“Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.” (Mark 10:43-44 NIV)
If you want to become great, serve others. Jesus came to serve: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45 NIV). I haven’t done a scientific survey, but I think each of us has a secret desire to be great. We all want to be recognized for our contributions to the world. I want to be a best-selling New York Times author. We all have dreams of greatness. But in order to be great, we need to serve others. Greatness comes by way of service.
Greatness comes by way of service.
The more I get to know Jesus, the more I love Him. I hope and pray the same for everyone who reads these devotionals. Jesus came to serve us in love and truth. His humility is what makes Him great. When Jesus was faced with any situation, He led with grace. He led with mercy. He led with love. He set a standard of service to others we can only hope to achieve.
Putting others before ourselves is not a natural instinct for humans. Our natural instinct is to put ourselves first. But that isn’t what Jesus called us to do. Our greatest commandment is to love God, love others (Mark 12:30-31 NIV). Our priorities in life are God and others, ourselves last. Using the gifts God gave us to serve others is when we feel His pleasure.
Writing these devotions is my gift to God, an act of service for the love of writing He gave me. I ask Him for inspiration in the words I write. I want all glory to go to Him. I try hard to not make it about me. Mark Batterson said in a recent message, “What we don’t turn into praise, turns into pride.” I give God the praise for my writing, the gift is from Him.
God has given each of us gifts. This article has great tips on how to identify your gifts. When we identify what our gifts are, we can then offer them back to God. Knowing our gifts can help us identify where we can serve others. When we serve others, we will be great. The greatness comes not in being lifted up and exalted, but in loving another. When we serve, we are loving those God has given us to love. And when we love, we feel God’s pleasure. Greatness comes by way of service.
Question of the Day:
Who can you serve today?
Further Reading: Leviticus 25:47-27:13 NIV, Mark 10:32-52 NIV, Psalm 45:1-17 NIV, Proverbs 10:22 NIV
