Discipleship

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You Want ME To Do WHAT!?

I imagine the silence was deafening.  The meal was prepared.  The table was set.  The food was spread before them.  Yet everyone knew one thing was not yet done.  One thing so simple, yet no one wanted to do it.  No volunteer stepped forward and said, “Let me.” 

You’ve been there, right?  In the middle of a group, surrounded by awkward silence because everyone is avoiding the one thing that needs done and no one wants to do it.  To bring it up seems so trivial because all eyes become focused on you with one question, “If it is so important to you, why don’t you do it yourself?” 

And so the waiting game begins.  Who will break first?  Will anyone break at all?  Will we finish what we gathered for and leave — with the one obvious task left unaddressed and undone?  Don’t look at me, I brought the drinks!  . . . Well, I made arrangements for the banquet room!  . . . Is that right?  Well, I’m actually comfortable the way I am so I don’t care if we leave this whole matter undone!

Is it possible for deafening silence to get even more silent?  If so, what happens next had to silence not only the words, but the very inner-most part of this gathering.  Let’s listen in:

“Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.  After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.”  (John 13:3-5)

What!  This can’t be!  Someone needed to do this task, but not Him!  I mean, this is Jesus . . . Son of God . . . Messiah!  The one person in the room that I acknowledge as above me and better in every way.  Why is He doing this?  He should have picked someone, I mean, I would have even done this if He had asked and I knew I was doing it for Him!  But do it Himself?  This can’t be right!  Why?

Why?  It had to be the question in each person’s mind around the table that night in the upper room.  In the midst of the silence and questioning, Jesus points that out as He concludes washing their feet and asks the disciples, “Do you understand what I have done for you?”  He evidently knows that they don’t understand, and without an explanation we wouldn’t get it either.  So He explains.

“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.  Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.  I have set you an example that you should do a I have done for you.  Very truly I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them.  Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”  (John 13:13-17)

Jesus wanted His disciples, and us, to understand that living the life of a servant was mandatory for His followers.  If Jesus would humble Himself and become obedient, even to death on a cross — and to serving His disciples — how willingly should we imitate His example and serve others?  We’re not greater than our master, are we?  We’re not above the one who sent us, are we?  As workers for God, how much more should we adopt the attitude of Christ who came not to be served, but to serve? 

I pray that the next time that you or I are in the midst of a group, or even by our self, avoiding something because no one wants to do it, we would remember the example of Jesus and step forward to serve!

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Who Are YOU Looking Out For?

As I continue the study series this week, “God Says I Am A Worker”, I’m reminded of a line I heard last week as my daughter was watching a recording of a “Seventh Heaven” episode.  Throughout the series, the oldest son, Matt, seems to struggle with the concept of getting and keeping a job.  This was the case in the episode I overheard.  At one point, the dad, Rev. Camden, tells his son that there is an important lesson about work that he has yet to learn.  After getting a job and getting fired and/or quitting it on the same day, Matt is curious about what this secret lesson might be.  The answer is simple and straightforward:  “Being an employee means that your number one goal is to make your employer look good.”  To which Matt quickly responds, “I guess I’ll have to do a better job of selecting an employer next time!”

As I thought about that conversation, I couldn’t help but think of today’s text in this study series, Philippians 2:19-24.

“I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you.  I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare.  For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.  But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with a father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.  I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me.  And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.”

We see that Paul’s interest in how the Philippian Christians are doing causes him to make plans to send Timothy to get a first-hand report.  Timothy is chosen because of those around Paul, there is no one like Timothy.  Paul understood that Timothy would go, not to see what benefit he could gain or how he could be helped along in ministry, but with the purpose of concern for those he would visit.  As I read this passage, it could have been written today — “For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.”  Our society is filled with messages that command us to “look out for number one”.  We are told, “if you don’t take care of yourself, then nobody will”.  So as a society, we raise up individuals who know nothing of genuine concern for another’s welfare. 

