Numbers 35 and 36, Luke 9: 28-56, Psalm 50: 16-23
Luke 9: 46-48 (ESV)
“An argument arose among them as to which of them was the
greatest. But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and
put him by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name
receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is
least among you all is the one who is great.””
Verses 46 through 48 from Luke 9 reminds us that to be great
in God’s kingdom you need to be like a child and be “least”. A child is humble
and does not tell lies, much like Jesus, who was sinless. Jesus was not concerned
about his own status and he doesn’t have to be the center of attention like a
child. Jesus also told us to be “least” or humble, and not powerful. Jesus
wants his followers to not crave power or be the person out front and be happy
about it. This recommendation is hard to do in the competitive world we live in
today. But to be humble is powerful in God’s kingdom. When I do work in God’s name,
I try to be humble about it but it’s hard. A few weeks ago, I volunteered to help
a new church get ready to open on Easter. I ended up cleaning the women’s
bathroom and I felt very happy doing it, until other volunteers wanted to use
the bathroom. One of the women told me that she was glad I was cleaning it and
not her. I thought that such a strange remark. I was cleaning the bathroom because
this church was God’s house, and I felt privileged to be cleaning it. I was
cleaning it hard like it was my own house because it was God’s house. But that
woman’s remark unsettled me somehow or I let it unsettle me. Maybe I was too full
of pride for cleaning that bathroom because it was really disgusting, and I was
so proud and happy with myself. But at the end of the day, one of the women
from the church remarked that she was so happy the bathroom was clean and smelled
so good. This woman’s remark made me so happy and I felt happy that I had cleaned
that bathroom for God.
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