One Year Bible - March 23
Scriptures to read:
Matthew 20:17-34; Numbers 15-16; Ecclesiastes 9:13-10:20
How much of who we are is what we do? In the Bay Area it doesn’t take long for us to rattle off our titles, company affiliations, and accomplishments. And we Christians are not immune from wanting to boast about our bona fides. Yet as Jesus clearly tells us, to become great, we must become servants.
Years ago I had a day of reckoning about this very thing. After several years working in media – a profession I’d chosen to pursue when I was 12 years old -- I was given the opportunity to join the film production department of a Christian ministry in Southern California. It was a bit of a quirky situation as I was not an employee of the ministry, but rather worked for the department head’s own company. When funding fell short, my supervisor negotiated with the ministry for me to become their employee. There was no budget for my current position, so instead they offered me a job as a maid cleaning rooms in the hotel they managed.
I was incensed and let everyone within earshot know how upset I was that I, a trained professional, was being asked to make beds instead of make movies. That evening I went home and took a long, hard look at myself – how enraged I’d become at this offer, how offended I was at not being recognized for my skill, and how humiliated I felt when asked to take this alternate position. But something happened through the long, difficult night. God changed my heart. By morning He had softened it and when I returned to work, I went with a willingness to serve in whatever capacity He had chosen for me. In the end, it wasn’t as a maid. They found some money to enable me to continue in the film department. Ultimately, this wasn’t about a job change, it was about a heart change.
Memory Verse: Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. - Matthew 20:26
Prayer: Lord, I ask that you use me in any position I have to glorify your name. Wherever I am, in any season, I pray that I learn whatever it is you try to teach me and use it to strengthen me, challenge me, and make me a better person.
