Aspire to Be a Servant

Note from today’s Bible reading: Mark 10

Two of the disciples – James and John – made a rather bold request of Jesus: “Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory” (Mark 10:37). Jesus explained that He could not grant their request, but the other disciples were “indignant with James and John” when they heard about this (Mark 10:40-41).

Jesus took this opportunity to make a point about worldly ambition. He pointed out that many aspire to be great and obtain a higher position than others (Mark 10:42). Yet Jesus said, “It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all” (Mark 10:43-44). If James and John wanted some “great” position, they needed to focus on serving their brethren.

Jesus then gave Himself as the perfect example of this: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). He was willing to sacrifice His life for us, so we should be willing to give our lives to Him. This will include doing good to others.

So aspire to be a servant. Rather than focusing on our own ambitions, let us see how we can help others. This is not the path to worldly success, but it is the way to greatness in the Lord’s service.