Daily Manna 6 September
KEY VERSE: “And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.” – (Mark 10:44)
TEXT: Mark 10:35-45
35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”
36 And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
37 They said to Him, “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.”
38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”
39 They said to Him, “We are able.”
So Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; 40 but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared.”
41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John. 42 But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. 44 And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Read yesterday’s Daily Manna here
When two of His disciples approached Him with a request to allow them prominent places in His kingdom, Jesus made them understand “it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared”. Though seeking the Kingdom of heaven is a paramount quest, there are “weightier matters” the believer must also address. How do we relate to each other as members of the body of Christ? Do we lord over the brethren in a master-servant relationship as the men and women of the world do? Or are we like Christ our Lord who “came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many”?
The genuine heaven-thirsty believer is urged to live a life of selfless service to others. He is not expected to be consumed by unholy personal ambitions that would cause divisions and ill feelings in the church. While evangelising and waiting for His coming, the Lord does not want us to live in acrimony which the struggle for leadership triggers.
Our seriousness about making heaven will be determined by the importance we attach to Christ’s ‘First-things-First’ principle to shun the rat race philosophy of this world. Heaven has been prepared for only those who obey what the Lord asks us to do as we await His coming. It is not for those who express their loyalty to God through disuniting and contentious quests.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Aim for heaven through humility, service and obedience.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 92-100
Thank you for studying today’s Daily Manna – First Things First – by Pastor Enoch A.
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Daily Manna 6 September 2021
