How to be Great – Part 3 – Remember your status
This week’s devotions are based on Week 2 of Cross Examined: Who is the Greatest? (LISTEN HERE)
Have you ever been in a social situation where the conversation inevitably comes to the question, “What do you do?”
As soon as this question is asked, our mind can momentarily divert to thinking, “Is what I do going to sound impressive enough to this person?”
Subconsciously in our society there may be some occupations that are viewed as “less than” others. Perhaps some are more “starter jobs” and others may project you have reached the top of your career ladder.
In our culture (maybe just in my German background) we put a lot of value in what we do, what we can produce, etc. For what we do carries our status.
Even if something is not your ambition (i.e. president of the United States), it is perceived as a high status (“Leader of the Free World”). A manager has higher “status” than a team member. A supervisor has greater status than a manager and so one. Our corporate structures, for organization and clarity of who is in charge, organize around status.
And so we can believe that our occupational status is what determines greatness.
Not so with you.
In Jesus’ discussion with James and John and their mom, he reminded them that the world around works on status, but not his followers:
Matthew 20:25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
A ruler had status. A high official had status. That’s what James and John, and honestly the rest of the disciples, wanted.
But Jesus said greatness comes from the status of being a servant or slave. The lowest status on the world’s greatness scale is the status that has the highest status in the kingdom of God.
When the topic came up again on the night before Jesus died, Jesus added this:
Luke 22:27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. 28 You are those who have stood by me in my trials. 29 And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, 30 so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Jesus reminded his disciples not only that greatness was found in being a servant, but greatness was found in being a child of God and invited at the “table in my kingdom.” Jesus promises his followers that their servitude in his kingdom would be recognized. He assured them they “had a seat at the table.” He would give them a special task to accomplish.
This is a great reminder for us.
We may achieve some status in our career, but the status that gives us greatness is being part of God’s kingdom by faith. He has given us eternal status as a child of God.
This is what makes your great…no matter what your vocation is.
Apply: How much does status matter to you? What changes when you remember you have been given as a gift of grace the greatest status one could ever have?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for giving me a seat at the table in the kingdom of heaven. Help me to never underestimate or devalue the status you have given me as your child and heir of eternal life. AMEN.
How to be great – Part 2: Actions of Service
This week’s devotions are based on Week 2 of Cross Examined: Who is the Greatest? (LISTEN HERE)
An attitude of humility leads to actions of service.
Back to Jesus’ response to the disciples arguing about who is the greatest and he responds:
Luke 22:26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.
Jesus lays out the common paradigm. If you are seated at the table eating, you have greater status than the people preparing and serving the meal. Servitude in most if not all cultures is seen as a “lesser” status than being served. Greatness is often measured by the number of servants one has or how many workers you have doing things for you.
But Jesus again changes the paradigm. None of his disciples would argue that Jesus wasn’t great. However, Jesus says, “I am among you as one who serves.”
God himself, the one who deserves the whole world to serve him instead decides that he is going to serve the whole world.
Greatness in God’s kingdom would be defined by serving others. This was not a new concept for the disciples as Jesus had to teach them on another occasion where James and John got their mother involved to get them prominent positions of power in Jesus kingdom. Here’s how that went:
Matthew 20:20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.
21 “What is it you want?” he asked.
She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”
22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”
“We can,” they answered.
23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”
24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
One could excuse a proud mother from asking on behalf of her boys, but we can’t excuse an attitude of pride that is unwilling to serve others.
It wasn’t just James and John, but the group of disciples were indignant with them, probably because they were mad they asked for these positions before them.
Jesus doesn’t let it stand, but rather again changes the paradigm for them and us.
Greatness comes through service. Jesus came to serve and gave the ultimate sacrifice for us. As he has served us, we now get to be the servants of others. We begin to see people around us as opportunities to serve instead of opportunities to be served. We begin to see our greatness in life comes through the people we help and assist. We are reflecting the love of Christ when we share that love with others.
Serving others. It’s just what great people do!