Timothy had learned on a larger scale that lesson Rev. Camden wanted his son to know — As a worker, your number one priority is to make the one you work for look good!  As a Christian, the One we work for is God.  Who issues your paycheck and what you do occupationally isn’t the issue as much as who is really in charge of your life?  Paul knew that Timothy was different than everyone else around him.  Paul knew this because Timothy had learned those lessons of putting Jesus first and the needs of others ahead of his own from Paul himself.  Timothy learned as a son to Paul, eager to imitate and please this “father” in his life. 

Timothy’s diligence in serving with Paul in the work of the gospel, and even in serving Paul as a son, serves as an example for us.  Will you and I allow God to transform our life in such a way that someone would write of us, “I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare.”?  For that to happen, we must refuse the trap of “looking out for our own interest” and wholeheartedly pursue the interests of Jesus.

I pray that you and I will be genuine workers for God, striving above all else to make the One we work for look good to our community, nation, and world.

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A Worker Sent By God

I had the privilege of preaching tonight in our church’s study, “A View From The Top: What Does God Say?”.  This week’s topic is focused on the subject, “God Says I Am A Worker”. 

As I thought about this idea in preparation for tonight’s sermon, I kept thinking about the words of Jesus that “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.  Pray, therefore, to the Lord of the harvest that He would send forth workers into His harvest field.”  It is interesting to see the response to this request of Jesus.  When Jesus makes this statement at the end of Matthew 9, He is addressing His disciples.  I have to assume that since Jesus was asking, that they did as instructed and prayed that the “Lord of the harvest would send forth workers into His harvest field.” 

So, what happens?  To those that were asked to pray, Jesus says, “You’re it!”  The next chapter begins with Jesus sending out the twelve into the countryside and villages proclaiming the Kingdom of God, healing the sick, and casting out demons.  The scene is repeated in Luke 10 with a larger group.  Luke 9 records the sending out of the twelve that Matthew wrote about and then Luke 10 begins with Jesus appointing seventy-two others and telling them to ask the Lord of the harvest to send forth workers.  The exact same response . . . Jesus says, “You’re it!”  The seventy-two are then sent out in pairs to be the workers in the harvest field that they had just been instructed to ask for.

When God says that I am a worker, He says that I am a sent worker.  I looked at this tonight, using SENT as an acronym for the kind of worker God has called His followers to be.

First, a worker sent by God is surrendered.  John 9 opens with the disciples of Jesus asking Him a question about who was at fault for a man’s blindness.  The response of Jesus is that no one is to blame, this man was blind for the purpose of bringing glory to God.  He then makes this statement in John 9:4:  “As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me.  Night is coming, when no one can work.”  Did you catch that?  It wasn’t just Jesus who needed to be about the work of His Father.  Jesus addressed His followers and said, “We must do the work of him who sent me.”  To do the work of our Father means that our will must be surrendered to Him.  As a worker sent by God my plans, my desires, my logic, my comfort, my will must be surrendered so that my work is done in a way that brings glory to God.

Secondly, a worker sent by God is equipped.  Ephesians 4 tells us that God called some to the work of apostles, some to the work of prophets, some to the work of evangelists, and some to the work of pastors and teachers for a purpose.  That purpose is to equip the body for works of service.  God does not expect us to do the work He calls us to unprepared.  In fact, He set up a system of leadership designed to equip every follower of Jesus for works of service.  How often do Christians find themselves unprepared as a worker sent by God because they have failed to submit to the work of the leaders that God placed in their life to equip them?  God doesn’t expect His followers to naturally accomplish all the work He calls us to.  He expects us to be equipped so that He can accomplish through us all the work He has called us to.  To effectively accomplish the works of service God has called us to, we must be equipped according to His plan.

