God willing, let’s go on a servanthood journey. For 40 days, I am going to share what God has allowed me to learn about the principle of servanthood.
Day 1: Let’s define “servant”. A person who voluntarily serves another or acts as his minister. Being a servant is a requirement if we follow Jesus.
Day 2: Servanthood requires humility, intentionality & authenticity. Jesus taught & exemplified servanthood in this way. We are continuing to learn this!
Day 3: Describe the cultural reality that you were born into, grew up in, and currently live in. We must understand that other people may have no experience with our personal cultural reality and vice versa. This is why we must connect and build relationships outside of our own cultural reality. When we intentionally and authentically do this, we will learn how to best serve others.
Day 4: We must ask the Lord to open our heart, mind, eyes, & ears so that we can welcome people in, meet them where they are, and serve their needs. Remember this…Jesus went to the house of Matthew — a former tax collector. He reclined at the table. Scripture tells us that many tax collectors and sinners came as guest to eat with them.
Day 5: Serve people how they need you. One day I went to hangout with the children at Homeless No More, I asked them what they needed me to do? They said, “Play with toys and read.” We did just that.
Day 6: Our soul finds significance when we find our identity in Jesus and serve Him by serving others. Until I understood and applied this, I would always feel like it was “something else” that I needed to do. Serving the Lord was that “something.”
Day 7: God has placed me on a journey that I never imagined. Because I’m here, let’s talk about “servanthood.” We are chosen to serve. We must never think that we are superior to anyone in anyway. Jesus, being fully Lord, told us that He came to serve. We must follow His example.
Day 8: When we genuinely serve others, we are showing them that we value them as a person. Furthermore, we are showing them that we value them as God’s creation! How can we serve you? How can we serve together?
Day 9: The Bible gives us scripture containing the phrase “just as”. “Just as” means to an equal degree. Just as Jesus: loved (John 15:12), served (Matthew 20:28), and accepted us (Romans 15:7), we must do the same for others. We have an example to follow. Serving the Lord is doing what He has called us to do.
Day 10: To be an effective servant, we must be an intentional listener. We never know who God will send a message through.
Day 11: Build the “bridge of trust” with people. When I was going through the tough times, as a student athlete, Rachel and I built the bridge of trust. When I witnessed Jaelen going through that tough time, as a student athlete, we built the bridge of trust. I truly believe that he will do the same thing with others. Build that bridge of trust. It is key in our connection in serving the needs of others.
Day 12: A few weeks ago, I looked at Kristen and said, “I don’t really know you.” You should have seen the look that she gave me! Then I explained this to her, If we claim that we know all that there is to know about someone, we will think that there is nothing else to learn about them and our connection will not grow deeper. When we think we know all there is to know about anyone or anything, we get stuck in our ways and limit our ability to learn and open our minds. If we truly desire to be the servants who God has called us to be, we must continue to learn His ways and develop deeper connections with people who He has placed on our path.
Day 13: Authentic servanthood is built on the foundation of humility. If we want to learn about humility, go sit and talk to children. We will leave with new lessons in life. When God allowed us to write books, it expanding our reach to little children. This opportunity allowed me to sit down and learn from them. There is a reason why Jesus taught the disciples about being humble like the child.
Day 14: Even if you have never seen it done – know this, “Serving the Lord may start with you. The next generation will be blessed because of your service right now.” Study Genesis 12, when God called Abram. I pray that you and the next generation of children will see our service to the Lord and understand that this is what Jesus calls each one of us to do. It’s bigger than me.
Day 15: I’m intentional about authentically & humbly serving the Lord and serving the needs of people. Here is part of my story that I posted in November of 2020. 
I was 17 years old in this picture…Yesterday, during the recording of “The Outspoken Leader” podcast, the students asked me, “At 17 years old did you imagine being where you are now?” My answer was “No.” Why? Because this can only be explained by the work that God does. Six months after this picture was taken, I went through a cycle of injuries and surgeries that ultimately led to a detour in life.What God was doing was allowing me to find His purpose for my life. When I saw it, I understood this one principle “It is not about me.” I know that I am on earth to love and serve the Lord, by loving and serving people, where He has planted me, by using my God-given gifts. My encouragement to you is Matthew 6:33 when Jesus said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.”
