The following devotion is from The Navigators and was originally shared this past Tuesday. It caught my attention, and I wanted to share it with you.
The Road to Greatness
John 12:26
“Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.”
Here are the words of Jesus to His disciples about greatness in His kingdom:
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave–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” (Matthew 20:25-28).
I remember a week of meetings in Arizona with the Wycliffe Bible Translators. One day we were going through the food line for dinner when I noticed that Kenneth Pike was serving the beans. Now, Dr. Kenneth Pike, Ph.D., is recognized as one of the world leaders in the field of linguistics. This man is a genius, one of a kind. He could have easily been at the head table because of his position and prestige. Instead, he had chosen to serve others.
The Upper Room Discourse in John 13 opens with Jesus washing His disciples’ feet in an act of love and service. He was teaching His disciples by example to prepare them to be leaders in His kingdom. But it took time for the disciples to understand what true leadership was. James and John had just asked the Lord if they could sit on either side of Him in His glory. Jesus countered with the command to serve.
In the kingdom of God, Jesus turned the organizational chart upside-down and put Himself on the bottom. If you’re not getting credit for your good work as a Christian, keep on serving. Jesus says you’re on the road to greatness.
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