Daily Devotion

As long as the Twelve thought of Jesus' kingdom as an earthly one, it was inevitable that they should be in competition for the highest places in it. Long ago the Venerable Bede suggested that this quarrel started, because Jesus had taken Peter, John, and James up onto the mountaintop with Him, and the others were jealous.

 

Jesus knew what was going on in their hearts. He took a child, and placed him next to Himself; that would be the seat of highest honor. He went on to say that whoever received a little child, received him, and whoever received him, received God. What did He mean? The Twelve were the chosen lieutenants of Jesus, but this child occupied no place of honor, and held no official position. Jesus was meaning this: "If you are prepared to spend your lives serving, helping, loving people who, in the eyes of the world, do not matter at all, you are serving Me, and serving God. If you are prepared to spend your life doing these apparently unimportant things, and never try to be what the world calls great, you will be great in the eyes of God."

 

There are so many wrong motives for service. (1) There is the desire for prestige. A. J. Cronin tells of a district nurse he knew when he was in practice as a doctor. For twenty years, single-handed, she had served a ten-mile district. "I marveled," he says, "at her patience, her fortitude, and her cheerfulness. She was never too tired at night to rise for an urgent call. Her salary was most inadequate, and late one night, after a particularly strenuous day, when I ventured to protest to her, "Nurse, why don't you make them pay you more? God knows you are worth it,' she answered, "that's not all that matters to me.'" She was working, not for men, but for God. When we work for God, prestige will be the last thing that enters our mind, for we will know that even our best is not good enough for Him. (2) There is the desire for a place. If a person is given a task, or a position, or an office in the church, he should first regard it not as an honor but as a responsibility. There are those who serve within the church, not thinking really of those they serve, but thinking of themselves. A certain English Prime Minister was offered congratulation on attaining to that office. "I do not want your congratulations," he said, "but I do want your prayers." To be chosen for office is to be set apart for service, not elevated to honor. (3) There is the desire for prominence. Many a person will serve or give as long as his service, and his generosity are known, and he is thanked, and praised. It is Jesus' own instruction that we should not let our left hand know what our right hand is doing. If we give only to gain something out of the giving for ourselves, we have undone much of its good.

 

Life Application:   Are you quick to volunteer for help at your church? As a pastor, I have learned that there are people who will do whatever is asked, and then there are those that won't do anything no matter how many times they are asked.

Praise/Prayer: Dear Father, I am so thankful that I was raised by parents who felt that what we did in, or for the church, we did it as unto Jesus. It got to be fun doing everything the Pastor, or teacher asked because we got the privilege of telling our parents what we did. However, working for God contains blessings we can't even imagine. His rewards are always more than we can think. Thank You, God, for such love! Amen!