In the Gospel of Mark, chapter 10, when two of the disciples — James and John — asked Jesus for positions of power and prestige, he replied:

"You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them. But it is not so among you. Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life."

That is one of the most countercultural statements ever uttered. In every age — including our own — the instinct is to climb. To position. To be seen. Jesus turns the whole thing upside down.

Pastor and author F.B. Meyer captured it beautifully: "I used to think that God's gifts were on shelves one above the other, and that the taller we grew in Christian character, the easier we could reach them. I now find that God's gifts are on shelves one beneath the other. It is not a question of growing taller but of stooping lower — that we have to go down, before we can go up."

I've found that to be true. The moments in my own life when I have felt closest to God — most alive, most useful, most at peace — have rarely been moments of achievement or recognition. They have been moments of service. Showing up for someone who needed help. Giving something away. Choosing the lower place.

It goes against every instinct we have. But Jesus lived it all the way to the cross. And he invites us to follow him there — not because suffering is good, but because it is in the giving of ourselves that we feel most fully alive.

Prayer: Jesus our Redeemer, you gave your very life to show us the depths of your love. Forgive us for the times we have climbed when we should have stooped, and sought recognition when we should have served. Grant us the courage and the will to walk in your ways — to give deeply of ourselves. And as we do, may we discover the grace and blessing that wait for us there. Amen.

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