Mark 10:35-45
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, will you do us a favor?" Jesus asked them what they wanted, and they answered, "When you come into your glory, please let one of us sit at your right side and the other at your left." Jesus told them, "You don't really know what you're asking! Are you able to drink from the cup that I must soon drink from or be baptized as I must be baptized?" "Yes, we are!" James and John answered.
Then Jesus replied, "You certainly will drink from the cup from which I must drink. And you will be baptized just as I must! But it isn't for me to say who will sit at my right side and at my left. That is for God to decide." When the ten other disciples heard this, they were angry with James and John.
But Jesus called the disciples together and said: You know that those foreigners who call themselves kings like to order their people around. And their great leaders have full power over the people they rule. But don't act like them. If you want to be great, you must be the servant of all the others. And if you want to be first, you must be everyone's slave. The Son of Man did not come to be a slave master, but a slave who will give his life to rescue many people.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Ego is a powerful thing… and Satan uses our ego to trip us up more often than most of us want to admit. Look no further than the nightly news to see examples of people whose egos have run amuck… from television and movie stars to politicians to everyday ordinary citizens. Many people often think they are better, smarter, more attractive, or superior to others in some way.
Christians are not immune. We want to be first! We want to sit to the right or left of Jesus! We want others to recognize what great faithful servants we are and revere us in some way. But when we are faced with the ultimate question… “Are you able to drink from the same cup that Jesus drank (i.e. suffer, bleed and die on a cross)?” we become humble in a hurry!
If we want to serve God as well as we possibly can… if we want to model Christian behavior for others and walk the walk of faith that we like to talk about so much, we have to humble ourselves. We have to serve others with absolutely no thought of what is in it for us. We have to focus on Jesus, no matter the cost… and toss our own desires and agendas aside. Every time we start to ask ourselves “What’s in this for me?” we must turn around and ask, “Could I drink from Jesus’ cup?”
Today we start the season of Lent… a time when Christians traditionally sacrifice something to become more like Christ. When we think about what Jesus sacrificed for us, this “traditional purpose” of Lent sounds kinda silly, doesn’t it?! This year, instead of “giving up” something for Lent, why not do what my pastor suggested… why not add something… like an extra fifteen minutes of prayer and Bible study each day.
For me, Lent means it’s time to get out my copy of The Purpose Driven Life and begin studying “40 Days of Purpose.” I renew my relationship in Christ by reminding myself just how important I am to Him… and how much He sacrificed on my behalf (and on yours, as well!). If you don’t have a copy of this book, check your church library. Or choose another way to spend time each of the next 40 days in worship and closer communion with Christ.
At the end of this 40-day season of Lent, we will celebrate Easter… and hopefully you will have developed a new habit of spending more time in humble communion with Christ. Could you drink the cup of Christ? Jesus tells us that in some ways, we will do just that. We will have to sacrifice our earthly, sinful life and humbly come before Christ to serve in His name. Sounds like a bargain to me! I pray that we will all become more humble… more faithful… more willing to serve. Are you prepared to do what it takes to make this happen?
©2011 Debbie Robus
No comments:
Post a Comment