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Serving

 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35)

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, (Matthew 20:25-26) 

          OK, so what we need is for the government to guarantee…

“Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” … “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant…

          OK, so what we need is for the government to make it illegal to…

“Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” …

          OK, but what we need is for the government to provide an equal outcome…

 “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant…

          OK, we need to come together, to be unified…

“Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” … “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant…

          If you think I’m ranting about Democrats, you’re wrong. Yes, they’re guilty, too. But I’ve heard from Christians who think it would be a great idea to use the government to do what they think is right. And what they think is right may be  right. Remember what happened when Abram and Sarai decided to help God accomplish what He’d promised? Remember what happened to Moses when he decided to add a little dramatic flair to get the point across to the Israelites? Remember what happened with King Saul decided to do things his way?

          One of the themes in the Old Testament is the command to reject the ways of the nations around them. So, one of the basics is to not lord it over others, even if the goal seems righteous. Instead, we are to serve. And what does service mean? The first thing that comes to mind is to do what you’re commanded (so long as it doesn’t violate God’s law and teachings.) The second is to act in the best interest of the one being served.

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:14)

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