"Whoever would be great among you must be your servant"

Scripture: Mark 10:32-45
32 And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33 saying, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and deliver him to the Gentiles; 34 and they will mock him, and spit upon him, and scourge him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise." 35 And James and John, the sons of Zeb'edee, came forward to him, and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." 36 And he said to them, "What do you want me to do for you?" 37 And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." 38 But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" 39 And they said to him, "We are able." And Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared." 41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. 42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, "You know that those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Reflection: Greatness is associated with positions of authority and power. The Apostles James and John asked Jesus to share with them his glory by giving them positions of power, one at his right and the other at his left. The Lord's answer was something they did not expect, that greatness is related to servant hood and humility. He gave them the greatest example of this, by the way he lived and died. Jesus, the King of kings, Lord of lords, the only begotten Son of God, came to this world in all humility as a servant of all. He spent his earthly life in service, giving to everyone he encountered what is most important: love, faith, hope, healing, and freedom from their sins.

Our mission in life as given by the Lord is not to be served but to serve and love. We have our God given gifts, and he wants us to use this for the good of others, not only for our own selfish agenda.When we give an account of our lives before God, he would want to see how well you used HIS gifts-- not only for your own good, but more importantly, for the good of others.

Work on Your Mission Daily

Scripture:  Luke 12:39-48
39 But know this, that if the householder had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an unexpected hour." 41 Peter said, "Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?" 42 And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. 44 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 45 But if that servant says to himself, `My master is delayed in coming,' and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and  drink and get drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will punish him, and put him with the unfaithful. 47 And that servant who knew his master's will, but did not make ready or act according to his will, shall receive a severe beating. 48 But he who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, shall receive a light beating. Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required; and of him to whom men commit much they will demand the more.

Reflection: God has tasked us with a mission that is individually unique to us. If we do not fulfill our mission, then no one else will complete it for us. If Jesus returns today, will He find us doing our God given mission faithfully?

All of us were created by God for a purpose and no one is put in this world without the capacity to contribute. A mission from God can range from simple things like doing your simple tasks well, or working to end hunger in Africa. No purpose is too small as long as it is done with love for God and others. God is pleased when you wash the dishes with the purpose of making things easier for your mom or wife or helper.

If God has revealed to us what He wants us to do, we should apply all our energies into doing it because our eternal destiny depends on it. Sadly we are more preoccupied with inconsequential things and selfish pleasure. There is nothing wrong with enjoying life, but we should not lose focus on God's will. The fulfillment that comes from doing God's will in our lives gives us the greatest satisfaction and stores for us real treasures in heaven.

God has blessed each of us and in return we should be ready to use our gifts to fulfill our mission. If we just keep our blessings for ourselves without sharing it, we are like the unfaithful servant in Jesus' parable. The master punished the wicked servant for not doing what he was tasked to do. If God decides to end the world today, we should be ready to face Him and say that we have been faithful to our mission. Are we ready for the day when God will call us to account for all our deeds?

The Power to Live our Purpose

Scripture: Luke 10:1-9  
1 After this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to come. 2 And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and salute no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, `Peace be to this house!' 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace shall rest upon him; but if not, it shall return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages; do not go from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you; 9 heal the sick in it and say to them, `The kingdom of God has come near to you.'

Jesus sends His disciples on their mission
paulines.ph

Reflection: Everyone is called by God to fulfill a specific purpose. Nobody in this world exists just to consume natural resources and not contribute anything. We may think that we're not talented enough, or charismatic enough to make a mark on society, but that is not an excuse. God has used misfits in the past who accomplished great deeds remembered to this day. Moses, Joshua, David, Gideon and countless heroes of the bible were all ordinary people and even seen as unremarkable and lacking in talent. But God used whatever they had to offer to accomplish mighty deeds. In the same way, God can take any talent we offer Him and use it for someone's blessing.

God asks us to trust in Him completely when He sends us out on our mission. We should learn to take our focus out of the fears and obstacles that confront us and rely on His power which He makes available to us. When Moses freed the Israelites out of Pharaoh's tyranny, he did not do so by using his talents and abilities. He just made himself an instrument and through him God performed amazing miracles that scared the oppressors of his people and paved the way for their freedom.

All of us have something to share for the good of everyone. It does not matter if your talent benefits the whole world or just a few people around you. The most important thing is that we use it, and God is satisfied with that. He is most satisfied if you use your talent for the purpose of serving others out of love and not out of self promotion.

God asks us to free ourselves of obstacles and distractions that make us lose focus on our mission. Obstacles such as pride, selfishness, fear, doubt, and greed. Pride and selfishness makes us focus on personal reward instead of how we could serve and love others. Fear and doubt makes us distrust ourselves and God's power to help us achieve our potential as instruments of blessing. Greed makes us focus on personal gain instead of helping others.

To be successful in our God given mission, let us ask God to help us trust in His power which He makes available to us and through us. And let us ask Him to fill our hearts with love for others that we may be ready to offer ourselves as instruments of blessing.

Called to be God's flashlight

from www.givingblessing.com

Scripture: Luke 8:16-18
16 "No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a vessel, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, that those who enter may see the light. 17 For nothing is hid that shall not be made manifest, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come to light. 18 Take heed then how you hear; for to him who has will more be given, and from him who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away."

Reflection: God is the origin of love. And His love is light to all the world. In God's goodness, He calls us to be bearers of His light. Just like a friend who always wants to do things together with his best buddy, God calls us to be His coworkers in bringing light to a world darkened by sin. We know we are unworthy, but who is worthy? Only God can make us worthy. And He is so gracious to invite an unworthy sinner like us to join Him in His work of spreading love.

May God give us the grace and strength to be his light bearers. And love bearers.