Thursday, June 9, 2016

Luke 22:26 -- On Success through Service

"But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve."
Luke 22:26


I really like the idea of becoming great by being a servant.  It seems counter intuitive in our society sometimes, where we often see power going to those who grab it fastest and most aggressively.  However, power seized is also easily lost, through the next person who comes along and is willing to be more underhanded than you were.  In this verse, Christ shows us the true way to greatness.

When people around us know that we love them, and when we do all we can for people, then we are truly great, and if we are placed in a position of leadership, we do better, and people are more likely to support us.  When we are humble and giving and kind, people don't think that we are trying to steal their power (and we aren't).  Instead, we love people and we listen to them, and we use everyone's ideas to achieve success.

This is hard to do, but like all of the challenges that God gives us, it is worthwhile in helping us solve problems and become better.  It shows us the way to be successful without becoming evil.  Christ was more powerful than anyone, and he could have toasted the whole city rather than allow anyone to insult him.  Instead, he served the people, got to know them, and ultimately did the ultimate service when he gave his life for all of us.

Today, let's work on letting go of our power struggles and our pride, and follow Christ's example by serving and loving the people around us.  As we do, we will learn about true greatness, and become closer to our ideal selves.

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