Day 16: “If we want to connect with people on an authentic level, we must be honest. With honesty, vulnerability often follows.”Two years ago, on this day, Mr. & Mrs.Robinson invited me to speak at the “2019 Counselor and Career Development Workshop.” That day I spoke with counselors on practical ways to connect with our youth. The Lord has given me opportunities and spiritual gifts to “plug in” with people. It is part of my mission to share that with others. In this process we have to listen, listen, and listen. We must be real with ourselves and real with them. I’m grateful that I get to live this life and I will continue to be a listening ear for people and a voice for people.
Day 17: Listen to the Lord’s voice, today. I don’t know how He will send it to us, but we will hear it. He will guide us to the people who we need to serve and to the people who we will serve with.
Day 18: In March of 2021, I spoke to Dr.Goins’ Exercise Science students at USC. The topic was “Stay on the Path.” Normally, I would talk about the specifics of my job as a strength coach, but that day it was different. I talked about my duty as a servant of the Lord and how being a strength coach was just one of those duties. We further discussed our opportunities to serve others. I told them, “Every opportunity of service builds off of the previous one.” We must be obedient to the Lord & serve the needs that exist right now, within the roles that He has planted us in. Stay on the Path!
Day 19: Years ago, I used to talk about the “Grind.” That was when I would stay up late and pour myself into doing endless work. One day I had to ask myself, “Why do I see it this way?” Here was the answer: I was trying to prove something to myself. It was slowly making me weaker when the intention was to get stronger. When Jesus made it clear that it was “bigger than me,” I realized that putting our faith in Jesus gives us rest from ourselves. When I committed to Him, my work became purposeful because it was for Him and not me. This is what made me learn the principle of servanthood and dive deeper into being the servant who He has called me to be.
Day 20: When we serve the Lord, we will have to walk through the wilderness. The wilderness is not a bad place. It is a developmental stage in living God’s purpose for our life. It is where our faith in Jesus grows deeper. In the wilderness, We will learn more about who we are. On Jan 5th, I realized that God gave me the phrase “Stay on the path.” On Jan 28th, we experienced a loss of our first child. This started a wilderness experience for me. On February 8th, one of my students invited me to come speak to his Boy Scouts Troop. I knew I had to gather the courage to go! That day the message that the Lord gave me was “Serving with our God-given gifts.” While being in the wilderness ask Yahweh, “What do You need me to learn from this?” At the end of Isaiah 43:19 Scripture says this, “Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert. My wife and I are proof that the Lord guides us through the wilderness. She is 25 weeks pregnant with Baby K! Here is my lesson for anyone going through the wilderness, there is a river in the desert. Don’t quit and don’t turn around! Ask the Lord for guidance every step of the way. If we keep walking and stay on the path, we will find the river that God has placed there.
Day 21: Today, I studied Hebrews 6:3. Scripture says this, “And we will do this if God permits.” It takes me back to July 2019 when we were seeking to serve children through our first BTSSC Backpack Drive. Before this came about, I had the vision. I just needed clarity on where God was sending us and who He was sending us to serve. God permitted us to serve in Ninety Six, SC with Mr.James Hamphill. Leading up to connecting with Mr.James, some things didn’t work out because God knew who and where He was sending us, we had to listen and obey Him. I reflect on the text that Mr.James sent me that day. He said this, “I’m just a vessel.” Since July of 2019, we have been blessed to serve the Lord and serve the needs of many children and families in the town of Ninety Six, SC, with Mr.James. Here is my message…God will show us the vision. He will permit us to serve where He is sending us. It is up to us to follow His plan for our lives. When we do, we become vessels for His blessing to get them to others.
