Since 1997, MasterCard has received hundreds of awards for their catchy ad campaign featuring the slogan “Priceless.” As Christians, I think the slogan for our relationships with Christ should be “Serving Is Priceless.” Most people think that serving is the same thing as service. I disagree. I believe there is a huge difference between the two. Christ did not come to give good service; He came to serve. As an athlete, I am not supposed to give good service to my teammates—I am to serve them. As a coach, I serve my team; I do not provide them a service. Service is something you pay for or something you expect, such as courteous and prompt attention from the employees at a restaurant or gas station. But serving goes deeper. Serving deals with heart issues and involves sacrifice and meeting real needs.

Christ desires that we as athletes and coaches become servants to our teammates, friends, family and communities. He has set us apart for a great work. We are His instruments—His serving instruments! Today, this can be a hard concept to understand. It seems like everyone in the world of sports wants to be a leader, not a servant. Jesus never told us to be leaders, but He did tell us to be servants.

Each summer thousands of athletes attend FCA Leadership Camps. At one of the camps, I shared with the students that they were really at a Servant Camp, not a Leadership Camp. To be a leader you must serve, and this is my challenge to you today. Fulfill Christ’s calling on your life and become a servant!