How can we cultivate a servant’s heart? Here are five ways:

Seek the Lord’s guidance. Ask God to help you bless someone today. Ask Him to point you to just the right person.

Research what the Bible has to say about serving others. Researching what the Bible has to say about serving others can be found in numerous verses, including Mark 10:45, Romans 12:10, 1 Peter 4:10, and Acts 20:35b. It’s clear that having a servant’s heart is important to our Lord.

Find a role model. When we were kids, we looked up to people for a variety of reasons. As Believers seeking to cultivate a servant’s heart, we can look to the One who served others selflessly—Jesus Christ. He put others before Himself and tirelessly cared for those in need. He humbly did so without the need for “kudos” from others. His service was genuine.

Ask God to give you a servant’s heart and one with pure motives. When cultivating a servant’s heart, we must ask ourselves if our motives are pure. Are we doing it for selfish reasons? Because we want someone to do something for us in return? To earn the praise of others? As a matter of pride thinking we are better than others because we serve others more?

We are to do everything without grumbling or complaining, including serving others, even when it’s difficult.

Be aware and intentional. Who is there to serve? Who can we bless? This is a legitimate question. However, by being aware and intentional, we can easily “stumble” upon those who need our help. Recently in one of the classes I instruct as a certified fitness instructor, I witnessed an amazing act of service in action. One of the members no longer needed a specific piece of exercise equipment. She offered it to me, and I accepted.

Later in the class, a woman who is a cancer survivor and who hadn’t heard the exercise equipment conversation, mentioned how she’d love to have a particular item—the same item I’d just been gifted. Had I not been paying attention, I wouldn’t have heard her statement.

I offered the gifted piece of equipment to this woman. She was ecstatic.

The following week, another woman in our class, who had not heard either of the conversations, showed up with the piece of equipment in the back of her walker. She said that woman #2 had given it to her since she enjoyed using the one at the gym so much.

When we are aware and intentional, it’s so easy to serve.

Don’t overdo it. If you are one who regularly comes alongside others, it can be easy to get burned out. While serving others is important, be careful not to overdo it at the expense of your health, your family, or your time with the Lord.

Cultivating a servant’s heart can take time, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can make a difference in the lives of others with our willingness to serve.