“And whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister. And
whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant” (Matt. xx. 26,
27).
Slave is the literal meaning of the word, _doulos_.
The first word used for service is _diakanos_, which means a minister to
others in any usual way or work: but the word _doulos_ means a bond slave,
and the Lord here plainly teaches us that the highest service is that of a
bond slave.
He Himself made Himself the servant of all, and he who would come nearest
to Him and stand closest to Him at last, must likewise learn the spirit of
the ministry that has utterly renounced selfish rights and claims forever.
It is quite possible to be entirely loyal to the Lord Jesus, and yet for
Jesus’ sake, a servant ourselves, and under the authority of those who are
over us in the Lord.
The _doulos_ spirit is the spirit of self-renunciation and glad submission
to proper authority, service utterly disinterested, yielding our own
preferences and interests unreservedly for the glory of the Master and the
sake of our brethren. Lord, clothe us with humility and make us wholly
Thine.