Devotion Corner
Luke 22:24-26 And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. And he said unto them, The Kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.
All lives are lived in opposition to God, until the gracious day of redemption through saving faith in Christ Jesus. The manner of the lost before God, reveals who their master truly is, for all look to be heralded as ‘great’ by others. We long for control and praise, seeking to be as God, following the still lingering lie of Satan. That lie first whispered back to Adam and Eve in Eden.
Yet greatness in God’s eyes, is not the seeking of control and the receiving of praise. Rather it is the surrendering of control and the offering of praise and worship to God, no one else. This greatness of life can be witnessed in the manner of its actions. Those actions being those of service to others. For this is the manner of the Lord Jesus Christ. He came to serve, not to be served, doing so in giving His life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28).
Our deeds of faith are to match our fine words of faith. We are to be humble in our manner, seeking to better those who are lacking. Whilst it is a good and God blessed thing to aid and serve those who are lacking in physical needs; we are also to aid and serve those who are lacking in their spiritual need.
The provision of physical goods will draw the praise of men, an appealing thought for the sinful mind. The provision of spiritual goods will often be overlooked by men. Yet it is never overlooked by the Lord God. A man may give a hungry person food and still quietly hold a heart of pride. A man that gives true spiritual food to a soul hungry for hope and peace of God, that can only come from a heart fixed on service. This is the measure of greatness. A measure set by the Lord Jesus Himself.
