The Greatest Amongst You
Matthew 23:12 The Greatest Among You will be your servant.
This is so contrary to what we usually think of God. We think of God requiring service from us, rather than of Him as our servant. We think of servants as weak and inferior, powerless, even insignificant.
The Christ says we call him Lord rightly, but in God’s economy, lordship means servant-hood. God often turns our view of the world upside-down, or, rather, right-side-up!
This concept is debatable to me. My view is that after Jesus left, He was no longer our servant and this verse from Matthew is not referring to God, but to us humans serving and helping our fellows. As He told us, whatever good we do to others, we also do for him. Therefore, we should serve God and live to love and understand him. And we should live to serve brothers and sisters by teaching and be preaching the way to God’s Heavenly Kingdom, the way of peace, harmony, and love, by following God’s commandments and keeping his law.
We have a duel concept here. Jesus is the Lord of lords and King of kings. But he also calls himself our brother! As the firstborn brother in a royal house, it is natural for him to take the king’s throne when the King steps down and it is normal for his brothers and sisters to bow to him and do his bidding, and so it must be for us. We must do God’s bidding.
There is honor in this and reward. He who is (now) first will (one day) be last. And He who is last (now the servant) will one day be (the highest honor) “First.”
Serve God first by doing His will and serve yourself last. If you do God’s will all other good things will be given to you.
God accounts mankind as nothing until we come to him with a humble and innocent mind open to learning His ways, laws, and precepts. When we ask to be one of His Children, then we are everything to Him!
Until God is ready to lift us to a position of power, Jesus is supreme, not our servant and we must submit to His ways and become his servant. That’s my view.
Yet, the writer of this article which disturbs me ends saying, “With Christ as my servant I have everything I need. My cup runs over.
“May God prepare me to be a servant to everyone I encounter.”
I cannot fault that conclusion. It is the highest order of personal service and holiness.
For further study see Ps 38, Amos 8::1-14 and Rev. 1:17 – 2:7
Read through these Bible verses, consider a bit more and think about all of this. The reading and thinking is what builds character and wisdom.
Source for these thoughts from an article in “Forward Day By Day” November/December 2005 – January 2006 www.forwardmovement.org
StepheN
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