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Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

Exodus 17-19
Matthew 20:20-21:11

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

Matthew 20:25-28 (CSB): “Jesus called them over and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions act as tyrants over them. It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you 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.'”

Reflecting on God’s Word

The Bible often tells us things that are counterintuitive. It tells us to believe or behave in ways that we would not have thought of on our own.

One case in point is the words that came out of Jesus’ mouth in the verses I have chosen for today. People who follow Jesus think that if we follow Him, we must not pursue greatness – and they would be wrong. People who follow Him might hear that it’s OK to pursue greatness so they would be motivated to try to do great things for God – and, once again, they would be wrong.

In the verses I have chosen for today, Jesus responds to the request of James, John, and their mother. Those two men wanted a place of prominence in Jesus’ kingdom, and they went public with that request.

Did Jesus reprimand them for desiring greatness? Nope. In His response, He didn’t correct them or say it was wrong to desire greatness. Instead, He said, “On the contrary, whoever wants to become great…” and then He told them how to become great. Then, He said, “And whoever wants to be first among you…” and then He told them how to become first.

So, desiring greatness in the Kingdom isn’t wrong.

BUT…

When we hear how Jesus told them to achieve greatness, we hear Him saying that they needed to serve others, even to become like slaves to others. He was saying, “If you want to be seen as someone preeminent in the Kingdom of God, then humble yourself. Realize that your life isn’t about you. It’s about the glory of God and serving others. It’s about the Two Greatest Commandments.”

And that’s where so many so-called Christians are turned off. They wouldn’t mind being first and being seen as great. They just don’t want to achieve it by humbling themselves and submitting to serving others.

But this is where the rubber meets the road. This is clearly what Jesus expects of us.

Let me let you in on a little secret. Arrogance seems to be a problem in far too many Christians. Far too many Christians live according to the Law and not Grace, so they look down their noses at people they deem less than them or who sin differently than they do.

Friend, Jesus is so clear. If we want to be seen as great in Heaven’s eyes, we must humble ourselves and serve our God and others. To go up in happiness, we must go down in humility and submission.

Finally, realize that Jesus isn’t so much talking about actions. Anyone can do a good thing with a bad heart. What Jesus was more concerned about was the heart. He didn’t merely want us to do servant things. He wants us to have a servant’s heart.

If you want to be great in His eyes, listen to His Words in Matthew 20:25-28 and prayerfully put them into practice.

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to cultivate a servant’s heart within you.
  • Ask God to root out any pride and give you the wisdom to see it and despise it.
  • Ask God to give you opportunities to submit yourself to others as you serve them, particularly in a context where no one will ever hear about what you’ve done. It’s for Heaven’s eyes only. You are striving for the applause of Heaven.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into what it means to be a servant of all, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“What does it mean to be servant of all (Mark 9:35)?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)