then Ziba said to the king, ‘Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do.’ So, Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s sons.”
I have friends who are doing some missionary work in Poland currently. They had a brutal time traveling to their destination and their next several days will be to minister to others, not themselves. So, today, I dedicate this blog to them and to other missionaries or “ordinary people” like me who desire to “serve” others by serving the Lord but might need an assessment on their attitude about serving others. In all honesty here, I am calling myself out because I absolutely need an attitude adjustment. I have a hard enough time just giving of myself not to mention obeying a directive like the one Ziba was given.
This information about Ziba has really struck a chord with me; it is about being a servant, a servant who is zealous and yet meek at the same time. Often, we are zealous because we have arrogance or too much confidence. I think it is the unique individual who is zealous or confident and yet maintains the very attractive quality of humility. We must always keep both qualities in check as we serve the Lord and others.
Sometimes those with great zeal obtain great wealth and skill and this carries with it a temptation to trust in riches and ability. This is dangerous. A fine line always exists between trusting in our Lord and in what our Lord gives to us, whether it is wealth, power, ability popularity or any other influential position of leadership. After all, when we need something such as extra money to pay the bills or extra favor with our authority or help in a time when we are powerless, we so easily turn to the Lord and long for His intervention. However, when we have necessities and most of our desires met, we so easily succumb to laziness in our “trusting in the Lord with all of our heart”. Daily, we must remember that all we have was given to us from the Almighty, gracious hand of God.
2 Samuel 9 explains the situation where King David desires to show kindness to anyone still left in the house of Saul. Remember that Saul was opposed to David, yet David honored him as the king. However, David was devoted to Saul’s son Jonathon who had a son named Mephibosheth. This son was lame in both feet and was not even living in his own home at this time. He lived with someone else, possibly in hiding as he probably was afraid of King David at this time. Ziba was a servant from the house of Saul. He told David about Mephibosheth, and David gave instructions to bring this son to the palace. Ziba promptly obeyed this directive.
Upon arrival to the king, Mephibosheth presented himself to King David with these humble words, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?” Can you imagine referring to yourself as a “dead dog”? Yet, this meekness is what exuded form this lame man who was about to be given more than he could have envisioned.
The king summoned Ziba, the servant of Saul, and explained to him that he had given all that belonged to Saul and his family to Mephibosheth and that Ziba and his sons and servants were to farm the land and bring in the crops to provide for this lame grandson of Saul. In other words, Ziba’s “fifteen” sons and “twenty” servants were going to do all this work. This wasn’t just the work of one man; it was the work of thirty-five men, quite a responsibility. This wasn’t just a short-term mission trip either; it was a lifestyle; it was the calling for what appears to be for an unknown amount of time. What a life change. Most of us are quite reluctant to make even small changes or decisions of obedience let alone handing over our belongings or “what we have the power to control” such as servants. It is stressful, but if God calls us to a change, we would do well to follow His lead.
Ziba’s response provides me with the “aha” moment, the moment that strikes me with the thought that I need to “get a better attitude about serving”. I am astounded and inspired by Ziba’s response: “Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do.” I hang my head in shame. After all, if I had 15 sons and 20 servants, I might think that I was pretty special; worthy of getting great gain for myself in this life; truly blessed for my own comfort, not the comfort of others. God has not called me to do such a radical life changing action; however, He has called me to serve. So, I need to “serve”, and this means that I do work for others, that I help others, that I serve the Lord with fear and trembling.
If the Lord calls us to serve Him in a way that we were not anticipating, we must be ready to respond with the same zeal and meekness, “How could a great God as you even notice a “dead dog” like me – that I could even be worthy to do this work. Of course, Lord, I will do whatever MY LORD the KING commands me to do!”
So, my friends, be blameless today; be blameless by serving the Lord. Whether you do this with “35 other men” or alone, serve the Lord with zeal and meekness always remembering that humility is your friend.
Seek peace and pursue it my friends.