Tag: greatness
Week 12–Day 1–Greatness Through Serving
Scripture reading for March 16: Mark 10:42-45 “And Jesus called them to Him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.””
Among the twelve disciples that Jesus had selected, there arose a dispute among them about who was the greatest of the group. James and John had sought out Jesus and asked Him for seats of honor when He came into His promised kingdom. Jesus stated that they did not know what they were asking. He asked them if they were able to drink the cup that He would drink and be baptized with His baptism? They confidently responded “we are able.” This upset the other disciples and Jesus stepped in with a word of wisdom that applied to them and us all.
Jesus taught them that in the world the Gentile rulers would lord it over those under their authority. They would demand tribute and respect, sometimes using force. But in God’s eternal kingdom, there was a different path to greatness. This path was one of humble service and those desiring greatness in God’s kingdom must become servants, even slaves, of others. Jesus, Himself, although King of kings, by example humbled Himself and took the form of a servant who actually gave His life as a ransom for many! It was because of this, that God highly exalted Him to the highest place. (Philippians 2:9-11)
As first responder, we are called to serve others. According to Jesus, this is a path to greatness in His kingdom! Even the small tasks that we do to help the hurting and weak are noticed by Him and reflect His heart to help the weak and hurting. Let’s remember our Lord’s call to greatness through serving!
Prayer: Father God, thank You for sending Jesus as a humble example of true greatness. Use me as I respond each day to reflect Your humble attitude of a servant to all who need assistance. May I always put You first and others before myself. Open doors for me to share Your serving love. Amen.
Heaven’s greatest!
Scripture reading for January 24: Matthew 18
“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to Him a child, He put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in My Name receives Me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” Matthew 18:1-6
Fame, fortune and beauty define the greatest people in the eyes of the world. Therefore, the world is always seeking prestige from great accomplishments, earning large amounts of money, or being especially beautiful or handsome. All these accomplishments most often come with pride and promotion and competition for the top spots. Contests are set up, lists of famous people are made, and fortunes are totaled to determine the winners.
But Jesus’ disciples asked Him who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Their motive was probably to have Jesus confirm one of them in that role but Jesus took this opportunity to expand their world view. He found a child and had him put in their midst and made a bold statement. “Whoever humbles himself like this child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” This was a challenge to their current self-centered view of being the greatest disciples. Not that this desire was bad, but the path to greatness was through humility and serving and learning God’s way of the cross. They were also warned to be careful that their worldly attitudes and actions might cause the children to go astray. This would bring eternal loss and judgment.
Are you currently seeking fulfilment through the world’s path of pride and accomplishment? Have you considered the children in your life that you are influencing? What actions will you take to respond?
Prayer: Father God, I confess that I have desired ‘greatness’ in this world system. Thank You for showing me my children and my need to become like a child and learn from You and them. Lead me today in the path of true greatness and humble service. Amen.
True greatness!
Scripture reading for March 14: Luke 9, Psalm 53, Proverbs 22
Key Scriptures: Luke 9:46-48 “An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by His side, and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in My Name receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.”
Pride manifested itself among the chosen disciples of Jesus. They argued with one another about which of them was the greatest disciple! Now it’s a noble thing to want to be the best follower of Jesus, but we can make an idol of our service to Christ and miss what Jesus desires for us. Jesus used a child as an example. Our treatment of children and the least among us requires humility and taking a lower position. True greatness, says Jesus, comes from this.
Faith confession: Lord, I want to attain true greatness by humbly receiving children and those looked down on by our culture. I believe You love children and the marginalized of our world and want me to love them. Action step: Reach out today to a child or someone hurting and show the love of Jesus to them.
Proverbs 22:4 “The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.”
Greatness through serving!
Scripture reading for February 21st: Mark 10, Psalms 38, Proverbs 7
Key Scriptures: Mark 10:42-45 “And Jesus called them to Him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
James and John had approached Jesus with a request. They asked if they could be seated on His right and left when Jesus came into His glory. This caused the other disciples to become upset as well. Jesus called them all together and explained what true greatness was in God’s eyes: serving others. In fact, Jesus demonstrated His servant-leadership by giving His life for all mankind’s salvation.
Faith’s confession: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your teaching and example of servant-leadership. I believe true greatness comes by serving others. Give me opportunities to serve others today.
Psalm 38:15 “But for You, O Lord, do I wait; it is You, O Lord my God, who will answer.”
The desire for greatness!
Scripture reading for March 15th: Luke 9
Key scriptures for over-comers: Luke 9:46-48 “An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside Him. Then He said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in My name welcomes Me; and whoever welcomes Me welcomes the One who sent Me. For he who is least among you all–he is the greatest.””
The image of God in us gives us a desire for being known and achieving greatness. We know that we have potential and are called to rule. This desire can be something that leads us to competition and jealousy. When worked out through the world’s ways it can be very destructive. But when led by the Spirit, godly people can achieve true greatness through humble service!
Jesus showed His disciples that the way to true greatness was found in kind treatment of children. The child that Jesus used represented the weak, vulnerable, and impressionable of society. His disciples were to welcome them and treat them with kindness and compassion. As they humbly served the least, they would achieve true ‘greatness’ in the eyes of God.
Observations for over-comers: Beware of jealousy and competing for power or position, even in the church culture. Humbly serve the least and God will exalt you! “Should you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not. For I will bring disaster on all people,” declares the Lord, “but wherever you go I will let you escape with your life.” (Jeremiah 45:5)