As God first loved us and called us to Him, we are to love God and reflect His love to others for His glory. Love is our service to God. Jesus talked about this service of love when He answered the Pharisee’s question, “What is the most important command?”
Matthew 22:35-39(CSB).
And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question to test him:36 “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?” 37He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and most important command.39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.
The words “greatest and most important” indicate the first priority must be to love God. Before anything else, we love and grow in relationship with God. We can only truly love and serve our neighbor subsequent to the greatest and most important commandment, love God with everything in us.
Serving flows from surrendering to God’s love. Jesus helps us to see the priority of serving as an aftereffect of loving and believing God. In that order, we can give our service as an act of worship to God’s glory.
Jesus set the example for us to follow as we surrender to serve in God’s love. In Matthew, Jesus contrasts human authority with His authority.
Matthew 20:25-28(CSB)
Jesus called them over and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions act as tyrants over them. 26 It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
In living surrendered to God’s love, we realize what pleases God is upside down from what pleases man. Jesus shared this truth with His disciples.
Mark 9:35
Sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”Luke 22:26
But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant.
The apostles needed to have this message spoken to them more than once. We also need this message repeated. The way the world measures “first and greatness” is in direct opposition to what Jesus demonstrates as eternal and valuable.