Luke 22:26 “But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.”

This is a rare situation even today, because we human beings like our sense of rank and position. I was at a dinner last night, and there were indeed people parading their position while pretending to be all equal with everyone else. The temptation to pride of position can be very subtle, and probably no one is immune. The Christian is called to be proactive in this area, pursuing humility and seeking to serve. However, that can lead to a false humility that can get in the way of genuine service. Just as Jesus washed His disciples’ feet in the full awareness of His own power and authority (John 13:1-17), we are not to deny the gifts God has placed in us nor the authority He has entrusted to us. However, we must always remember that God gives us these things because of His grace, and not because we deserve them. That should help us be active in using all that God has provided to build others up and so strengthen the Body of Christ.

I feel I have done fairly well in this area, but that in itself has been a source of pride, which is self defeating. It doesn’t do to be proud of being humble! I’m brought back to Wayne Cordeiro’s statement that “God will not be impressed by how great I become as by how many people become great because of me.” I have plenty of room to grow in encouraging others, and indeed there is no limit to the opportunities to do so, because there are always more people. I have a tendency to overestimate my own abilities, and I need to be careful of that, while at the same time remembering that God can accomplish anything He likes through me, if I will be available. I also have a tendency to charge in and try to do things myself, without giving others the opportunity to express their gifts and abilities. For a pastor, that can be positively crippling. That is very much a problem of the moment, because we are dealing with the whole question of who serves how in this church. I need to exercise the authority God has placed in me to build people up and encourage them to express all that God has placed in them, for their blessing and for the sake of the Body of Christ.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the experience this past week of being unable to do something on the computer, even though I’m a “tech guy,” and needing the help of someone much younger. Thank You that he graciously provided the needed help, and that I’m now equipped to do that task without difficulty in the future. Thank You for having to confront my reluctance to do things that stretch me. I’m showing my age! Help me be available and flexible in Your hands at all times, both to serve and to lead, for the sake of the Body of Christ and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!