How to be great – Part 1: Attitude of Humility
This week’s devotions are based on Week 2 of Cross Examined: Who is the Greatest? (LISTEN HERE)
Greatness starts with attitude.
Luke 22:24 Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. 25 Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.
Many would equate greatness with having an attitude of pride and arrogance. Great people often were seen as the ones with power and prestige. Greatness was determined by how much recognition and accolades you would receive.
Jesus turns the tables. “But you are not to be like that.”
“Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest,…”
So what does greatness and “young’ness” have to do with each other? Let’s look at another time the topic of greatness came up.
Matthew 18:1-4 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2 He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3 And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
It’s not the age, it’s the attitude.
“Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Humility is hard because it stands opposed to the natural ego and pride that our sinful nature like to feed. Pride is fed when we feel we know it all, have all the answers and people need us more than we need them. Pride convinces us we are the greatest and deserve others service. Pride leads us to think we are better and more deserving than another.
“Not so with you,” Jesus would say.
Jesus changes the paradigm to teach us that humility is the sign of greatness, not pride.
So what does that mean? Since Jesus uses a child as an example, what are the characteristics of humility a child more naturally exhibits?
Trust. A child is trusting of their parents. Humility admits I need to rely on someone else. For the Christian we rely on, we trust in Jesus more than ourselves.
Curiosity. A child is always learning. Children want to know and want to learn. They don’t presume to know everything, but seek information and understanding. Humility understands I don’t know everything and don’t always have the information. Humility allows me to continue to learn and grow from my Savior and others around me.
Guidance. A child needs direction. They need instruction, correction, rebuke. Sure they don’t always like it, but they need it. Humility recognizes I need guidance and direction and yes at times correction and rebuke.
Put others first. A child is to respect others. Children are often taught to respect other children and adults. They recognize they live in a society with people around them and they are not the center of attention all the time. Humility puts others first, recognizing the world does not revolve around me.
Are children perfect at this? No. But some of the characteristics of children reflect that attitude of humility that Jesus promotes as the key to greatness. However, we would be remiss to not speak of the ultimate example and reflection of humility that we get the chance to learn from, our Savior Jesus.
Philippians 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
This is greatness! This is humility!
Apply: Where does pride show up in your life? How can you learn from Jesus and little children a stronger attitude of humility?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for humbling yourself to serve us. Forgive us for our arrogant pride and fill us with an attitude of humility so that we might be great in your kingdom. AMEN.
Who is the GOAT?
This week’s devotions are based on Week 2 of Cross Examined: Who is the Greatest? (LISTEN HERE)
You have probably had a conversation with a friend about who is the “GOAT” or “The Greatest Of All Time.” Depending on the category, it might have been a bit of a heated conversation. Who is the greatest quarterback? Who is the greatest football team? Who is the greatest president? Who is the greatest teacher? The list can go on.
In evaluating who is the greatest one may make a determination based on objective facts such as statistics, accomplishments, or awards. However, sometimes the discussion is based more on subjective inputs such as character, integrity, or personality.
Just as the debate about who is the greatest can occur, sometimes we want to be included on that list. The question may not be always, “Who is the greatest?” but “Am I better than the other person?” “Do I deserve a raise more than someone else?” “Should I get more playing time?” “Should I be asked to be the keynote speaker?” etc.
Inside of each of us we want to be valued, recognized and important. We subconsciously want that recognition from someone who matters to us and desire to be chosen over someone else. We want to know we are a little better.
We are not the first.
The twelve followers of Jesus had this same desire and periodically would argue/discuss the matter among themselves. They wanted to know who was the greatest…or who would be the greatest in the kingdom of Jesus was speaking of and would establish.
Of all times and places, the disciples get into this discussion around the Passover table the night before Jesus went to the cross. Here’s how Jesus responded:
Luke 22:24 Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. 25 Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. 28 You are those who have stood by me in my trials. 29 And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, 30 so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Jesus didn’t reprimand them. He taught them. Like many aspects, life in God’s kingdom was not going to look like many institutions of this earth. Greatness was not going to be built on power, position and prestige, but on a humble heart and willingness to serve others.
The disciples were probably expecting to settle the argument for them by declaring one or two of them the “winners” of the “who’s the greatest” contest. But he doesn’t. He rather teaches them that all of them can be great in his kingdom. He teaches us that we too can be great in his kingdom.
