For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45 (NKJV))

Jesus is the One we should look to when we want to know how we should serve. He served perfectly and gave us an example to follow. Although there are many others, here are three things you can learn about serving from Jesus.

Jesus Had an Attitude of Service

As we see in Mark 10:45, Jesus didn’t come to the earth for others to serve Him. Although He is God, He didn’t exempt Himself from serving. Instead, He came to serve others and to literally give His life for us.

If God Himself came to serve, we should use our lives to serve others too. Jesus told us that to follow Him we need to deny ourselves (Mark 8:34). When you go somewhere – to work, a friend’s house, church, or even the grocery store – do you go with an expectation of being served? Or do you go looking for ways to serve others, both practically and spiritually?

Jesus Served with Compassion

At one point in His ministry, Jesus and His disciples sailed to a deserted place to rest. They needed rest because “there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat” (Mark 6:31 (NKJV)). The people saw them depart, so they followed them on foot and caught up to them (Mark 6:33).

Instead of being annoyed (I likely would have been annoyed), Jesus was “moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd” (Mark 6:34 (NKJV)). Despite being tired, Jesus was compassionate toward the people who came to Him.

The Greek word translated as compassion means to have an emotional response so strong that you’re moved to action. Jesus was moved with love for them in a deep way.

That kind of care for others can only come from God. Only with His Holy Spirit can we serve others with compassion like Jesus. Pray and ask God to help you to be moved with compassion for the people you serve.

Jesus Made Time for Prayer

Jesus often got up early to pray to the Father. For example, Mark 1:35 (NKJV), tells us, “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He [Jesus] went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.” Jesus got up before the sun rose to spend some alone time with His Father.

And if you go back a few verses, you’ll see that Jesus didn’t go to bed early the night before. Instead, after the sun had set, He spent the evening healing the sick and casting out demons from the people who were brought to Him (Mark 1:32–34).

You can pray anytime, anywhere as you go throughout your day. But there is something special in that time you set aside to spend with God the Father. When you are completely focused on Him, waiting on Him, praising Him, thanking Him, you’re more apt to hear what He wants to tell you. Make an appointment – like you would any other appointment – to spend time alone with God in prayer.