Are There Any Good Seats Left?

Daily Reading:  Mark 10

Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10.43-45)

Devotional Thought: Instead of seeking to understand Jesus' message about the cross, two of his closest friends were concerned about their crowns: “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”  Jesus used three "equations" to tell them what it meant to be “elevated” in his kingdom:

·       Great = Servant.  Have you ever super-sized your order at McDonalds?  Not just large, but super-size!  That’s what James and John wanted to be - super-sized!  The word Jesus used was megas.  It means immense.  Large wasn’t enough for James and John.  They wanted to be immense.  Jesus said, “Well, it’s OK to want to be a mega Christian, but the more mega we are, the more we must serve others."

·       First = Slave.  On Monday, millions of people will be glued to their television sets as Ohio State takes the field against Alabama in the national championship.  Who will be number one?  That’s what James and John asked for – to be number one.  Jesus said that the title comes with something: slavery.  They would be owned, not just by God, but by all!  And what does all mean?  It means all: Christian, agnostic, atheist; kind, disinterested, antagonistic. Democrat, Republican, Independent.  To be first means you are slave of all.

·       Serve = Ransom.  James and John wanted to sit on thrones, boss everybody around, receive great honor.  Jesus said, however, that to serve was to give your life as a ransom, just as he was about to do.  To be great in the kingdom means we die to ourselves and live for others.  People are not always easy to live with, much less to live for!

Do you want a seat next to Jesus? Oddly, there are plenty of seats available!

Prayer: Lord, I do indeed want to be great in your kingdom.  Help me to serve others, to be owned by you and your mission, and to live my life as a ransom for others.  Amen.

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 7.1-5

1 O Lord my God, in you do I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and deliver me,

2 lest like a lion they tear my soul apart, rending it in pieces, with none to deliver.

3 O Lord my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands,

4 if I have repaid my friend with evil or plundered my enemy without cause,

5 let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it, and let him trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust. Selah