Day 9: Servant
Day 9: Servant
Don Young
Two days ago I wrote that to be kingdom ready is to be humble. Yesterday I wrote that to be kingdom ready is to be childlike. Today, I want to help us understand that to be kingdom ready is to be a servant. In Mathew 20:25-28, Jesus addresses our problem of position and power.
Again, the disciples approach Jesus but this time it's two of them with their mother. Now that's humiliating. The Sons of Zebedee approach Jesus and their mother strongly requests that her two sons sit on either side of Jesus in the Kingdom. A rather bold request, but hey, it's from a doting mom, give her some slack! The funny thing about the request is that Jesus says, “You don’t know what you're asking. Can you drink the same cup I am about to drink?" They of course said yes, without having any idea of what that meant. They were possibly thinking Jesus was referring to simply drinking some wine, which would be no problem, especially if it meant they got to sit beside Jesus in his kingdom. How naive is that!
Jesus goes on to describe what greatness is in the Kingdom. He says, "Whoever wishes to become great must first be a servant. The first shall be last." He then says, "I came to serve, not to be served, and to give my life as a ransom for many.” Oops! The Sons of Zebedee might have been thinking, "Wait, Jesus, that is not what I want. I don't want to serve, to be last, and I especially don't want to die! No way, I just want to be in power.” I can imagine they were shocked at his response.
To be kingdom ready means we are servants, not rulers. The cost is high. We may be last in popularity, or even persecuted, or we may even become martyrs!
Lord Jesus, today I commit myself to be kingdom ready! I commit to becoming a servant and to follow your ways even if it means my death. My life is yours and I want to be kingdom ready!
Don Young
Two days ago I wrote that to be kingdom ready is to be humble. Yesterday I wrote that to be kingdom ready is to be childlike. Today, I want to help us understand that to be kingdom ready is to be a servant. In Mathew 20:25-28, Jesus addresses our problem of position and power.
Again, the disciples approach Jesus but this time it's two of them with their mother. Now that's humiliating. The Sons of Zebedee approach Jesus and their mother strongly requests that her two sons sit on either side of Jesus in the Kingdom. A rather bold request, but hey, it's from a doting mom, give her some slack! The funny thing about the request is that Jesus says, “You don’t know what you're asking. Can you drink the same cup I am about to drink?" They of course said yes, without having any idea of what that meant. They were possibly thinking Jesus was referring to simply drinking some wine, which would be no problem, especially if it meant they got to sit beside Jesus in his kingdom. How naive is that!
Jesus goes on to describe what greatness is in the Kingdom. He says, "Whoever wishes to become great must first be a servant. The first shall be last." He then says, "I came to serve, not to be served, and to give my life as a ransom for many.” Oops! The Sons of Zebedee might have been thinking, "Wait, Jesus, that is not what I want. I don't want to serve, to be last, and I especially don't want to die! No way, I just want to be in power.” I can imagine they were shocked at his response.
To be kingdom ready means we are servants, not rulers. The cost is high. We may be last in popularity, or even persecuted, or we may even become martyrs!
Lord Jesus, today I commit myself to be kingdom ready! I commit to becoming a servant and to follow your ways even if it means my death. My life is yours and I want to be kingdom ready!
Posted in 2023 Breakthrough Fast
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