Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. – Mark 10:43-44 (NIV)

Reflect
“Life is not about you; it is about what you can do for others.” Growing up I heard that statement many times from my father. Not only did my father say those words to me he lived them right in front of me. Our country home was on a half-acre lot. More than half of the lot was a vegetable garden. One day I asked my mother why dad had such a huge garden. After all there were only four of us (including mom& dad) that were at home. She told me to be patient and to watch & learn. When harvest time came that year, I watched my dad pull 13 burlap sacks from the trunk of his car and lay them out in the garden. He carefully picked, uprooted and cleaned the vegetables from the garden. He then packed each burlap bag as full as could be with all the produce. I helped dad carry the bags to the car. When the trunk was full, off he drove and came back for more bags later. Again, I asked my mom, “Why do we do all that work in the garden just so dad can give away all the food.” Mom said, “Your dad is taking each full bag to one of the widows in the church to help them with their groceries.”

The ways of the world (society and human nature) say put yourself first, compete to find your own satisfaction. Jesus here said the exact opposite to his followers: “Be a servant.” As believers in Jesus and followers of Jesus, we are to model our lives after Him! God’s view of greatness is based on being a servant, the very thing Jesus did at great personal cost!

Pray
Father, in this season of Lent, please help us to come to the end of ourselves and serve those around us in the same way Jesus set the example for us!