The One Year Walk With God: JANUARY 14 Heavenly Sacrifice The only life that counts is the life that costs. —FREDERICK P. WOOD Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. MARK 10:42-45 IN WORD: When we have the mind of Christ, we have a servant mind. “Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,” Jesus proclaimed (v. 45). Even Him. That’s what His Kingdom is all about—sacrifice and service, giving and sharing, considering the needs of others at least equal to, if not greater than, the needs of ourselves. It’s a pleasant thought, isn’t it? But it’s a difficult process. Why? Because we are used to thinking of our talents and gifts in terms of what they can accomplish for us. Deep down inside, we want to get ahead. We are driven with an ambition to accomplish something, and sin has distorted that drive to make it self-serving. Like the architects of the Tower of Babel, we want to “build ourselves a city” and “make a name for ourselves” (Genesis 11:4). Our desired “city” is often an impressive reputation and the praise of those who will recognize it. Such a drive does not naturally lead us into service. But Jesus never asked us to do what comes naturally. The mind that He cultivates within us will have nothing to do with self-serving accomplishment. It will have drive and ambition, to be sure, but not in the direction we once pursued. No, we will be consumed with a vision for heavenly unity, and we will realize that the only way to have it is to serve. We will not care for our own reputations nearly as much as we care for the reputation of the Kingdom of God. Instead of making a name for ourselves, we will make a name for His Kingdom. And it will be a humble, sacrificial name. IN DEED: God Almighty clothed Himself in human flesh and served sinful people. We could learn from His example. In fact, we must. It is a command. But it is a command with an unexpected promise: This service is greatness in God’s Kingdom. As surely as self-interest drives us away from Him and others, self-sacrifice draws us in. Our gifts and our talents become useful tools for the benefit of others.
Posted on: Wed, 14 Jan 2015 06:05:25 +0000
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