Bible League: Living His Word "The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."Status in the Kingdom of God is different than status in the kingdom of darkness. In the kingdom of darkness, on the one hand, having a high status means that one is served by others. In the Kingdom of God, on the other hand, having a high status means that one serves others. The life of Jesus Christ is the perfect example of status in the Kingdom of God. Although He had the highest status, "the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45) and "though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant" (Philippians 2:6-7). Those in the kingdom of darkness that have high status, exalt themselves, and are served by others pay a penalty for their affectations. They will be humbled. God does not sit idly by while the proud lift themselves up above everyone else. Rather, "God opposes the proud" (James 4:6). The proud are guilty of reversing the proper order of status in society. Instead of serving others, they demand service from others. Since they have violated God's ordained order, He opposes them and brings them down. Jesus spoke the words of our verses for today in reference to the scribes and Pharisees, whose prideful religious system was brought down completely with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Those in the Kingdom of God that have high status yet humble themselves by being of service to others are rewarded for their service. They will be exalted. God does not overlook the service of the humble to everyone else. Rather, He "gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6). The humble uphold the proper order of status in society. Instead of lifting themselves up, they look for ways to serve others. Since they have upheld God's ordained order, He exalts them and lifts them up. Thus Jesus, unlike the scribes and Pharisees who were brought down from their self-exaltation, was exalted by being lifted up and seated at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2). Today, take stock of the status you have achieved in the Kingdom of God – and then determine if you have allowed it to go to your head. Bible in a Year Old Testament Reading2 Chronicles 26, 27, 28 2 Chronicles 26 -- Uzziah Follows in Judah, Prospers, Undone by Pride NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB 2 Chronicles 27 -- Jotham Succeeds Uzziah in Judah NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB 2 Chronicles 28 -- Ahaz Follows Jotham in Judah, Compromises with Assyria NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading John 17 John 17 -- Jesus Prays for Himself, His Disciples and all Believers NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.”Insight Some self-professed athletes can “talk” a great game, but that tells you nothing about their athletic skills. And not everyone who talks about heaven belongs to God's kingdom. Jesus is more concerned about our walk than our talk. He wants us to do right, not just say the right words. Challenge Your house (which represents your life) will withstand the storms of life only if you do what is right instead of just talking about it. What you do cannot be separated from what you believe. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Numbers 11:23 Thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.God had made a positive promise to Moses that for the space of a whole month he would feed the vast host in the wilderness with flesh. Moses, being overtaken by a fit of unbelief, looks to the outward means, and is at a loss to know how the promise can be fulfilled. He looked to the creature instead of the Creator. But doth the Creator expect the creature to fulfil his promise for him? No; he who makes the promise ever fulfils it by his own unaided omnipotence. If he speaks, it is done--done by himself. His promises do not depend for their fulfilment upon the co-operation of the puny strength of man. We can at once perceive the mistake which Moses made. And yet how commonly we do the same! God has promised to supply our needs, and we look to the creature to do what God has promised to do; and then, because we perceive the creature to be weak and feeble, we indulge in unbelief. Why look we to that quarter at all? Will you look to the north pole to gather fruits ripened in the sun? Verily, you would act no more foolishly if ye did this than when you look to the weak for strength, and to the creature to do the Creator's work. Let us, then, put the question on the right footing. The ground of faith is not the sufficiency of the visible means for the performance of the promise, but the all-sufficiency of the invisible God, who will most surely do as he hath said. If after clearly seeing that the onus lies with the Lord and not with the creature, we dare to indulge in mistrust, the question of God comes home mightily to us: "Has the Lord's hand waxed short?" May it happen, too, in his mercy, that with the question there may flash upon our souls that blessed declaration, "Thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not." Daily Light on the Daily Path Mark 2:8 Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, "Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts?Romans 4:19,20 Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb; • yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, Mark 2:9 "Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven'; or to say, 'Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk '? Mark 9:23 And Jesus said to him, "'If You can?' All things are possible to him who believes." Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Mark 4:40 And He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?" Matthew 6:26 "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? Matthew 16:8,9 But Jesus, aware of this, said, "You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread? • "Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets full you picked up? Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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