Today's Reading:
Zephaniah 1:1-3:20
Mark 9:30-10:12
Proverbs 27:15-22
Click on Text Link to Read Online
Focus Verses:
Mark 9:35-37
35 Sitting
down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first,
he must be the very last, and the servant of all." 36 He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37
"Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes
me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent
me."
Insight:
Those who are focused on achievement and personal status
will not find true greatness. Those whose priority is honoring God and
whose joy is serving others will discover true greatness, even though
it is not their goal or motivation. The person whose goal is
greatness will be too busy with important people and projects to
"waste" time with those people or things that are unlikely to serve
that goal.
The person who is unconcerned with greatness and accomplishment is
more likely to spend an afternoon with a child or serve the needs of
someone who has nothing to offer in return. And in that selflessness,
such a person will discover what true greatness is all about. Whoever
loses his life will find it.
Response and Action:
I will not seek after accomplishment and praise. I will
seek to love, know, and honor Christ Jesus with all my heart and soul.
I will endeavor to live a selfless life and cultivate a heart and
readiness for serving others. I will not think of myself as more
important than others. I will share time and my attention with others
without thought of personal gain. I will aspire to be unpretentious,
unselfish, and unreserved.
O God, thank you for Jesus, who although he
existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God a thing to
be grasped, but emptied himself and became a servant. Help me, like
him, to reach across barriers, to welcome the weak, to serve, and to
look to the interests of others. Amen.
Spiritual
Formation Verses: Matthew 25:37-39
37
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you
hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
Resources:
A Childlike Heart: How to Become Great in God's Kingdom
by Alan D. Wright
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