IN THE BEGINNING…THE WORD
DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY, AUGUST 11, 2011
A NEW RULE
“But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever is great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever shall be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister , and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25-28).
In Matthew 20, the mother of Zebedee’s children attempts to secure a position of authority and rulership for her sons in Jesus’ kingdom: “Grant that my two sons may sit, the one on the right hand, the other on the left in thy kingdom” (Matthew 20:21). Jesus sees that she has the wrong concept of his kingdom. In Jesus’ kingdom, ruling is not about sitting, but about serving. As Christians, we are not to seek dominion over others, practicing our gift of leadership. We are to be busy finding and meeting the need of those around us. Not waiting, wishing to be served, but surrendering our will that our Father's will might be accomplished. Like Jesus, we are to give our lives to serve and save the many. The kingdom of God operates in a higher rule than man. The world teaches ambition and domination. Jesus teaches that our greatness is in our willingness to be broken for others. Our ministry comes out of our ability to see what needs to be done in our home, our church, our neighborhood, our government, our city, our state, our country, our world. How can we help, bless and build?
Today, let us ask God for the strength to serve, and to keep on serving, until many have been blessed.
Today, let us ask God for the strength to serve, and to keep on serving, until many have been blessed.
