Corona Devo 326

33 After they arrived at Capernaum and settled in a house, Jesus asked his disciples, “What were you discussing out on the road?” 34 But they didn’t answer, because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest. 35 He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.”  ~Mark 9:33-35

It seems laughable and so immature as I picture the disciples arguing about which of them was the greatest and then being too embarrassed to admit it to Jesus.

And then I recall the dream I woke up from at my alarm this morning.  I was trying to show someone up.  I can't remember if we were arguing out loud or if I was silently stewing in my prideful thoughts, but I distinctly remember waking up, remembering the dream, and then feeling guilty.  

I had gone to bed having an internal argument with this person, and I woke up (not only) with it still on my mind, but arguing about which of (us) was the greatest.   And then the verses above were the ones I read in my Bible a few minutes later.  Not so laughable and immature anymore, is it?

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“What were you discussing out on the road?” (34) But they didn’t answer... (Mark 9:33-34)

No, they didn't answer Jesus, because arguing about which of us is the greatest takes the spotlight off of Jesus in an attempt to shine it on ourselves.  That is not only embarrassing, it is ridiculous.  And if we are honest, it happens more than we would like to admit, even to ourselves.   

Whether we were one of the 12 walking on a dusty road next to Jesus or one of His many followers attempting to walk in His ways ever since, it is an ironic thing that our flesh seeks self-glory even though we have experienced His.  

We want the greatest home, the greatest job, the greatest marriage, the greatest kids, the greatest paycheck, the greatest amount of friends, the greatest vehicle, the greatest vacations, the greatest you-name-it.

Whether out loud with our words, actions and possessions, or internally with prideful thoughts and comparisons, we want to argue about which of us is the greatest.

Today, Jesus is sitting down, calling us over to Him and saying “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.”  (Mark 9:35).

Pushing, hurrying and even yearning to be "first in line" in life really has no Heavenly pay-off, and very little earthly reward, except pride.  We wind up hurting people along the way, and "being right" or the greatest is not only a lonely place, but as Jesus reminds His disciples (and us)...it is not in line with God's will for us.

I remember one of our kids going through a phase in elementary school where they always wanted to be "first-in-line" when the class was going somewhere.  It caused him some riffs in friendships and also earned him a call home from the teacher once.  But in his 4th grade mind, he had determined that being first-in-line meant that he was the greatest. 

His example seems laughable and so immature, right?  But let's honestly review the areas of our adult lives that we are racing to be "first-in-line".   Has our pride caused us any riffs in friendships or earned a "calling out" from someone who cares enough about us to say so?  Maybe God is calling us out on our pride today.  

I also remember our son "getting over" the first-in-line phase.  (Thank goodness!)  We talked about it one day after school and he shared what a relief it was to not have to be first-in-line.  Which is a little ironic because he was the one who had set this expectation to "be first"/be the greatest.  

But this is the ironic truth for us too.  When we relent from (the unrealistic expectation of) seeking to be the greatest, our spirit exhales a sign of relief.  There is peace in the non-compete.  

And beyond that, there is a special satisfaction, a Jesus-joy in allowing/accepting/even encouraging others to be first-in-line in life.  God made a special switch within our hearts that gets flicked "on" when we know Him and love Him.  It places God in the front of the line and when we are in sync with Him, we will seek to put others before ourselves.

“Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.”  (Mark 9:35).

I am not sure in what area of life you are wrestling with God about being the greatest.  But pertaining to our pride, He could ask each one of us: “What were you discussing out on the road(/in your dreams/on social media/in your head/with your best friend)?” (Mark 9:33).

We do not want our faith to be described as laughable and immature.  

Today, let's accept the relief and command of Christ to take last place and be the servant of everyone else.  (Mark 9:35). 

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com/