“Who is the greatest?” isn’t really the question that we need answered. Rather Jesus teaches “How do we be great in the kingdom of God?”
This week we will learn from Jesus’ response to guide our heart and actions.
Apply: What is your definition of greatness? Have you ever been disappointed when you weren’t acknowledged or recognized for some form of greatness/accomplishment/achievement? Reflect on why it affected you.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for your concern for our heart and your willingness to patiently teach us what the blessed life in your kingdom is all about. Help me to embrace your understanding of greatness and put it into practice in our lives. AMEN.
It’s time to move on!
This week’s devotions are based on Week 1 of Cross Examined: Can We Stay? (LISTEN HERE)
The moment was amazing.
But the moment ended.
And it was time to move on.
The minutes the three disciples experienced with Jesus, Moses and Elijah would make a lasting impact on them. The brilliance of the glory of God, the voice of the Father and ability to see Moses and Elijah. The moment was amazing and its importance unfolded as time went on.
But then it ended.
Luke 9:36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves, and told no one at that time what they had seen.
Jesus was back to his normal self. Moses and Elijah were gone and the cloud of God’s presence had lifted.
It was time to head back down the mountain.
I don’t know how they could keep this experience to themselves, but it seems they did. The experience would make much more sense later after Jesus had completed his work in Jerusalem and risen from the dead.
Peter had wanted to stay…but he and James and John had to move on too. Jesus had a mission to carry out. Peter, James and John had a mission to carry out. Jesus used this moment among many others to prepare them with confidence and conviction that he was the Messiah, the Son of God and Savior of the world. The moment clarified all this for them so when they spoke, they spoke with first hand experience and Spirit-given clarity of understanding.
But that wouldn’t have happened if they camped out on the mountain.
The mountain held no new people to share the Gospel. The mountain didn’t have souls suffering under the guilt of sin that needed the completed work of Christ to cover them and forgive them. Staying in the moment of the mountain would have stalled the mission of the Gospel spreading “to the ends of the earth.”
So they went down and moved on.
It can be easy to linger in the past, to reminisce about what was and perhaps either have fond memories and wish you could go back or regrets that you missed opportunities. The moments of our past are easy to visualize, evaluate and hold on to because we’ve experienced them. Looking forward and believing there is more God has for us to do is often the difficult perspective to hold.
God gives us moments in our present which we remember in our past to prepare us for the future. He doesn’t want us to live in the past, but use the experiences of the past to make us ready for the opportunities he has in the future…especially opportunities to bring the Gospel to others.
We are the current “Peter, James, and John’s” that have been touched with the glory of God, given the testimony of his Word, and given hearts of faith to believe it is all real and of eternal importance.
And Jesus wants us to move on with the Gospel.
He has prepared future moments for us to be with the right person at the right time to be a beacon for his grace and forgiveness.
He doesn’t want us to believe we have no purpose if we are older. He doesn’t want us to despair that our childhood wasn’t the best. He wants to use all those moments, moments of blessing or moments of burden, to see his love, grace and forgiveness prevail. He promises to redeem the moments of our past and make them a blessing to us and others in the future…if…we just move on with confident faith in who Jesus is, conviction of the truth of his Word and clarity that our heavenly Father wants to use you, his son or daughter, to bring the Gospel to another soul.
Apply: Do you find yourself “living in the past” and hard to move on or excited to embrace the future ahead? Write down the moments of the past that affect you in the present. How can God use those moments to prepare you for his kingdom work in the future?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for your amazing grace to use all of our moments of the past to prepare us for your work today and into the future. Give us excitement to move on into each day, knowing that you are with us and have prepared us for the moments ahead of us. AMEN.
Jesus couldn’t stay.
This week’s devotions are based on Week 1 of Cross Examined: Can We Stay? (LISTEN HERE)
What if Jesus would have taken Peter up on his offer?
Luke 9:32 Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)
What if Jesus would have said, “Great idea, Peter! In fact, staying here with Moses and Elijah is much better than going to Jerusalem and going through the hardship that I know is waiting there for me”?