Apply: Look for opportunities today to serve others…even if it is inconvenient!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, forgive me for my pride that seeks to be served instead of serve others. As you have served me, empower and lead me to serve others today and always. AMEN
How to be great – Part 1: Attitude of Humility
This week’s devotions are based on Week 2 of Cross Examined: Who is the Greatest? (LISTEN HERE)
Greatness starts with attitude.
Luke 22:24 Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. 25 Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.
Many would equate greatness with having an attitude of pride and arrogance. Great people often were seen as the ones with power and prestige. Greatness was determined by how much recognition and accolades you would receive.
Jesus turns the tables. “But you are not to be like that.”
“Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest,…”
So what does greatness and “young’ness” have to do with each other? Let’s look at another time the topic of greatness came up.
Matthew 18:1-4 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2 He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3 And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
It’s not the age, it’s the attitude.
“Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Humility is hard because it stands opposed to the natural ego and pride that our sinful nature like to feed. Pride is fed when we feel we know it all, have all the answers and people need us more than we need them. Pride convinces us we are the greatest and deserve others service. Pride leads us to think we are better and more deserving than another.
“Not so with you,” Jesus would say.
Jesus changes the paradigm to teach us that humility is the sign of greatness, not pride.
So what does that mean? Since Jesus uses a child as an example, what are the characteristics of humility a child more naturally exhibits?
Trust. A child is trusting of their parents. Humility admits I need to rely on someone else. For the Christian we rely on, we trust in Jesus more than ourselves.
Curiosity. A child is always learning. Children want to know and want to learn. They don’t presume to know everything, but seek information and understanding. Humility understands I don’t know everything and don’t always have the information. Humility allows me to continue to learn and grow from my Savior and others around me.
Guidance. A child needs direction. They need instruction, correction, rebuke. Sure they don’t always like it, but they need it. Humility recognizes I need guidance and direction and yes at times correction and rebuke.
Put others first. A child is to respect others. Children are often taught to respect other children and adults. They recognize they live in a society with people around them and they are not the center of attention all the time. Humility puts others first, recognizing the world does not revolve around me.
Are children perfect at this? No. But some of the characteristics of children reflect that attitude of humility that Jesus promotes as the key to greatness. However, we would be remiss to not speak of the ultimate example and reflection of humility that we get the chance to learn from, our Savior Jesus.
Philippians 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
This is greatness! This is humility!
Apply: Where does pride show up in your life? How can you learn from Jesus and little children a stronger attitude of humility?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for humbling yourself to serve us. Forgive us for our arrogant pride and fill us with an attitude of humility so that we might be great in your kingdom. AMEN.
Who is the GOAT?
This week’s devotions are based on Week 2 of Cross Examined: Who is the Greatest? (LISTEN HERE)
You have probably had a conversation with a friend about who is the “GOAT” or “The Greatest Of All Time.” Depending on the category, it might have been a bit of a heated conversation. Who is the greatest quarterback? Who is the greatest football team? Who is the greatest president? Who is the greatest teacher? The list can go on.
In evaluating who is the greatest one may make a determination based on objective facts such as statistics, accomplishments, or awards. However, sometimes the discussion is based more on subjective inputs such as character, integrity, or personality.
Just as the debate about who is the greatest can occur, sometimes we want to be included on that list. The question may not be always, “Who is the greatest?” but “Am I better than the other person?” “Do I deserve a raise more than someone else?” “Should I get more playing time?” “Should I be asked to be the keynote speaker?” etc.
Inside of each of us we want to be valued, recognized and important. We subconsciously want that recognition from someone who matters to us and desire to be chosen over someone else. We want to know we are a little better.
We are not the first.
The twelve followers of Jesus had this same desire and periodically would argue/discuss the matter among themselves. They wanted to know who was the greatest…or who would be the greatest in the kingdom of Jesus was speaking of and would establish.
Of all times and places, the disciples get into this discussion around the Passover table the night before Jesus went to the cross. Here’s how Jesus responded:
Luke 22:24 Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. 25 Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. 28 You are those who have stood by me in my trials. 29 And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, 30 so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Jesus didn’t reprimand them. He taught them. Like many aspects, life in God’s kingdom was not going to look like many institutions of this earth. Greatness was not going to be built on power, position and prestige, but on a humble heart and willingness to serve others.
