Posted by Charlie on Nov 1, 2009 in
Devotions 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.
Tags: kingdom, leadership, servant
Posted by Charlie on Mar 24, 2009 in
Devotions Scripture: Joshua 18, 19, 20; 1 Corinthians 9
For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more…
1 Corinthians 9:19
Observation
In 1 Corinthians 9 Paul defends his apostleship and assures the Corinthians of his motives for serving among them. While it is appropriate for those who serve the church and preach the gospel to make their living from the gospel, Paul has reserved none of these rights for himself.
Paul then talks about the way he molds his life to match his audience so that they might understand the gospel. I think the key to this passage is in verse 19, where Paul says, “…I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more.” Paul doesn’t just throw caution to the wind and live the way the world does just so he can preach to the world. What he does is understand the context of the person he’s trying to reach and then he alters his approach so he serves that person’s best interest. It takes intentionality to pull that off in a genuine way, while staying close with Jesus in the process.
Application
My challenge is that most of my life is lived in a Christian bubble. Because I work either from home or my office at the church I can go days on end without interacting with a non-Christian unless I’m intentional about it. I confess I need to become better at understanding my post-modern neighbors. It’s going to take some work to be effective at Paul’s approach— “To my post-modern neighbors I became as a post-modern….”
Prayer
Father, you have placed people around me who don’t know you yet. Please help me to understand their world better and to be able to communicate truth to them in a way they can grasp. Please be at work in the hearts and lives of my neighbors and draw them to yourself. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Tags: Evangelism, gospel, post-modernism, servant
