I am compelled to share something with you this morning. In the past year, I have seen faith tested. People almost thrown out of college for bogus reasons, people in bad living situations, people in terrible working situations, people wanting to move to the next stage in life, people desiring to own their home and having to deal with ridiculous people and process in the meantime, people who did not know God or how to have a relationship with Him-instead of being in a religion, people in suffering marriages, people who lost their job unexpectedly, people controlled by demons of depression, anger and more. I've had the great honor to stand in the gap for many of these people, pray for them and with them, praise God for their victory, fast with them and God has shown OUT! My girl is graduation in May, my girl has her own beautiful home, my man is living better after being laid off than he was when he was fully employed, my girl was freed of the demons of depression, anger and more — and is seeking God first, my girls who didn't really understand God are in love with Him and growing in relationship with Him, my girl is getting opportunities in her life that she never imagined after being laid off-in all areas of her life, my girl who was angry at religion and their scare tactics started to inquire about faith; and me, well I was able to tell my job that I was quitting yesterday-in God's timing. And what do I get-compassion and the offer of having the conversation about a position in California. How great is our God? He is amazing! And what gets me is that these things are already prepared for us. God is not a genie that we wish on, He is a God that we obey, trust, depend on and have a relationship with. He is a God that wants and deserves ALL of the glory because we cannot do anything right on our own. So I write this to encourage you. Don't be discouraged by this economy, by the length of time something is taking, by anything. No matter what you are going through, keep dreaming and dream big. Keep hoping. If God placed it on your heart, it is there for a reason. Keep EXPECTING! Because God has already planned it. And when things don't go exactly how you imagined them, don't worry-they rarely do. But God comes through bigger than we could ever imagine and it is for our good. So keep loving and trusting Him. I'm not the only one who can testify, the friends mentioned above are only a few--God's glory is being released in so many lives and it's incredible. Give Him the glory-not your self.
PRAYER (PTWG): Father God, let not the wise person boast of his wisdom or the strong person boast of his strength or the rich person boast of his riches or the beautiful person boast of their beauty, but let they who boast, boast about this: that they understand and know You, that You are the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these You delight and declare (Jeremiah 9:23-24).
MATTHEW 20:20-28
A MOTHER'S REQUEST:
20 Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. 21 "What is it you want?" he asked.
She said, "Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom."
22 "You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said to them. "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?"
"We can," they answered.
23 Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father."
24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-- 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
James, John and their mother failed to grasp Jesus' previous teachings on rewards (19:16-30) and eternal life (20:1-16). Or they grasped it but still wanted to be honored. They, as so many of us do-fell into earthly concepts and thinking-instead of Kingdom thinking. They failed to understand the suffering they must face before living in the glory of God's Kingdom. The "cup" was the suffering and crucifixion that Christ faced. A "ransom" was the price paid to release a slave from bondage. Jesus often told His disciples that He must die, but here He told them why--to redeem all people from the bondage of sin and death. The disciples thought that as long as Jesus was alive, He could save them. But Jesus revealed that only His death would save them and the world. These men would not have been able to handle this, but both James and John would face another suffering. James would be put to death for his faith, and John would be exiled. We'll read about that in later books of the Bible. Overall Jesus showed that He was under the authority of the Father, who alone makes the decisions about leadership in heaven. Such rewards are not granted as favors. They have already be prepared for specific individuals. There is nothing anyone can do or ask to change this.
Now, the other disciples were upset with James and John for trying to grab top positions. All the disciples wanted to be the greatest, which we have already read about (18:1), but Jesus taught them that the greatest person in God's Kingdom is the servant of all. Authority is given, not for self-importance, ambition, or respect, but for useful service to God and His creation. Jesus described leadership from a new perspective. Instead of using people, we are to serve them. Jesus' mission was to serve others, and to give His life away. He served others as He taught them the Word of God, He served them when He did miracles and He did it all in love. A real leader has a servant's heart. Servant leaders appreciate other's worth and realize that they're not above any job. If you see something that needs to be done, don't wait to be asked. Take initiative and do it like a faithful servant.
YOU ARE BLESSED-NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT-NOW BLESS OTHERS!
MAKE IT YOUR DUTY TO SERVE OTHERS.
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