Feb 28: Matthew 20:17-28
Key Verse: Matthew 20:26
Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant
Devotion:
When Jesus was telling the disciples He would soon be captured and put to death before being raised up again, their thoughts were not of how they could prevent this from happening or what they could do to protect Jesus – instead they were thinking about what Zebedee’s wife had said about them being on the right and left hand of Jesus when He was back in His kingdom!
They were more concerned with their position or standing in the eyes of others than what they had just heard. I think they must not have comprehended the gravity of what Jesus had just told them but focused on who was going to be labelled as the best or closest in the kingdom to come: it was all about pride at that stage!
I know I have been guilty of personal pride at times when I should have been thinking of the people who were around me at the time. We lose focus on what is important and rather grasp hold of our pride and our feelings at the time; this is our human ways and will always be a temptation we have to face when push comes to shove!
God would like us to put aside our pride and take on the humility of a servant so we will not be consumed by this pride which stands in our way. When we let go of our pride and take on the measure of a servant for Christ and for the people around us, we can learn a lot more about what it is to really love the people around us!
Points to Ponder:
How do you show your love to the people around us?
Are you willing to set aside your pride for them?