Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Everybody wants to be great. It's not a bad thing to be great, depending upon the motive. Michael Jordan is probably the best basketball player ever. Tom Brady is probably the best quarterback ever. Greatness is not bad. It's the motive behind it and what we truly do to be great.
Our Verse of the Day is Mark chapter 10, verse 45. "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many."
Jesus the Servant
The theme of Mark is Jesus the Servant. Mark is the fast-paced gospel. It's only 16 chapters and Jesus is moving everywhere. Here in this passage we see a tremendous truth about service. In the context in Mark chapter 10, verse 41 and following, James and John, they asked Jesus—remember this—"Lord, can we sit on Your left or Your right in glory?" Remember the response of the other disciples? They were ticked. They were indignant. Why? Because they wanted the status themselves. If I'm actually being truthful, if I was there, I would have said the same thing.
Let me ask you a question. Are you bothered? Are you bothered when others get promoted and you don't? If we're really honest with ourselves, I know for myself I've been disappointed because someone else got something that I wanted.
Three Ways Jesus Shows Us Greatness
Here, Jesus again shows us greatness in three ways.
The first way is amazing. In the verses before our Verse of the Day, Jesus says, "The world leaders, they lord it over people. They control people. They're bombastic. They're manipulative." But Jesus says here in verse 43, right before our Verse of the Day, "But among you"—speaking to the disciples—"it will be different, because whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant."
Number one: true greatness is different. It's different than the other people. It's different than the loud, bombastic, controlling leaders.
Number two, true greatness serves others. He said it right in the verse—Jesus Christ came, the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve other people. In John chapter 13, the disciples were having their issues again. In John chapter 13, Jesus basically takes a towel and starts washing His disciples' feet, demonstrating the service even of Jesus our Savior. True servant leadership was not about a title. It was about a towel. As we look again in Philippians chapter 2, verse 7, the Bible says Jesus Christ emptied Himself and took the form of a servant. True greatness is different. True greatness serves others.
Thirdly, true greatness sacrifices for others. "For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many." Jesus Christ served so much. He sacrificed so much that He met our greatest need. I can serve, but it's hard for me to sacrifice.
Don't Put Limits on Your Service
I heard a pastor once say this: "Don't put limits on your service." I'll serve my wife this much. I'll maybe do the dishes and maybe vacuum a little bit. But no more. Don't ask me to do more than that. I'll love my kids this way. I'll do a good job at work this way. But if I have to sacrifice too much— It's easy to put limits on our service.
Can I ask you just a few questions? Will you, number one, be different? Will we be different than the world, not chase the corporate ladder in power, but position yourself as a servant, those who serve? Ditch the ego and just serve.
Secondly, will you serve and be a servant? Because that is true greatness. Are you okay with being a servant, not always having the title, but serving?
Thirdly, how much will you serve? How much will we serve your friends, your family, your neighbor, your spouse, whoever it might be? It's really hard to do. I understand that because it's just so natural and easy to be selfish. Here in this amazing passage, Jesus Christ came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many because of grace. Because you know this amazing Jesus, let's be truly great because we serve like the ultimate servant, Jesus Christ.
