When You Find Yourself in the Mud There Is Only One Rank That Matters: Servant

I Corinthians 12:21-26 

The dirt that a crisis dredges up can be a catalyst for relationships. Ask God to help you enjoy new relationships - even if they're a little messy to start with.

Soul Food

I Corinthians 12:21-26

“The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”

Soul Search

• How do you feel when you’re with people who hold some kind of authority over you?
  People who you are somehow accountable to and whose good graces you need to remain in?

• How do you carry yourself when you’re with people who are somehow subordinate to you and over whom you have some authority?
  Do you ever get demanding or demeaning?
  Do you enjoy the power and control you have over subordinates?

• Examine your willingness and attitude toward rolling up your sleeves and working closely alongside people you are either above or below in terms of your relationship with them.
  Can you gladly get dirty helping and working alongside people you have authority over?
  Can you gladly get dirty helping and working alongside people you are under and who you are responsible to?

• Can you recall a time when a crisis or emergency hit and you had to quickly form a team and make a unified effort to battle the crisis?
  Did your rank or position before the crisis mean as much as when you were in the middle of the crisis?
  Are there lessons to be learned in situations like this? 
  What might some of those lessons be?

Soul Moves

• Ask God to show you, through prayer and time spent in the Bible, what He thinks about positions and ranks within society.

• Look for opportunities to serve and give back both to people who are above you (or superior or ‘senior’ to you in some way) as well as to those who are below or ‘under’ you.

• Practice serving people regardless of their rank or position and determine to serve them in everyday life and circumstances – especially when there aren’t any crises forcing people to come together.
  Be determined to come alongside others to serve them for no other reason than it’s what God wants you to do.

• If you don’t like getting muddy or dirty, ask God to help you overcome that dislike.
  You’ll be serving and helping a whole lot more people if you stop letting the mud hold you back.