Day 22: When I speak about “servanthood”, I am speaking on what the Lord has spiritually revealed to me. Yahweh revealed it to me though His Word. In John 13:15 Jesus says this, “I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.” The results of His word will come to life when we do this…Align ourselves under His Word; Study His Word; Teach His Word; Apply His Word. When we commit to serving the Lord, this is when we put action to our faith. When I put action to my faith, I clearly saw and continue to see Him working through me to bless others. It’s humbling. It’s fulfilling. It’s my purpose. There is nothing for me to prove, but there is always something for me to exemplify. It’s bigger than me!
Day 23: Jesus is our model for servanthood. He also has planted people in our lives who we can learn from. This makes me think back to John 1:40-42 when Andrew brought Simon Jesus. We know Simon as Peter and Andrew was his brother. God purposely plants people in our lives. I learned a lot of the practicalities of servanthood from Marcus. I’m grateful for our brotherhood. We are called to serve with what the Lord has given us. It truly does us no good if we keep everything to ourselves. If we give freely, the Lord will continue to give to us.
Day 24: My faith in Jesus is how I know that I have been called to serve Him and serve the needs of others. Our faith will grow with our experiences. In the first picture, I had faith that I could play football. I poured myself into the game and it never once crossed my mind that in 3 years my playing career would be over. The picture on the right is what came from this. I tell Kristen this a lot, “As a kid who loved the game of football, I never imagined that God would give me a platform called Bigger Than Sports, SC.” This was all new to me so it took faith to start it and it takes faith to live it out daily. The Lord continues to show me that I am serving Him and serving the needs of others. The Lord has a purpose for your life. Put your faith in Him every step of the way. This is just one of many stories that I could tell you about putting my faith in Jesus.
Day 25: We dive deeper into understanding servanthood when we understand discipline. Discipline and disciple come from the Latin word “discipulus”. Discipulus means pupil. Pupil means student. What does a student do? A student learns! The Lord has disciplined me first hand this is why I HAVE TO stick to what He has called me to do! He has also planted people in my life from who I have learned a ton of discipline. My mom (Tammy) and my uncle (Drey) are two of those people. They are both compassionate people who do what is required of them with discipline and consistency. If you know them, you know that they will give you the shirt off of their back, but hold you accountable at the same time. I’m a better man because of them.
Day 26: We can only be better when God deals with the root of our bitterness. If bitterness is in my heart there is no way that I can fully be the servant who Jesus has called me to be. Sometimes we hold on so tight to our titles that it makes it impossible to grasp our spiritual title from the Lord. When I let go of the need to be qualified by my worldly title, my spiritual title as a servant was revealed to me. This is when bitterness left my heart. God placed me in roles where I served Him and served the needs of others. I serve the Lord as a man, husband, coach, teacher, author, speaker, and whatever role He places me in. We must ask God to deal with the “root of our bitterness. Only then will we see the real issue that holds us back. For me it was the “identity of being just as an athlete.” He will free you from the bondage of bitterness and make you better.
Day 27: This morning my reading was Hebrews 13:1-2 and Matthew 25:35. The Scripture made me reflect on “hospitality. On day 11, I introduced you all to Jaelen King. Through Jaelen, I met the King Family and we have built a very solid relationship. Alvin King is Jae’s dad. Alvin welcomed us into his home to have the first BTSSC meeting, a few years ago. You may see us together serving through Bigger Than Sports, SC. Alvin is a retired 1st Sergeant in the Army. His non-profit organization is “Range Fore Hope Foundation.” I’m grateful for the service and hospitality that Alvin always shows. Together we build relationships where we serve the Lord and connect with people in the community to serve them. Today, many people will meet someone for the first time in their lives. This person could be someone that the Lord has planted as a blessing to you. Ask the Lord to give you the wisdom to responsibly practice hospitality and the heart to act on it. We must pray on it and apply it! Hospitality builds relationships and relationships connect us to serve.
