Servant-hood lies at the heart of true greatness.

What? Hold on a second. Didn’t you mean to say bravado, courage or super-sized intelligence lie at the heart of true greatness?

As good as those things can be, no.

Jesus’ disciples were jockeying for positions of prestige. Seeing what was going on, he gave them a crash course about true greatness: “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all” (Mark 10:43-44).

After all, no one is greater than Jesus and even he came “to serve” (verse 45).

In the Greek text, the word for “great” can sometimes also be translated as “large.” It makes me think of having a large servant heart. Not in size, but goodness.

How many of us have not somehow been helped by the servant-hood of someone else? We can have that same impact.

Co-coaching little league when you’re the furthest thing from an expert. Helping with homework when you’re exhausted. Donating some assistance to a needy family when no one will know it was you.

The truly great serve.

---

Notes:

–Radio Devo: Did you know you can help support The Up Devotional on morning radio as it reaches thousands of people at 8:15 a.m. on Ontario’s LIFE FM Christian Radio Network? Visit this link to learn more, hear a sample, or make a tax deductible donation.

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.