If You Want to be Great
The short excerpt is by Dan Britton and Jimmy Page, and the Scripture is in the excerpt.
When I was a high school athlete, the water boys were usually the butt of a lot of jokes. They did the job no one else wanted to do; they served the needs of those actually good enough to make the team. They never took a shot, ran a race, or scored a goal, but they still served. Yet they were often treated as the "least" important part of the team.
But Jesus never views those who play a seemingly "small" role as unimportant. He never looked down on those who served behind the scenes or did jobs nobody else wanted. In fact, Jesus flips that concept on its head. He says that the least among us will be the greatest. Those we consider great-the best players, the best coaches-will only be considered great in God's eyes if they serve like the water boy serves.
If you want to be great, you have to serve. We are often just like the disciples. We want to be great. We want to be the star. We want to have all the attention. In Mark 9:33-37, the disciples were arguing with each other about who was the greatest. Can you imagine? Jesus, the picture and essence of greatness, was right there with them, showing them how to be great, and all they cared about was "who's number one?" So Jesus called them all over and confronted them. "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all." You'd think that would have ended the discussion. But shortly after that, the issue arose again. James and John, brothers, still didn't get it. They felt entitled to some preferential treatment. So they brought their mom along when they asked to sit on the left and right of Jesus in glory. So Jesus answers one more time.
Mark 10:43-45 Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Jesus came to serve out of the position of humility, not to sit in the place of honor. He didn't seek status; He served. Those whom we think are least important, God considers the most important.
We say all the time that we want to be more like Jesus. But when's the last time you heard someone say they want to be "the least?" Well, that's what Jesus became-the least. He served us and continues to serve us. Serving out of humility produces greatness. There is no other road to greatness. If you want to be great, serve everybody.
Champions, have a great week!-David Vining
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