The disciples were probably expecting to settle the argument for them by declaring one or two of them the “winners” of the “who’s the greatest” contest. But he doesn’t. He rather teaches them that all of them can be great in his kingdom. He teaches us that we too can be great in his kingdom.
“Who is the greatest?” isn’t really the question that we need answered. Rather Jesus teaches “How do we be great in the kingdom of God?”
This week we will learn from Jesus’ response to guide our heart and actions.
Apply: What is your definition of greatness? Have you ever been disappointed when you weren’t acknowledged or recognized for some form of greatness/accomplishment/achievement? Reflect on why it affected you.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for your concern for our heart and your willingness to patiently teach us what the blessed life in your kingdom is all about. Help me to embrace your understanding of greatness and put it into practice in our lives. AMEN.
It’s time to move on!
This week’s devotions are based on Week 1 of Cross Examined: Can We Stay? (LISTEN HERE)
The moment was amazing.
But the moment ended.
And it was time to move on.
The minutes the three disciples experienced with Jesus, Moses and Elijah would make a lasting impact on them. The brilliance of the glory of God, the voice of the Father and ability to see Moses and Elijah. The moment was amazing and its importance unfolded as time went on.
But then it ended.
Luke 9:36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves, and told no one at that time what they had seen.
Jesus was back to his normal self. Moses and Elijah were gone and the cloud of God’s presence had lifted.
It was time to head back down the mountain.
I don’t know how they could keep this experience to themselves, but it seems they did. The experience would make much more sense later after Jesus had completed his work in Jerusalem and risen from the dead.
Peter had wanted to stay…but he and James and John had to move on too. Jesus had a mission to carry out. Peter, James and John had a mission to carry out. Jesus used this moment among many others to prepare them with confidence and conviction that he was the Messiah, the Son of God and Savior of the world. The moment clarified all this for them so when they spoke, they spoke with first hand experience and Spirit-given clarity of understanding.
But that wouldn’t have happened if they camped out on the mountain.
The mountain held no new people to share the Gospel. The mountain didn’t have souls suffering under the guilt of sin that needed the completed work of Christ to cover them and forgive them. Staying in the moment of the mountain would have stalled the mission of the Gospel spreading “to the ends of the earth.”
So they went down and moved on.
It can be easy to linger in the past, to reminisce about what was and perhaps either have fond memories and wish you could go back or regrets that you missed opportunities. The moments of our past are easy to visualize, evaluate and hold on to because we’ve experienced them. Looking forward and believing there is more God has for us to do is often the difficult perspective to hold.
God gives us moments in our present which we remember in our past to prepare us for the future. He doesn’t want us to live in the past, but use the experiences of the past to make us ready for the opportunities he has in the future…especially opportunities to bring the Gospel to others.
We are the current “Peter, James, and John’s” that have been touched with the glory of God, given the testimony of his Word, and given hearts of faith to believe it is all real and of eternal importance.
And Jesus wants us to move on with the Gospel.
He has prepared future moments for us to be with the right person at the right time to be a beacon for his grace and forgiveness.
He doesn’t want us to believe we have no purpose if we are older. He doesn’t want us to despair that our childhood wasn’t the best. He wants to use all those moments, moments of blessing or moments of burden, to see his love, grace and forgiveness prevail. He promises to redeem the moments of our past and make them a blessing to us and others in the future…if…we just move on with confident faith in who Jesus is, conviction of the truth of his Word and clarity that our heavenly Father wants to use you, his son or daughter, to bring the Gospel to another soul.
Apply: Do you find yourself “living in the past” and hard to move on or excited to embrace the future ahead? Write down the moments of the past that affect you in the present. How can God use those moments to prepare you for his kingdom work in the future?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for your amazing grace to use all of our moments of the past to prepare us for your work today and into the future. Give us excitement to move on into each day, knowing that you are with us and have prepared us for the moments ahead of us. AMEN.