Some of you probably know this about me because I’ve mentioned it numerous times before in one context or another, but for those who don’t, here you go. I grew up in a Christian home. My mom made sure we were in church just about any day of the week that the doors were open. I went to Christian school my entire life, even college. Most of my jobs post college have been in full-time ministry. In short, I am blessed.
I can remember memorizing Scripture when I was three and four years old. Nearly all of the verses I learned as a child I can still remember to this day. It’s an incredible thing, really. The foundation laid for me from the time I first began to utter words was one of faith in Jesus Christ.
As a child, even much of the music we listened to was Christian, Scripture put to song. And there was this one song that went something like this:
“If you wanna be great in God’s Kingdom, learn to be the servant of all.”
If my sister is reading this, I know she’ll be singing along. This simple tune, though, tells the story of an incredible conversation between Jesus and His disciples in Mark 9.
“They came to Capernaum. When He was in the house, He asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” Mark 9:33-35
I always found this story to be rather comical. Jesus’ best buds are literally fighting over who is the greatest like a bunch of little children. But they are grown men. Jesus, knowing their thoughts even though they kept silent when He asked them, responds with a profound truth, one that is incredibly applicable for you and I today:
“If you wanna be great in God’s Kingdom, learn to be the servant of all.”
Ok, so those weren’t Jesus’ words exactly, but I just couldn’t help myself. You see, it’s so counter-cultural. It’s so backwards. It seems so opposite of what this world shouts at us. On the contrary, we are told that if we want to be great, we need to promote ourselves. We need to boast in our accomplishments. We need to have thousands of followers on social media. We need to have the American dream plus some. We need to be recognized and celebrated. We need to be center stage. The spotlight needs to be on us.
Jesus says something strikingly different.
If you want to be great in the eyes of God, learn to love to serve. Learn to prefer humility over pride. Learn to assume others to be more significant than yourself. Learn to be a servant of all.
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