Thirdly, a worker sent by God is needed.  Continuing in the passage from Ephesians 4, we see that “from Him [Christ] the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”  The accomplishment of the task of building the entire body of Christ as He desires requires each part to do its work.  It doesn’t matter how well we understand the function or purpose of the other parts around us, they are necessary.  Each person is needed.  Often time within church congregations, there appears to be a lack of workers when more often than not, it is simply a lack of people feeling needed.  Their part seems unimportant, so they don’t do it.  If we treated our vehicle like we often do people in a church, discarding parts that we deem unimportant, we would not have a functioning vehicle very long.  Is it any wonder why many congregations do not seem to function in a way that bears much fruit?  For the body to be what God desires for it to be each person is a worker, and each worker is needed.

Finally, a worker sent by God is transformed.  The purpose behind the equipping and each part doing its work is so that we would “all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”  I don’t know about you, but that is mind-boggling to me.  It is incredible to try to wrap my mind around God pouring the complete measure of the fullness of Christ into you or me.  It won’t happen in the flesh and dirt we live in — it simply can’t.  A transformation is required.  A worker sent by God is transformed from being flesh-led to Spirit-led.  Our entire life is changed.  Paul describes it as a transformation from being an infant to a mature adult.  We’re the same person, but we’re not.  We’ve matured and developed.  Our life no longer centers around our needs, but on trusting the one we serve.  Our work isn’t about us, but about the One we work for.  Our life is lived with a completely different motivation.  We’ve been transformed from the inside out and have become true workers sent by God.

God says that you are a worker.  Are you living as “A Worker SENT By God”?  I pray that you live life Surrendered, Equipped, Needed, and Transformed as “whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”(Colossians 3:23)

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The Power of Habits

Today is February 1 and for many their New Year’s resolutions have already come and gone.  Why do we have such a hard time keeping a resolution — a resolution that we willingly made and eagerly want to keep? 

I think many times, it is due to what I call “The Power of Habits“.  Keeping our resolutions, and our promises to God, generally requires us to change.  Change means that we are going to do things differently.  We must step out of our pattern of life — out of our habitual way of living — and chart a new course.  Unfortunately, that sounds a lot easier than what it is.

For many of us, even in the simple things of life, the power of habits keeps us from doing what we want to do.  I had a good friend who opened a restaurant in town a year ago, or so.  It recently closed after a year in business.  I’m sure there were a lot of factors involved, but I suspect that one of them was this “power of habits”.  They had good pizza and it was a comfortable place to stop in and enjoy a good meal.  Yet as much as I liked my friend and wanted to support his business and as much as I enjoyed their pizza, my established habits of eating out always seemed to take me to other places.  I would be out somewhere eating and all of a sudden it would cross my mind, “I should have gone to Jim’s place!”  Well by then, it was too late.  I would tell myself that I would remember it and go there next time, but unfortunately rarely did.  I suspect that is part of why so many restaurants — especially independent restaurants — do not experience the success that appears should be theirs.  The power of habits keep people doing what they’ve always done, even if they desire to do something else.

Another example of this power is seen in this very blog.  I love to write and was shocked to see it has been the middle of December since I have written with any consistency.  It was partly the power of habits that kept me writing on a consistent basis.  Then when my schedule kept me from writing for a few days, it became easier not to write and before I knew it, the few days has turned into 6 -8 weeks.  Even during that time span, I would realize I needed to write but realizing it and doing it were obviously two different things.

I think Paul understood that the power of habits was at least partially a spiritual battle taking place in our minds.  When he would write of his anguish in doing the things he did not want to do and not doing the things he wanted to do, I believe that he was addressing the battle that takes place as the power of habits seeks to control us and keep us from being completely transformed into the likeness of Jesus.  We may call it our “flesh”, our “human nature”, our “draw toward sin” — whatever we call it, it is us living life controlled by the natural rather than the supernatural.  It is replacing the natural habit with a supernatural spirit that allows us to overcome the power of habits.

Paul writes in Ephesians 4:25-32:

“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.  ‘In your anger do not sin’:  Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.  He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Paul instructs us that to overcome the power of habits in the areas of falsehood, anger, stealing, unwholesome talk, etc., we must replace those sinful habits with the supernatural habits of speaking truth, resolving conflict, generosity, encouragement, kindness, compassion, and forgivness.  The “power of habits” does not have to be a bad thing.  If we allow our habits to be transformed by the “Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption”, they will become a transforming power in our lives and in those around us. 

