November 1, 2009—That Servant Thing
Scripture: Psalm 121; Mark 9, 10
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.”
Mark 10:42-45
Observation
Servant leadership is such a foreign concept to fallen human nature. It’s fascinating to see the disciples still jockeying for position in what they perceived to be the upcoming kingdom, not realizing that they had it all wrong.
Application
One of the faults of the current church is that, by and large, there is still a tendency to utilize kingdom-of-the-world tactics to attempt the spread of the kingdom of heaven. In reality, though, the kingdom of heaven only gets established through using kingdom of heaven tactics. It’s the act of living out the gospel by loving and serving people that makes the kind of changes that turns the world upside down.
Prayer
Father, please help me today to serve the way Jesus models. Please grant that your kingdom would be expanded as I abide in you and allow your kingdom influence to touch others through me. In other words, let your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus’ name, amen.
