Greatness is in Serving!

What is this need, almost to the point of conquest to succeed and look good?  Why is it our goals and agendas are so important we tend to have a “Oh, yeah God, the earth is YOURS and the fulness thereof!”  but forget it almost as soon as we have said it.   Why is it when we undertake something, we see our names rising to the “top” instead of lifting the name of Jesus higher?  Life isn’t about ME.  Life is about what I do for GOD!  Note to self:  if I could do it, Jesus would not have come and gone through all He did.  I cannot save a soul, I did not take stripes on my back to heal the sick, I cannot deliver the captive!  Only Jesus and the power of His name can do that along with His word, not MY written word  unless it is pointing back to Him!   Even the Holy Spirit points back to God…He never points to me to lead the way!  John the Baptist said  in John 3:30 ” ³⁰ He must increase, but I must decrease.”  We are promoted only to promote God!  We are not promoted to any position in life to look good or gain earthly wealth.  One day it will all be burned up and the only thing that will last is what we have done for Him!

There is a passage in the Bible that talks about a mother who came to Jesus and wanted to know if one of her sons could sit on his right when they got to heaven.  Jesus quickly taught those listening that true greatness is SERVING!  Greatness isn’t my name on the “New York Times Bestseller List“, having my own television show, selling millions of books, having dignitaries wanting to know what I think.  Greatness in the kingdom of God is serving and this is the reward that will last forever!  Let us take a look at this passage in Matthew 20:20-28 NKJV:

²⁰ Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.

²¹ And He said to her, “What do you wish?”

She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.”

²² But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”^[d]

They said to Him, “We are able.”

²³ So He said to them, “You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with;^[e] but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.”

²⁴ And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers. ²⁵ But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. ²⁶ Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. ²⁷ And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— ²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Jesus, Himself did not come to be served but to serve.  He did not come to make a name for Himself, but to lift up the name of His Father Who sent Him!  In order to be “great” in the kingdom of God, we must drink from that same cup.  We must put the interest and promotion of God ahead of our own.  This is true humility and the Bible says in James it is the humble that get the grace, but the proud will be brought low.  When we want to shine, then pride has entered in and an humbling will follow!  Why?  Because God loves us too much to see us destroy ourselves with taking glory, gain,  and reputation unto ourselves!

We all need to reevaluate our dreams and visions sometimes.  We need to check who they are really for and why we are doing them.  Ask God to expose the innermost places of our heart and correct and set in order anything that has drifted over into sin and self-promotion and gain.  We can never be satisfied and full of joy otherwise.  In His presence is fullness of joy the Bible says.  It isn’t in the presence of my name on the cover a magazine, or in the money I make that “validates” in my mind the worth of what I do.  Only in HIS presence is the fulness of life giving satisfaction that fame and wealth cannot attain!  Another passage that is very fitting here is Romans 12:3  (NIV) “Healthy self-esteem is important because some of us think too little of ourselves; on the other hand, some of us overestimate ourselves. The key to an honest and accurate evaluation is knowing the basis of our self-worth-our identity in Christ. Apart from Him, we aren’t capable of very much by eternal standards; in Him, by the worldly standards of success and achievement can cause you to think too much about your worth in the eyes of others and thus miss your true value in God’s eyes.”  Reference from the “Life Application Study Bible“.    Good words to measure ourselves by.

Blessings to you, my precious reader!  I will see you soon!