I pray that “the power of habits” no longer keeps you and I from allowing God to accomplish His will and purpose through us.  Rather that we would be transformed by “the power of Godly habits” into servants who live supernaturally because we live and walk according to the Spirit, not the flesh.

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30 Hours of Prayer in Review!

(I originally titled this post, “Where Have I Been? (part 1)”) 

It seems like forever since I’ve written with any consistency in my schedule.  My schedule is still busy, so I probably won’t finish this update, thus the “part 1” in the post title.

I was so blessed, encouraged, and challenged by the 30 Hours of Prayer God led through me at the Deer Run Church of Christ leading up to the midnight strike of the clock welcoming in 2008.  Going into this, I had no idea of what God might do with this time of prayer.  I was very anxious to see how many people God would call into participating and how “full” the schedule would become.  This was a new approach for the church and I wasn’t sure how receptive people would be to coming out at all hours of the day and night to pray.  To add to my worry, heavy snow was being forecast to begin sometime during the day on New Year’s Eve.  How would people respond to never having done anything like this and then be faced with potentially extreme weather conditions?

The 30 Hours of Prayer actually began for me with the opportunity to preach during the morning service at Deer Run.  It scares me to death most times, but I love to preach!  I’ll plan to write more about that message later.  By the time the church service was over that morning, the list of 1 hour time slots had nearly filled for the entire time between 6 PM on Sunday, December 30 and midnight on Monday, December 31.  Sunday afternoon was then spent setting up a prayer room at the church so people would have a more intimate setting to spend with God during their hour of prayer.  As I set up the room, I was in constant communication with God — examining my attitudes and mindset, knowing that I would be there at the building greeting, welcoming, and helping people for the next 30+ hours.  My mind began to doubt.  I love sleep, how would I manage to do what God had called me to do over the next 30 hour+ block of time?

And then it began!  6 o’clock came and with it the first person for their hour of prayer.  After some very brief instructions and guidance, I left them in the room to spend their hour with God on behalf of Deer Run.  7 o’clock came and a couple ladies came to pray together.  It was then that God said, “I’ve got this taken care of!”  The first participant wasn’t done . . . wasn’t ready to leave his communication with God on behalf of his church and the people in it.  As he came out after two hours, he wanted to see the list and find out if there were any times still un-taken.  Sure enough, I had a couple of hours that were open, so he signed up to come back for another of the hour time periods.  He did come back the next day and again spent two hours instead of the expected one!

All through the night, the next day, and into the next night people came and were reluctant to leave.  They had longed for something like this but didn’t know what “this” was.  As Monday progressed, the snow began to move in.  I would periodically check the weather radar and many times our location was completely surrounded by heavy snowfall and we were getting none.  Finally around 8 PM on Monday evening, the snow did begin.  It was a beautiful, fluffy snow that added a look of cleanness and purity to the surroundings.  As it fell, it added up quickly and I began to wonder if people would continue to come out and finish our 30 hours.  Without fail, they kept their appointments and as the time for our hour long group concert of prayer came — 11 PM to midnight — people began to show up and laugh about the craziness of being out in such a snow storm.  As we gathered and reflected on what God had been doing over the previous 30 hours, it began to thunder.  I’ve experienced a couple of “thunder snows” in my life, but this one was incredible.  It was as if God was saying, “Amen, and Amen!”  We broke into small groups and prayed for each person that was there.  As we finished, the clock said 12:04 AM and we welcomed in 2008 with a closing prayer circle and singing “The Doxology”.  We left the building praising God for all He had done and wondering how we were going to get home in the foot of fresh snow!

So much for “part 1”, my schedule calls me away from the computer.  Hopefully, I’ll be back and add more before too many days pass. 

God is an incredible God and He works in mighty ways through people who are fully surrendered to Him!

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What Am I Here For?

