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Mark 9-10 (ESV) by Wordle*

Today’s reading is Mark 9:1-10:52.

“And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, ‘If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.’ And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me’” (Mark 9:35-37).

What a shock it was to learn that the highest rank for Jesus’ disciples is servant. I naturally prefer to be served. Further, I naturally prefer to rank people. Who will benefit me the most? I will rub elbows with these people. I might even serve them a little bit if I think I can get something out of it. Why would a child ever be on that list?

But that is not Jesus. Jesus is a servant. How could I possibly benefit Him? Yet, He served me on the cross. I didn’t deserve it. I wasn’t worthy of it. He did it because He loved me.

I obviously can’t repay Jesus for His service and shouldn’t really try. But, if I want to make a return, if I want to show my gratitude, I can pass that service along to another. What is awesome is when I do receive that little child, that one who cannot help me or benefit me, I’m actually receiving Jesus and the One who sent Him.

Today, I want to serve Jesus. Therefore, I’ll serve others whether they can serve me back or not.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading? Click here to add your input?

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*Today’s illustration was generated by the creative tool at Wordle.net. You can find all my wordles here.

Today’s reading is Matthew 25:1-26:75.

“And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. enter into the joy of your master’” (Matthew 25:22-23).

The two talent man is my hero in this story. Obviously, the one talent man bombed. Certainly, the five talent man accomplished more. But the two talent man accomplished real victory. Instead of whining because he didn’t have has much as the five talent man, he just did his work. Instead of cowering in fear because he hadn’t accomplished as much as the five talent man, he just offered his work to God. He didn’t vaunt himself above the one talent man for doing better. He simply did his job.

Who knows where I sit in the spectrum of talents God has granted all his children. Perhaps there are some with less than me. That doesn’t make me better than them. No doubt, there are many with more than me. That doesn’t make them better. This just means we are different. This gives me hope. I don’t have to be better than you today. I only have to use what God has given me to bear fruit for his glory.

Today, I’m going to quit looking around at what everyone else is doing or getting. I’m simply going to look up and see how I can glorify God.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Mark 9:1-10:52.

Twice this year already, I’ve had opportunity to travel with some other preachers to hear a series of lectures by multiple preachers. On the way home, I noticed how easy it was for us (the preachers who had not been asked to be in these series) to talk about the mistakes the presenters had made. (To be fair, we also talked about the great lessons we heard and learned.)

One of the fellows traveling with us on both occasions was a young man who has just started working in a training capacity with a friend. Recognizing how much we were talking about the supposed mistakes of our brethren, I turned to the young brother and said, “Don’t mind us, this is the part of the trip in which we try to make ourselves feel better about our preaching.”

Sad, but that is often the way it works. Fortunately, on one of those trips we got to hear a great lesson on envy. That helped keep us in our own skin a bit.

However, I can’t help but think of this when I read of Jesus’ disciples arguing about who is the greatest in Mark 9:33-37. I still seem to get that backwards. Too often, I want to be the greatest, the greatest preacher, the greatest teacher, the greatest pray-er, the greatest song leader, the greatest whatever. That is not what being God’s child is about. God isn’t looking for the greatest. He’s looking for servants. He’s not looking for people who can prove how amazing they are. He’s looking for people who are asking, “What can I do next for others?”

The fact is, the preachers we heard in those two series did a great job. They didn’t do everything the way I would, but then why should they? God didn’t put us here to compete with each other. He put us here to serve as best we can. That’s what I need to do today.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Luke 21:1-22:71.

Luke 22:24-27 smacked me between the eyes again. I’m glad I’m reading this passage twice a year right now. Of course, there are also the parallels found in Matthew and Mark. I need to read this often.

“The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But no so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.”

Being a Christian isn’t about progressing up the ranks of authority. Being a Christian is about becoming more and more of a servant. After all the second greatest commandment is to love my neighbor as myself.

I have to remember this because all too often, I want to be the master, not the servant. I want to be the lord who gets to exercise authority. I want to be the one who speaks and people listen. I want to be the one people look up to as the leader. I don’t want to be a servant. I don’t want to listen to others or be directed by others. I want to command my days. I don’t want them determined by the needs of others.

But Jesus was a servant. His entire life was about serving. It was not merely this moment of serving around the Passover table. He was serving because He was on His way to the cross to die for me. If God’s Son would do that for me, how much more should I do that for others?

I need to remember this at home. I need to remember this in my congregation. I need to remember this in my community. God hasn’t placed everyone else here to serve me. He is raising me up to be a servant.

God, make me a servant, just like your Son.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is II Corinthians 12:1-13:14.

Perhaps because I recently read The Way of the Shepherd: 7 Ancient Secrets to Managing Productive People and was really convicted by one point about serving people, I was slapped in the face this morning as I read II Corinthians 12:15.

The point in The Way of the Shepherd that really hit me is that a hireling only takes care of the sheep as a means to a paycheck. The shepherd takes care of the sheep because he loves the sheep. II Corinthians 12:15 says, “I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls.” Paul wasn’t a hireling. He wasn’t just focused on getting the tasks done so he could get his wages. He cared about the Christians. He cared about their souls. Whether he got paid or not, he would spend and be spent to serve others and help them on the path to heaven.

I don’t want to paint myself as a despicable hireling (though if I were rigorously honest…), however, at the same time, I can see that tendency in me. It is not so much that I preach for the money. But rather, as a Choleric, I’m naturally task-oriented. I see my work as just that…work. It is very easy for me to see what I do as a series of tasks to be accomplished because that is my job. Write a sermon…check. Prepare a Bible class…check. Put up a blog post…check. Visit someone in the hospital…check. Write a thank you note…check. Tell me what task I need to accomplish today and I’ll do it because that is my job. Sometimes I can lose sight of the fact that my work isn’t about tasks. It is about people. It is about lost people. It is about struggling people. It is about growing people. It is about all kinds of people. But first and foremost it is about people.

It is not about putting in a day’s work to get a day’s pay. It is about folks who have been held captive by the devil and need freedom. It is about spending and being spent as we work together to overcome the snares of Satan and follow Jesus’ strait and narrow path to freedom. 

Today, instead of working for my paycheck, I need to “spend and be spent for your souls.” I need to do that not because it is my job, but because I love and want to serve others as Jesus loved and served me.

Pray for me about this. It doesn’t come naturally to me.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What did you get out of today’s reading?

Today’s reading is II Corinthians 10:1-11:33.

In II Corinthians 10:8, Paul said, “For even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be ashamed.”

I haven’t been given much authority. However, I need to remember that whatever authority God has given me is to be used to build others up, not dominate and destroy them. I have been given authority in my home. When I preach, there is a certain authority I have. When I write, there is a certain amount of authority. (Don’t misunderstand, I’m not suggesting I have some kind of intrinsic authority or that the preacher is the role of authority in the congregation, just that anyone who takes a mantle of teaching has a certain amount of authority through that process.) 

I must not use any amount of authority granted me in order to put others in their place, lift myself above others, or in any other way dominate and tear down others. If God has granted me some authority, I should use that in service, not selfishness. He hasn’t granted anyone authority in order to set them over others as more important. He has granted authority to serve others. Whatever blessing God has given us should be used this way.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What did you get out of today’s reading?