August 12: Insight Post by Rusty Coram

Weekly Focus

Wednesday Insight Post
by Rusty Coram

Jesus’ patience is amazing. He recognizes our self-centeredness, and yet He continually shows us grace and works to train us to become more fully devoted to God and then to make us other-focused. One day, two of Jesus' twelve disciples lobby Him to get front row seats when He ushers them into His kingdom. They thought there would be a political overthrow, and soon. That belief would get corrected later. Also, their mother came to Jesus trying to persuade Him to elevate her two sons into key positions (see Matthew 20:20-28). The request was met with some irritation from the other ten disciples, and Jesus addressed it this way: “⁴¹When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. ⁴²So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. ⁴³But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. ⁴⁵For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:41–45 (NLT). The clear message Jesus is communicating, and that He models through His ministry, is that leadership in God’s kingdom is about giving and not receiving. Leadership that God endorses is humbly choosing to pursue the best for others and not the pursuit of perks and privileges for yourself. In our culture today, this message is desperately needed, and followers of Jesus are called to both show it and tell it. Leadership that is pursued for self-oriented power will never be supported by our God. Gaining power and influence to serve the needs of others and help them understand God’s love, though... well, God is all for that!

Rusty Coram
Senior Pastor