TO BE THE GREATEST, SERVE
Memorise:
But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: .. Mark 10:43
Read:
Matthew 20:20-28
Message
In God's kingdom, to become the greatest amongst any set of people, you must be the lowest of all of them. This does not sound logical to the natural man, but that is how God made it. The higher you want to go, the lower you must first go.
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
1 Corinthians 1:27-28
The above Scripture tells us that God does not choose people that believe themselves to be the best to lead, He chooses those that are humble enough to serve others.
I studied Jesus' ascension into heaven and realised that God raised Him seven steps high after He had gone seven steps lower (Philippians 2:9-11). Though His disciples called Him 'Master,' He was humble enough to wash their dirty feet. Can you wash the feet of those you are leading? When there is plenty of work to be done, can you take the lowest of all the work?
There are people who somehow get to the top without serving, but before long, they will lose their position if they refuse to serve. Some years ago, we held a camp meeting at a secondary school when the students were on holiday. We arrived at the school, and I went to check the toilets. They were an eyesore as there were faeces everywhere. I told my team how horrible the toilets were and that we had to wash them in preparation for those that would be attending the camp meeting. I intentionally chose the dirtiest of al the toilets and washed it. When the rest of the team saw me washing the toilet, they were moved to wash the other toilets. When we were building the first auditorium at Redemption City, some church members would come to the building site when they had closed from their offices to help out with the construction work as we did not have enough money to pay labourers. Every single evening, I worked with them, carrying cement and doing every other thing that needed to be done even though I was the General Overseer. This is how I have remained at the top - by serving.
Bible In One Year:
Ezekiel 25-27
Hymn:
Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus
Action Point:
Do something today in service of your colleagues and/or subordinates, 1 Corinthians 1:27-28
Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus
f Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
How I've proved Him o'er and o'er!
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
O for grace to trust Him more!