“Instead, whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” -Matthew 20: 26-28
In Chapter 6 of Who is This Man?, author John Ortberg states that Paul modeled this servant role when he, along with Silas, was beaten and jailed in Philippi (see Acts 16). Pastor Ortberg points out that Paul didn’t announce his Roman citizenship until after the beating because he refused to use his status as a Roman citizen to his advantage. Paul saw his predicament as a “painful and glorious” opportunity to share with fellow Christians in suffering for their faith.
Often, however, humility is easier to preach than to practice. As Pastor Ortberg observes: “the gravitational pull of the ego is relentless.” The author postulates that people involved in church work may be just as preoccupied with status as anyone else- they just cover it with a thin veneer of spirituality.
Jim Collins, author of Built to Last, wrote that the highest kind of leadership combines 2 qualities- the persistence of a tenacious will and humility. Jesus redefined the whole notion of greatness. To become great is to become cruciform- reshaped by the Cross.
Today’s question: How can the Cross reshape us in our desert, transition period following our ministry downsizing or vocation loss? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Going over to the other side”