What was the purpose of that?  Why did that happen?  What am I here for?

These questions, and many more just like them, seem to constantly roll around our mind as we try to figure out reason and purpose.  So many times, we think we finally have it figured out, only to have something else happen that makes it clear we don’t really know.  How often do we turn to God and simply listen?  Not listening for the “why?”, but listening for the “what’s next?”.  Listening in order to trust more than to understand.  As we listen, more often than not, we will find that our feeble attempts to make sense out of, and explain, a situation falls short of being what really is.

I see this in today’s text from Acts 1:6-8,

“So when they met together, they asked him, ‘Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?'”
“He said to them: ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'”

The disciples had been on a roller-coaster of emotions following Jesus.  They had experienced the highs and lows of learning and ministering.  They had been there when Lazarus was raised from the dead.  They had watched the crowds hail Jesus as their king and messiah.  They listened to the words of Jesus about His purpose on earth, and often just didn’t get it.  They fought and they argued.  They loved and they served.  They slept as Jesus prayed and they ran as He was arrested.  They heard the crowds cry, “Crucify Him!”  They watched as He was led up the hill and nailed to a cross.  They hid in fear and they doubted they would ever see Jesus again. 

Yet they did see Him again!  They walked with Him.  They talked with Him.  They ate with Him.  They rejoiced with Him.  And in the midst of all that, they tried to figure out the “why?” — the purpose behind all Jesus had gone through.  And so we come to the first chapter of Acts, to the last physical meeting of the disciples and Jesus here on earth.  The disciples come to Jesus asking about their take on what had occurred and what was to happen next.  And so they ask, I believe anticipating a yes answer — the only answer that would make sense out of what they had seen and heard.  “Jesus, is now the time you will restore Your Kingdom here on earth?”  “Do we finally get to see the fruit of what You’ve gone through, the results of all we have worked for?”  “The cost was so great, this has to be why!”

So, the response of Jesus probably comes as a surprise.  It shouldn’t have.  It is what Jesus had been saying throughout His ministry.  It was why He had invested time and energy into making disciples.  Jesus says, “No, this isn’t about restoring the kingdom here on earth, it is about you being my witness throughout the earth!”  There it is.  We know the ultimate purpose of the death, burial, and resurrection was to bring salvation to mankind, but did He really need to have disciples like He did to accomplish that?  The purpose — if the disciples were asking, “What am I here for?” — was made clear.  All that they had seen and heard, all they had endured and experienced, was to prepare them to be witnesses for Jesus to the ends of the earth.  Jesus had accomplished what He had come to earth for.  Now it was time for the disciples to begin doing the work they had been prepared to do.

How about you and I?  When life is full of joy, sorrow, challenges, fear, excitement, and everything else life throws our way, what do we do with it?  Often times, like the disciples, we try to make sense out of it using our own logic and wisdom.  Many more times, I think God would give us the same answer that the disciples got — you’ve gone through what you’ve experienced so that you can be My witnesses throughout the world.  Each experience we have in life gives us an opportunity to see Jesus at work in us personally.  Every incident has the potential to prepare us to be a better witness.  Our trials and our joys are not about us — it is all about Him!

Whatever we go through — when you and I try to figure it out, may the question constantly be at the top of our mind, “How does this help me be a more effective witness for Jesus?”  When we’re in the midst of life asking, “What am I here for?”, may we hear God saying clearly and directly, “You are My witness!”

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What Have You Witnessed?

This week’s segment in our “View From The Top:  What Does God Say . . . About Me?” series will look at “God Says I Am a Witness”.  You can see our daily scripture texts and questions over at www.deerrunchurch.wordpress.com.

I had the opportunity and privilege to preach at Deer Run’s Sunday evening chapel service tonight as we opened this subject of being a witness.  The preparation for this message made me stop and think about specific things I have witnessed God do — you know, if I am His witness, what have I witnessed and how am I doing at sharing that?

How about you?  What have you witnessed God do in your life?  What have you seen Him do that would be good for your neighbor, co-worker, classmate, friend, family member to know?

