THE FATHER'S HONOR

John 12:26
26 If anyone serves me, let him follow me. Where I am, there will my servant also be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. (WEB)

One of the challenges that many believers face in the area of servanthood is how 'serving' fits in the context of their identity. If we are not yet convinced that we are truly sons and daughters to our Father, we may think that the only way we can justify our place in our Father's house is solely through service.

We see this in the Prodigal Son story in Luke 15 when the younger brother's plan to return home was based on him no longer being a son, but becoming a servant. Of course the father's response in the story was to completely ignore his justification based on service in order to celebrate the return of his lost son.

It is important for us to know that no amount of service will qualify us to be a son. No one could ever work enough to attain what can only be freely received through grace. While sons make the best servants, servants aren't necessarily sons in their heart.

In today's Scripture passage, Jesus tells us that those who have a servant's heart towards our Elder Brother will be honored by our Father. In a Kingdom where the last will be first, the weak will be strong, and the greatest is the servant of all, walking in servanthood is the highest expression of our servanthearted Father.

The more that we become conformed into the image of Jesus, the more that we will naturally have a servant heart that will touch our Father's heart. My prayer today is that we will be sons and daughters who serve because we are becoming more like Jesus. May we all experience the amazing smile of our Heavenly Dad as He honors us as we are becoming more and more like Him too.

Philippians 2:1-11
1 If there is therefore any exhortation in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tender mercies and compassion, 2 make my joy full, by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind; 3 doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself; 4 each of you not just looking to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others. 5 Have this in your mind, which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, didn’t consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (WEB)