Be a Servant

Mark 9:35 "And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, 'If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.'" ESV

 

While the boys were walking along with Jesus, they had a little discussion. They were trying to figure out who was the greatest. What a bunch of competitive guys. Trying to determine who was the best. Who would be in charge. Who was going to lead. Who knows, maybe this discussion was prompted by Jesus telling them that He was going to die. Well if He is going to die, someone has to take over. Who is it going to be?

 

Enter Jesus. Jesus asks a simple question that He already knew the answer to: "Hey. What were you guys arguing about back there?". Well, not wanting Jesus to know that they were talking about who was going to take over once He was gone, they kept their mouths shut.

 

Time for a lesson. Time to once again listen to God's Son. "If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all." Last. This is last in time. Last in place. Last in position. Last in rank. Last in worth. Lowest. This stinks. No one likes to be last in anything. I know that when I drive I want to get ahead of other cars. When I stand in line at the grocery store, I want to be first. When I am at Cedar Point I rush to get ahead of other people. When I play games I like to win. This is human nature. This is the source for competition. Jesus said: Get rid of it. Do you want to be first? Be last.

 

Do you want to lead? Be a servant. And not just a servant to some. A servant to all. Be a waiter to all. Serve other people's needs first. This is tough stuff. I know that I am lazy and I like to be waited upon. Jesus said: No more of that. Serve everyone. From the greatest to the least. That is the only way you will become a leader.

 

Leadership. Do we want it? Do we desire it? Do we want to be in charge? Do we want people to look up to us? Do we want people to follow us? Do we want to be decision makers? If so, this is the key. This is the big kahuna. Be last…be a servant of all. Am I listening?