I have many, but here is one I shared with the group tonight during my message:

“Sometime around 18 years ago, I was helping my dad and brother on the farm during harvest time.  We were harvesting ear corn and running it up an elevator into a crib in the barn.  The elevator was powered by a pto shaft off a mid-sized Kubota tractor.  I had the “runner” role.  I was driving a tractor and gravity wagon to the field where I would pick up a full wagon and bring it to the barn to unload, then take the empty back for another full one.  On one such trip, I was unloading the corn and not paying a lot of attention to the work at hand.  The next thing I know, I am waking up lying on the ground.  (I tend to pass out in times of pain, stress, blood, etc.)  The tractor is off and my pant leg is caught around the pto shaft.  I unwrap my pant leg and hobble to the house where I take my boot off and find that I have some scrapes and soreness, but nothing broken. 
So, what did I witness God do in all of this?  Well, who do you think turned the tractor off?  I know the power of the tractor and have read of far too many similar accidents where a person was seriously injured, lost a limb, or even lost their life, to believe that it just stopped on its own.  The tractor started right up when we went back to it and ran continuously after that, just as it had before.  I know I’m strong 🙂 . . . but not that strong.  Nothing will ever convince me that this was some sort of coincidence or freak luck — I witnessed God at work, intervening and shutting down the tractor so that I would be drawn closer to Him and accomplish the work He created me to do.”

How about you?  Do you have real, tangible things that you have witnessed God do in your life that He wants to use to make Himself known to others?

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Climbing the Ladder to Greatness

Ahh . . . Christmas.  That time of year when “peace on earth, goodwill toward men” prevails.  From the streets to the malls . . . from the department stores to the supercenters . . . from the check-out lines to the parking lots . . . from office parties to family gatherings — wherever you turn, mankind is at its finest.

Okay, you may be thinking, “Where is this guy from?”.  While there are bright spots that can be found among people in the midst of the Christmas hustle and bustle — more often than not, the public response of people to one another is far less than ideal. 

While the result is far from ideal, it really shouldn’t be a surprise.  Much of the confrontation and tension of the season has its root in an age-old pursuit — the pursuit of greatness.  We don’t want to wait in line, we want to be first.  Wherever we are, it becomes all about seeking our place — a place that we are not willing to step back from to benefit another.  We need to move forward, not backward.  We get caught up in the clamor to determine “pecking order” in all of our Christmas gatherings.  We go to work parties, church functions, and family gatherings and try to figure out where we belong and how to “move up the ladder” to greatness.

As I mentioned earlier, this is an age-old problem.  A problem that we find existing throughout scripture and addressed by Jesus.  One of those times is recorded in Matthew 20 when the mother of James and John want special status for her sons.  Jesus responds by telling her it is not His place to grant her specific request.  The real response comes from Jesus as the other 10 disciples get word of this “special request”.  The Bible says the other disciples are “indignant”.  Their response does raise the question, “Why?”.  The response of Jesus indicates to me that they were probably “indignant” because they each wanted to be in a “top” position.  Matthew writes about it with these words in Matthew 20:24-28:

“When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers.  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.  Not so with you.  Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave — 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.'”

You see, there is a ladder to greatness.  The only problem is that the vast majority of us get it wrong.  We are taught and believe that we obtain greatness by climbing to the top of the ladder.  Jesus teaches quite the opposite — we obtain greatness by climbing to the bottom of the ladder.  It is a ladder we climb down to serve others.  Not just any others, all others!

How Christmas would change if all Christians remembered this as they drove about this time of year.  If they thought of others and served them as they do business in the stores and as they attend various work, church, and family gatherings.  If each of us would climb down the ladder of success to reach greatness as defined by Jesus.

I pray that you and I would commit to climbing the ladder to greatness.  May we learn to truly serve this Christmas season.  May others know of Jesus and His great love because we are becoming great in the kingdom of God — great because we are learning to wholeheartedly serve God and the “least of these His brethren”.