Oct 4

“Whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Mark 10:44-45

It jumps out at you right away, doesn’t it?  Slave.  In this text, Jesus shows the importance of servanthood and generosity.  Jesus’ words go against the view of his day (and the view of ours) regarding being first…success.  Jesus tells his listeners that his life was not one of taking earthly power nor overthrowing the Roman government, but was one of service.  Not just a little, casual act of service like getting a woman a drink of water when she is thirsty or feeding a man when he is hungry, but service that is a matter of life and death.  Jesus, the one who deserved to be served came to be the servant of all.  He served us by taking the punishment of our sins upon himself, being crucified on a cross to die a death in our place.  This is the greatest act of service this world has ever seen (or will see).  May the service of Jesus Christ inspire you to be of service to others.