To Be First, Is to Be Last
So the last shall be first, and the first last.
Matthew 20:16
Jesus told his apostles that whoever wanted to be first must be last and the servant of all. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35). This is what Jesus said to his apostles when they were discussing who would be the greatest. How can we be first if we live life as servants?
He made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself (Philippians 2:7-8). Jesus came to serve he ministered to everyone, healed many people from their diseases, and gave his life on the cross for our sins. He was God in the flesh, and being a servant didn’t make him any less God. He was humble and able to serve because of his love and compassion for people; furthermore, he was perfectly secure knowing he was God. If Jesus was a humble servant, and if we are to be Christ-like, then shouldn’t we be humble and secure in this humility? If we cannot be humble servants, it is either because we are insecure in our God-given identities, or we are prideful.
A humble person will be a servant to others, because a person that is humble in Christ seeks to serve and help others. It is a natural God-given response, and it is fulfilling and rewarding. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up (James 4:10). A humble person always gives glory to God instead of self, and receives God’s blessings. A humble person is a person who is secure in Christ, and lives to represent Jesus to everyone by being a servant. A humble person seeks to be last and a servant to all, yet in the Lord’s eyes a humble person is first. Being first in the eyes of our Lord is far more rewarding than being prideful and seeking to be first in the eyes of the world. Pride brings a person low, but the humble in spirit gain honor (Proverbs 3:29). A humble person will be a servant because a person cannot be humble unless he or she has a servant’s heart.
A person becomes humble when God’s love changes his or her heart. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21). A humble person’s treasure is to serve the Lord, and this is achieved through reflecting God’s love and compassion and becoming a servant to others. This is storing up your treasures in Heaven. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal (Matthew 6:20).
Today be secure in your God-given identity and seek to serve others. Let God’s caring heart be seen in you today, as you seek to be encouraging and caring about others. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, and the fruit of kindness is the beginning of reflecting that love.
Let’s Pray: Lord, fill my heart with security in Christ and help me to be more of a servant to others. Fill my heart with the joy and contentment that comes from being a humble servant. Mold me to be more Christ-like, having the heart of Jesus. In Jesus name, Amen