Shotgun
“Whoever wants to become great among you must be your
servant …….just as Jesus did not come to be served, but
to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
Taking a group of students to McDonalds or Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch always includes one inevitable component – the call of “shotgun”, the laying claim to the front passenger seat to avoid having to cram into the back seat with three or four other students. But that is not the end of the matter as other students quickly follow the “shotgun” call with one of their own, “window seat”, settling for the next best spots in the old Buick and leaving one or two unfortunate students to endure the dreaded back seat bump.
While we can laugh at the antics of high school students, we need to realize that the path to greatness is one of service to others. Jesus taught that the person who wants to be first in God’s eyes needs to become a servant to those around them. He used the occasion of James and John’s mother coming and asking that her sons would sit “one at His right side and one at His left in His kingdom” to offer a teaching on true greatness, one that is so different from the message the world sends us that we have to look out for number one and protect our own interests. Seneca put it quite simply:
“No man can live happily
who regards himself alone,
who turns everything
to his own advantage.
You must live for others
if you wish to live for yourself”
Winston Churchill put it this way: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Now those are words to give some thought to! And Jesus modeled the attitude He is calling us to by leaving His place in Heaven with the Father, a place of glory and honor, to “take on the form of a servant.” Whether He was feeding the multitudes or healing the sick, it was with the heart of a servant, one committed to meeting the needs of others. And when, in the hours just before the cross, He took the basin of water and washed the feet of His disciples, he sent His followers, including each of us, a loud and clear message: be a servant to those around you and to those in need.
We want to ask the Lord to give us servant’s hearts. If we are involved in ministry, whether from the church pulpit or the Sunday school classroom, let’s minister with the heart of a servant. If our paths cross the path of someone who needs a helping hand, let’s remember our call to service. The world might try and tell us different, but Jesus made it clear that service to others is the path to greatness. And think, “Who is seated at the right hand of God?” the one who became a servant of all.
God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church
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