A Radical Rethink
Mark 9:35 Jesus sat down and called the twelve apostles to him. He said, “Whoever wants to be the most important must make others more important than themselves. They must serve everyone else.”
A lot of the bickering that goes on in this world is about who’s the greatest; who’s first; who’s going to be seen to be the most impressive, the leader of the pack. It starts early on, right back in childhood.
If you have siblings, doubtless you’ll remember how you used to bicker amongst yourselves. My sister and I certainly did – and sure, you expect that of kids. That’s why mum and dad’s job is to teach them some hard lessons so that eventually they’ll mature and grow out of it.
But as we saw yesterday, Jesus’ twelve disciples hadn’t grown out of it. They were still arguing about exactly that – who was the greatest among their group. And when Jesus asked them about it, realising their immaturity, they wouldn’t answer Him because they were ashamed – as well they might be.
Of course, He knew what they’d been arguing about. Which is why He …
Mark 9:35 … sat down and called the twelve apostles to him. He said, “Whoever wants to be the most important must make others more important than themselves. They must serve everyone else.”
That’s something that anyone with just a bit of life experience knows absolutely to be true. Those who’ve served us the most are the ones whom we hold to be greatest in our lives. So why didn’t the disciples get that? Why is it that we sometimes simply don’t get that?
Because we’re innately selfish, we’re immature. Like children, we want to be the greatest. Really?! You want to be the greatest? Then know this:
Whoever wants to be the most important must make others more important than themselves. They must serve everyone else.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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