But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the
Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over
them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great
among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among
you, let him be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served,
but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
~ Matthew 20:25-28
In today's world, to become great means to be the best, to be the first, to
become a leader. To be great means that you are at the top, people serve you,
and you have every right to be proud and even arrogant; after all, you're the
greatest. And once you're the greatest, you expect people to meet your every
need and to make way for you. You deserve it, right? And be sure to tell
everyone how great you are...if you don't do that, how else will they know?
It doesn't work that way in God's kingdom. In His kingdom, to achieve
greatness, you become a servant. You lay aside your desires and plans, and
focus on the interests of others. It means being humble, and obedient to the
will of God. Philippians 2:3-9 says 'Let nothing be done through selfish
ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better
than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but
also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in
Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be
equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a
servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as
a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the
death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him
the name which is above every name.'
When we become servants in the kingdom of God, He is the one who exalts us.
And when we are focused on esteeming others and looking out for their
interests as well as our own, we all win, because we are all looking out for
each other. Our servanthood leads to greatness in the kingdom of God - James
4:10 says 'Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you
up.'
Lord, as we each face the day today, help us to remember to look out for our
brothers and sisters, and to serve them as You served us. Help us to seek
humility in all that we do, and to lay aside the pride that entangles us and
hinders us from fully surrendering to You. Give us a willing and cheerful
heart as we serve those around us.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
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