mark 9:33-35 :: Jesus discusses kingdom hierarchy with the disciples

i am so happy that the Kingdom will not be/is not arranged according to human wisdom and expectations. our power grabbing, status fluffing look at me mentality holds no place or value in the Kingdom, and that is a beautiful, beautiful thing. our posturing and inflated egos and attitudes are utter foolishness, and must look like the behavior of spoiled, unappreciative children.

election years tend to make this all the more obvious, and the way people reveal their true selves can be unnerving. the people who fight and struggle to lead, assuming that they are the qualified ones (or maybe just the best at being heard) are those we should maybe fear the most. i have long thought that anyone who determined that they (in and of themsekves) knew better than everyone else and were qualified of their own individual merit to lead and rule was someone with major ego issues that needed to be dealt with. on a human level, i find this to be very true…people who desire power and authority can be frightening. but those who are appointed, though reluctant, and prayerfully accept the nomination from others are those who are more humble and less liekly to seek power for the sake of self service and status.

Jesus caught his disciples arguing over who was the best and brightest and most likely to hold high position in this new Kingdom that Jesus spoke of…and He caught them red handed in their own ego struggles. the attitudes of their hearts were plainly evident, and Jesus knew that a little correction was in order.

so He gives them a principle that totally sets His kingdom apart from the world’s ideas and philosophies: “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

greatness is decided by honest humility and a desire to serve. not by egotism and power mongering. Kingdom ethics will always stand out against the world’s in a stark contrast. being so apparently cut from a different cloth than what humanity is used to…

let’s all make our clothes from that fabric…putting on Christ each day, setting ourselves completely aside to serve others because that is where our heart lays, not because we feel like we are fulfilling some religious requirement. that drips of legalism, and a legalistic heart does not feel sympathy and compassion.

putting on Christ is an acceptance of our true position in life as a servant of all. it isn’t an option, it isn’t something that you can push off on someone else. no matter what your spiritual gift is, you can do this. you can put others first, forgetting about your own position or importance.

those who know they are heirs of the King of kings need  not worry about such trifling things as human acceptance and the opinions of men. if your heart resides in the hand of God, those petty things shouldn’t matter at all…