Reaching For Greatness

Reaching for Greatness

By Pastor Fernando Cabrera

John 13:1-20

Dwight L. Moody once said, “The measure of a man is not how many servants he has, but how many men he serves.”

“You can tell what they are by what they do” (Matthew 7:16 CEV)

Key Element of Servanthood:

1. Enthusiasm

a. How do you know you are serving from the heart? ENTHUSIASM

b. Ask God to give you a heart of a servant

i. Why? When you are doing what you love to do, no one has to motivate you

1. don’t need rewards, applause or payment

2. The opposite is true, when you don’t love to serve and do it from the heart, you are easily discouraged

a. Your level of servanthood will reveal your level of maturity

c. How is your emotional heartbeat?

d. How do I get to love it? A CHOICE

e. Enthusiasm is what motivates us to finish our assignment, complete our commitment and keep our word.

i. Faithful servants rest when they needed, but never retire.

2. Empowering others

a. We empower others best when:

i. We make ourselves available

1. Not only when it is convenient

a. You are not a servant, if you serve when it is only convenient

2. What about interruptions? Interruptions are often a divine appointment to serve and impact somebody

ii. meeting the need

1. with sensitivity and spontaneity

a. negativity thought: I need to meet my needs, everyone for themselves

iii. By Making the best with what they have

1. Ecclesiastes 11:4 “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done” (NLT)

a. Argument: Fear they are not good enough to serve…they think they have to be a superstar

iv. Focus on others

1. they don’t promote or call attention to themselves

a. “put on the apron of humility, to serve one another” Gal. 1:10

i. self promotion and servant are like oil and vinegar ( are you addicted to attention)

3. Effectiveness

a. When you do what you love, you get good at it

i. Passion drives perfection

1. Are you giving your best?

2. If you don’t care about a task, it is unlikely that you will excel at it

a. What you are able to do, God wants you to do it

b. We are effective when we do every assignment with equal effort

i. The size of the assignment never becomes an issue…

1. Little leaders think they are too big to do the little things.

a. Jesus: wash feet, help children, fixed breakfast and served lepers.

i. He did not serve inspite of his greatness, but because of his greatness

ii. Small assignment often shows who has the big heart (Paul gathered the brushwood for a fire after the shipwreck), eventhough he was as exhausted as everyone else.

iii. You will serve to ways:

1. Upward: those in authority

2. Downward: those in need

c. The highest level of servant: UNSEEN