Day 28: On 10/30/2021, the Lord put it on my heart to authentically share principles and practicalities of servanthood. I speak the message of “servanthood” to a wide range of people. I pray that my faith in Jesus encourages you and that you see what it means to be a servant of the Lord by hearing/reading my words and seeing my actions. I don’t need recognition, exaltation, or awards. All of this is so that God gets the glory.
Today, find a way to serve without expecting anything in return. Serve the Lord and serve others with a pure heart. You will have the desire to repeat this. When this is done, service and blessings will become cyclical!
Day 29: Today, my Scripture reading came from James 1:5. The Scripture made me reflect on “Asking God for wisdom.” In 2019, my specific prayer was for “spiritual wisdom from God.” That year we wrote our first book, “I Am Chosen To Be A Friend.” Writing books has added layers to my servanthood because it has allowed me to reach young children in communities throughout South Carolina. I know that it is wisdom from God because I wasn’t trained in a worldy way to do any of this. I know that He has given me the responsibility of serving Him and serving the needs of others.
Ask God for wisdom without doubting. He will give you the wisdom to do what it is that He needs you to do. When you act on this wisdom, you will live His purpose for your life. This is what serving under His will looks like!
God willing, for 1 more day, I am going to share what God has allowed me to learn about the principle of servanthood.
Day 30: This morning I studied James 1:22. This Scripture made me reflect on being a doer of the Lord’s word and not just a hearer. As I continued to read, God led me to Matthew 25:37-40. Jesus says this, “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.”
Remember this…No act of service is too small for the Lord to bless. When we serve the needs of people, we are serving the Lord. What we see as the smallest act of service may be the biggest blessing to the person receiving it. Simply serve!
Day 31: This morning, my Scripture reading came from James 1:2-4 and Luke 21:19. The word that was clear to me was “endurance”. The testing of our faith produces endurance. As a servant of the Lord, I know this, “Nothing that we go through is a wasted experience. If it wasn’t for the trials in my life, I wouldn’t be who I am now.” Here is my message to you, “What you are going through might be the toughest thing that you have ever experienced. Ask Jesus to give you the endurance to keep going & to reveal the lesson in these trials!” On the other side of the trial is a new version of you. I’m willing to listen, talk, and walk with you.
God willing, let’s stay on our servanthood journey for 40 days. I am going to share what God has allowed me to learn about the principle of servanthood.
Day 32: Today, my Scripture reading came from James 2, Matthew 3, and Acts 10. This took me back to Sunday night when Kristen and I were riding back home and we were talking about “blueprints” for Bigger Than Sports, SC. I told her this, “I can never in my life say that I am self-made because if it wasn’t for God planting people on my path to help me, I wouldn’t be the person that I am today. Let me give you an example. Bigger Than Sports, SC was created in 2017 as Josh Bovill took me through step by step in creating the documents to make this official. Our BTSSC Backpack Drive came to life when Tim Behling shared his wisdom with me. When I committed my life to be a servant of Jesus it made me realize a valuable lesson, “His will for my life is bigger than me and it’s not about me.”
Day 33: Today, my Scripture reading came from James 2:15-18. This made me reflect on my faith in Jesus and working to serve the needs of others. This summer we had two “BTSSC Faith Walk Shoe and Backpack Drives” with BLVCK DIAMOND KICKZ. All of this started by asking questions! “Where can we serve? What are the needs of the people? How can we specifically serve them?” God had already planted us together to serve the needs. We had to put our faith into action and DO THE WORK. You all stepped up to serve with us and supported us financially. Through our service, children received brand new shoes, backpacks, and school supplies. When they asked me to speak on it I said this, “We are serving the Lord by serving the people who He has placed on our path!” Without faith, we cannot please God (See Hebrews 11:6). To our faith, we must add work!
Day 34: Today, my scripture reading came from James 3:16-18. Two phrases stood out clear to me “envy” and “selfish ambition”. When these words are present in our lives we will have disorder. When Jesus was speaking to the disciples He spoke heavily on: servanthood, unity, and love. This made me think of a phrase that I say a lot. ”Supporting a person’s vision, from God, does not disqualify or weaken your vision from God. Your vision is on purpose for a purpose!Their vision is on purpose for a purpose! We must work to support one another if we are truly doing it for the glory of God!” We must unify and collaborate because it’s bigger than us!