Luke gives Peter the benefit of the doubt and said, “He did not know what he was saying.” (I wonder if James and John testified to this and Peter said, “I don’t remember saying this!) Just a week earlier, Peter had rebuked Jesus and tried to deter him from going through with what he knew was waiting for him. Luke records this in chapter 9:21-22 Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. 22 And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
Peter didn’t want to see Jesus suffer and die. Inadvertently on the mountain of transfiguration he made the same mistake. He wanted to stay in this moment with Jesus. But the result of Jesus staying on the mountain was not completing the mission his Father had sent him on: saving the world through the payment of sin on the cross.
Jesus had to move on.
Jesus’ mission depended on it.
Our salvation depended on it.
It would have been easier for Jesus to live out his days in a mountain top chalet in Israel, than on the Roman cross, but Jesus wasn’t interested in comfort, he was interested in completing the work of paying for our sins.
Peter needed Jesus to move on. Jesus doesn’t rebuke Peter, but he doesn’t entertain the thought. The moment was to clarify who Jesus was and give Peter, James and John certainty to the prophecies about him, but the work he had to do was in the future, not staying in the present.He had to fulfill everything that Moses, Elijah and the prophets had spoken about him. Anything short of completion would leave the saving of mankind incomplete.
He wasn’t going to stop short.
He was resolved to finish his mission.
So he moved on.
And I’m grateful he did. The moment was important, but his mission had eternal impact for me.
Apply: What prophecies do you think Moses and Elijah brought up as they discussed Jesus upcoming death and resurrection?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for moving on from your transfiguration to complete the work of my salvation. AMEN.
Ash Wednesday…Give something up? Or do more?
This week’s devotions are based on Week 1 of Cross Examined: Can We Stay? (LISTEN HERE)
Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent in the Christian Church. The season is marked by 40 days leading up to the celebration of Christ’s resurrection. If you are a math person, there are actually 46 days until Easter. However, in our observation of Lent, the Sundays in the season (6 of them) are to be “little Easters” that remind us of the victory of Christ even as we journey with him through his suffering and death.
As we enter this season, perhaps it is an opportunity to follow the direction of God the Father from the mountain of transfiguration.
Luke 9:34 While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.”
The season of Lent is often observed by “giving something up.” If this is helpful, please carry out this custom. However, maybe it’s a season to be more deliberate of putting something back into our lives – the voice of your Savior, the words of God.
When the Father spoke from the cloud to the disciples and in view of his Son Jesus and Moses and Elijah, he in essence was saying, “The most important things you can take from this moment are these. Jesus is my Son. He is God. Jesus is the one I have chosen, the Messiah (“anointed one”) and I want you to listen to every word he has to say, every one.
Our ears are filled with “noise” from social media, podcasts, netflix, news, and more. Perhaps the thing that is lacking in our day is the voice of Jesus.
40 days is often used in the Bible for God’s people as a time of rededication, repentance, and refocus. Saying “Yes” to more time listening to Jesus will entail saying “No” to something else. However, look at it as “adding to” instead of “giving up.”
On one occasion as Jesus was teaching many of his followers left him. As he turned the disciples and asked them if they wanted to leave, Peter said this:
John 6:68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
This is the reason the Father implores us to listen to his Son. The words he shares are life, eternal life! The words are what our souls need to give forgiveness, joy, love, guidance, hope and peace.
Could you use more of these in your life this Lenten season? I know I could. I think we all could.
So here’s a couple of suggestions.
Plan 1: The Gospel of Mark has 16 chapters and the Gospel of Luke has 24. Read one chapter a day (Monday – Saturday) and hear Jesus’ words in these two Gospels during the season of Lent.
Plan 2: Use a reading plan on “You Version” Bible app (Search “Lent”) or similar of your choosing to read through the passion history of Jesus in all four Gospels.
Plan 3: Pick one Gospel and work your way through it during this season of Lent.
Enjoy this season and make it a time of “adding to” your faith even as the Lord Jesus leads your soul away from things that hinder your walk of faith and leads you closer to him!
A blessed Ash Wednesday and Lenten season to you!
Apply: Choose a reading plan for the next 40 days. Listen to Jesus’ voice!
Prayer: Lord as we enter this season of lent, forgive our sins, renew our hearts and open our souls to receive your word. Fill us. Strengthen us and guide us closer to you. AMEN.