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By calling disciples to “Follow me” in community, Jesus had a clear purpose in mind—“and I make you fish for people” (Mark 1:17, NRSV). The calling of his disciples to form a community was very intentional. Quoting Isaiah 61:1–2, Jesus would from this community launch his ministry to “proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18–19).

A core purpose of this community was to share the kingdom of God with the world. So Jesus invested a great majority of his time in training his disciples to prepare them for this service. The goal was for them to be ready to carry on his world-changing mission.

At the heart of Jesus’ ministry was service. To do this, Jesus “made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant” (Philippians 2:7). There are many snapshots of Jesus modeling servanthood. My favorite is Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. Simon Peter was shocked and objected to what seemed like a great indignity to his Lord. Jesus’ rebuke was clear: “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me” (John 13:8). As James Lawrence writes, “Neither success nor status defines Christian leaders; service defines a Christian leader.”⁸

Jesus deserved and could have commanded being served, but he modeled something radically different. As James and John angled for positions of prominence, Jesus taught them that servanthood is the pathway to greatness (Mark 10:43). He demonstrated surrender and submission as he “humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:8). In giving his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45), Jesus modeled the reality of sacrifice and suffering.

He also sought first and foremost to seek God’s splendor. His greatest desire was to glorify the Father. Even as he faced his own death, his prayer was “Father, glorify your name!” (John 12:28). The result was that “God exalted him to the highest place…that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9–11).

We are not called to serve in order to earn acceptance or favor with God. Service is an outflow and privilege from our position in Christ. We have been created for works of service and to contribute to God’s mission. As Paul wrote, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (Ephesians 2:10). This isn’t reserved for pastors or missionaries or just when we volunteer at church or in the community. It’s for all followers of Christ, regardless of vocation, and it includes the 100-plus waking hours you spend living, working and serving on the frontlines of life Monday to Saturday.

There are many gifts by which God equips us to serve (1 Corinthians 12:4–6). Everyone has a part to play. There are also many ways to serve. Whether it is service to the poor (James 1:27), the lost (Matthew 28:19–20), widows and orphans (James 2:27), brothers and sisters in the body of Christ (1 Thessalonians 2:8), or even our enemies (Matthew 5:43–47), our service is another way to respond to God in worship as we express his kingdom to others.

Whatever your vocation, the service gauge explores your “doing” through external activity and competencies related to serving through your occupation, church, home and community. Some reflection questions for this gauge follow:

•How do you sense you are serving God through your vocation?

•How is Christ’s example of servanthood, sacrifice, surrender and submission expressed through your service?

•Are you being a good steward of your time, gifts and talent through your vocation and volunteer roles?

•How are you equipping and mobilizing others for service?

These four gauges are key dimensions in the Christian life. We see these dimensions not only in the life of Christ but also throughout Scripture. For instance, take a look at Exodus 19:5–6. These verses come just ahead of the ten commandments, and they highlight the same four dimensions. The verses read, “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”

As God’s “treasured possession” we see a special intimacy between God and his people. As a “holy nation” we see God’s people as a community set apart. They are set apart for their role or service as a “kingdom of priests.” As commentator Frank Gaebelein notes, “The whole nation was to act as mediators of God’s grace to the nations of the earth.”⁹ This role requires the community to be holy, which necessitates godly character.

If you take one more step back to Genesis, pre-fall, you will again see these four dimensions. In the garden, the spiritual intimacy dimension is unhindered, and there is rich intimacy between God and his creation. The character dimension is fully free from the corruption of sin. The relational dimension is completely harmonious. There is no discord between Adam, Eve, God and creation. There is also a service dimension of purposeful contribution. Adam and Eve have a role and purpose in taking care of the garden.

Once sin is unleashed at the fall we see all four dimensions corrupted. Spiritual intimacy with God is broken, character is tainted and corrupted, relationships now have division, and service becomes toil. From this point on, God’s desire is to redeem all his creation and all four of these core dimensions. The ten commandments point the way, and the life of Christ provides the way.

These four dimensions offer a blueprint to seeking the life of Christ in our own lives. All four of these dimensions are interrelated. As the following illustration shows, each dimension connects to and impacts each of the others. The wellspring of spiritual intimacy with God should permeate our character and draw us toward obedience, provide the standard and motivation for our relationships and overflow into action through service.

If we remove any one of the dimensions, we get into trouble. We no longer have the full picture of God’s desire for us. For example, if character isn’t important or is neglected, then our relationships will suffer due to our lack of character. At the same time, character needs the love, grace and power of God from spiritual intimacy and the sharpening from community. Otherwise, character can be driven by legalism.

Similarly, our relationships need to be in the context of holiness, obedience and health, represented by the character gauge. Our service needs to be fuelled by intimacy with God, undertaken with integrity and trust of character and supported through relationships in the body of Christ. All four of these dimensions are critical.

These four gauges provide a simple dashboard for your health as a follower of Christ and a leader. This diagnostic is critical as you seek to lead yourself and to live in the fullness of the life God has designed for you. Your health (or lack of health) in each of these four dimensions will also directly impact your leadership of others.

As you reread about each gauge, take a few moments to prayerfully reflect on your own life and leadership. Process the reflection questions. They aren’t exhaustive, but they can give you a sense of health in each dimension. Give each gauge one of three overall readings: green for generally healthy and growing (but not perfect), yellow as so-so or an early warning sign of concern, and red for problematic and needing more immediate attention.

I try to set aside time regularly to review my dashboard. You can incorporate this exercise into your regular Sabbath routine each week or a scheduled personal retreat or simply take a trip to the coffee shop for some reflection time. Using a journal will help you focus your reflection. It will also help you to identify recurring themes and patterns. You can celebrate the positive trends and address the negative.

It’s also important to recognize that though God’s desire for us is to be “green” on all four gauges, there may be temporary seasons when we need to give added priority to one or more gauges. For instance, God may desire that you grow deeper in character through a time of trial. This trial may temporarily impede your service. In fact, you may need to step back from doing in order to navigate the trial. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Just know that there may be moments where one or more gauges may be reading a little lower than ideal. Be sure to pay careful attention to ensure that this is a short-term situation and doesn’t become permanent.

The discipline of regularly taking a few moments to reflect on these four gauges will help you to lead yourself by bringing you perspective, providing corrective feedback, highlighting cause for celebration and being an early warning system for potential problems.