Day 35: Today, my scripture reading came from James 4:3. The word that popped out to me was “motive”. This made me think of the following questions…
𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞?
My motive is to serve the Lord and serve the needs of others through the platforms that He has given me, with the power that He has given me through the Spirit.
𝗪𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞?
I care because I know what it is like to try and live up to a label that the world has placed on you. My worldly label was this: “Athlete”. It’s heavy. It’s foggy. It’s an unsatisfiable pleasure that we seek. It leads to more emptiness and more confusion. I know the freedom that Jesus gives and He reveals our purpose when we come to Him. I want to see you freed from the need of living up to the labels of the world. I don’t want you to be held down by your worldly pleasure. God has eternal pleasure for you. When you are freed you can have that eternal pleasure and go reach people without having to disguise your motives.
Day 36: Today is day 333 for my journey of “Stay on the path.” This morning I woke up and took a walk down a path that was illuminated by small lights. When I walked back inside and started to study Scripture, God led me to the verse that I started with on day one of this journey. This verse is Psalm 16:11. From there, He led me to Psalms 23:3. Here are the words that He revealed as clear as day to me, “God reveals, God renews, He leads.” My job as a servant of the Lord is to stay on the path and do what He has planted me to do. Y’all I can’t make this up. This is bigger than me. It’s about serving Jesus and serving the needs of others. You are the only “you” that He has ever created. Walk on the path that the Lord has placed you on. It’s the path to His purpose for your life. It’s His original path for your life!
Day 37: Today is my wife’s 32nd birthday! Last night, she looked at me and said, “Bro! I will be 32 tomorrow & a mom soon.” If you know Kristen, you know that she usually makes it known to you that it’s her birthday. This year she has had a shift in perspective. She has been a wife for 7+ years and she will be a new mom to Baby K. This made me reflect on “responsibilities.” Specifically, my responsibilities as a servant of the Lord, her husband, and Baby K’s dad. My Scripture reading this morning came from James 4:17, “Remember, it is a sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” Based on Scripture (1 Timothy 5:8), I know that if we don’t take care of the ones in our household, we have denied the faith. This makes it clear what we ought to do! My responsibilities of being a servant must start in my heart and my household. Then, I can go out and be an effective servant of the Lord in the community. Happy Birthday, Mama K!
Day 38: Today my Scripture reading came from James 4, 2 Chronicles 26, and Proverbs 16. The words “arrogance” “pride” and “humility” were revealed to me. Arrogance will ruin our lives, but being humble before the Lord is how we are exalted by Him. The higher that the Lord elevates us, the more humility we must live with. We must live this way so that the platform and power does not cause us to act prideful. We must use our platform and power to serve the Lord and to serve as many people as possible.
Day 39: Today, my Scripture reading came from Genesis 12:1-9, John 16:13, and Acts 1:8. The words that came to me were: “journey”, “stages”, “guidance”, & “power”. Servanthood is a journey. This journey is happening in stages. Throughout the stages, the Spirit of the Lord guides me & gives me the power to do what I need to do!
Day 40: Servanthood is spiritual. For every person who I get to serve and everyone who I serve with, I ask the Lord to allow me to see them through the lens of His word. He examines my heart and shows me what I need to fix. This journey of servanthood continues to mold me for God’s purpose. His purpose is bigger than me I’m just a vessel. Trust Him, serve Him, and serve the needs of others. Your relationship with the Lord will grow deeper and your relationship with other people will grow deeper. God has a plan for our lives through Jesus. When we give our lives to Him as obedient servants, our hearts will be molded to a servant’s heart and our minds will not be able to imagine all that He has for us. I never imagined that I would be this version of Jay, but I am grateful to be a servant of the Lord. I pray that you join me on this journey.
BTSSC 