Just how does love become visible as servanthood? Paul gave his Philippian readers an anatomy of love as servanthood in the second chapter of his letter to them. Trying to explain why he wanted his readers to regard each other in love, he pointed them to Jesus as their example, describing how Jesus left His high station in heaven for death on a cross (Philippians 2:5–9). Paul didn’t dwell much on Jesus’ intentions or feelings but on Jesus’ actions as evidence of His intent.
The acronym SERVE helps explain how that attitude inspires action. The results of processes explained in this book develop servant characteristics. They are:
In other words, God designs everything you experience to bring you to this point. Here’s what all that means.
Subordinate your priorities. Subordinating your priorities begins your experience as a servant after you begin seeing from God’s perspective. Paul wants his readers to make the same transition, directing them to “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). From the moment you became God’s friend, everything has been a lesson in setting your priorities aside and taking up God’s priorities.
Empty your pride. Pride is your regard for your own capabilities and can be a powerful driving force. The ancient Greeks called it hubris, an attitude of overreaching we see in the serpent’s challenge to Eve that eating the fruit would make her like God. Well, Jesus wasn’t just like God, He was God. But “although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself” (Philippians 2:6-7a). So the only reaching out and grasping you do is in dependency on God Himself because He brings you to a realization nothing else you grab is secure.
Redirect your potential. When you have a regard for your capabilities, you develop a vision of where those capabilities can take you. That vision is your potential. Think of the old saw, “You can do anything if you put your mind to it.” You may also be familiar with other motivational sayings meant to inspire people to keep striving for the brass ring. But for Jesus, it meant “taking the form of a bond-servant” (Philippians 2:7b). A bond-servant was a slave. After emptying your pride, you also give up regard for your own capabilities to do things and depend on God’s capabilities.
Vacate your position. You may already be at the point you want to be, or you may still be striving for what you think you deserve. For Jesus, however, it meant giving up the sovereign kingship due Him because “Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). Jesus’ example points you away from achieving your goals and toward letting God achieve His goals through you.
Exalt Him who purchased you. Jesus’ actions exalted God, so “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name” (Philippians 2:9). His actions exalted God because they directed attention to God. Likewise, your actions can do the same.
