and Jesus called them to him and said to them, “you know that those who are considered rulers of the gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. but it shall not be so among you. but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. for even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” [mark 10:42-45]
if we are children of God, we know we should look different than the world. we have a different purpose, a different object of our affection, a different heart. so when it comes to our relational dynamics, the way we interact and function and communicate with others, we should look different as well.
in this passage, the world interacts with others in a way that desires power, authority, notoriety, comfort, and glory for themselves. in what relationships do you still function in this way? at work? with your spouse? with your children? maybe even with your parents? this is the way of the world, and if the Lord is revealing any of these attitudes in your heart, confess! run with humility into the arms of Christ whose mercies are new every morning, and ask for understanding of his attitude toward and affection for you! this is how these attitudes and affections will pour out to others in a way that brings glory to God and brings souls to God.
in this passage, we also have a beautiful and opposite picture of the way Jesus interacts with others. a way that seeks to serve with love, seeks to regard others as more important than self, seeks to lay down preferences, comforts, time, and energy, for the sake of pointing others to the satisfaction of God. in what relationships do you receive this kind of interaction from someone else? from parents? teachers? siblings? mentors? maybe even from your own children? if the Lord brings someone to mind, give thanks! what grace that the Lord would work this miracle in someone’s heart and then bless you by putting them in your life!
in the general track of sLi (shameless plug, highly recommend!), we read a book called “the way of the dragon or the way of the Lamb.” it basically expounded on this verse and how we should be living it out in every place of influence! the way of the dragon is the way of the enemy’s grasp at power in order to influence, for evil, the hearts and minds of others. when we seek to lead in this way, we seek our own glory. the way of the Lamb is the way of Christ’s servant heart in order to influence, from love, the hearts and minds of others. when we seek to lead in this way, we seek God’s glory.
this all really boils down to our heart of worship. do we desire to live and interact in a way that worships Almighty God, or in a way that worships an insatious self? is God our God, or are we our God? let’s look to Christ to know what a truly God glorifying heart looks like, and let’s be imitators of his heart of service, looking to please God, pouring out rivers of living water to all of those around us!
Father, put in me a heart of worship, that from an overflow of your love, I might lay down my life to point others to you. amen.
~ arwen eastman