So the last shall be first, and the first last.
It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.
Matthew 19: 30, 20:16, 26-28
O: The idea and ambition of being great was flipped upside down by Jesus. He said these very words that seem almost ridiculous-if anyone wants to be a great and prominent person in the kingdom, they need to be the last-slave and servant of all. Anyone who wanted to be first will be last and whoever is last, will be first.
And by these words, it's easy enough to see that people who want to be esteemed by men, will put their energies into becoming great-their ambition centers around themselves and how they can build themselves up in the eyes of all those around them. And of course, that will be their own reward-being loved and well received by those around them. However, anyone looking out for their own selfish schedule will certainly not hold any honor in heaven before God-as they chose not to discard their means of serving themselves, only.
The first will be last...meaning those who consider themselves first, will be considered last in the eyes of God, as every man will be given their due.
But the last will be first. Those who would discard their love of self and gravitate towards serving others would be greatly esteemed by God-as Christ said Himself; He didn't come to be served by all people (despite the fact that He would have been entirely justified if they did), but rather to serve them in His ministry and sacrifice. Thus, Christ set Himself as the servant of all and esteemed Himself beyond any other person that ever lived and beyond any person that will live. Christ is revered above all other men, because He was set apart to be the lowest and most humble servant of God.
(A): To be last means to serve. Not like serve in every ministry possible kind of serve-but the service rendered towards God and His people that comes out of the joyful obedience of a servant wanting to please their Father. There is a sort of ambition of wanting to be great in the eyes of the Father, and that is called obedience. God commands us to love Him and love others-and I believe that I can love others by serving them out of a genuine heart. By knowing God, listening to Him and following Him-the means of loving and serving others is made clear. To be last means to serve God-and a servant will most obviously obey his master. To be last means to serve others, always considering their needs and their hearts.
I want to be great in the kingdom. I will be a servant to all, reporting to the Lord in joyful obedience to all His ways. I will be strive to be last, as Christ was-because He did it, I want to be like Him in all His ways of serving and love.
P: God, You are the first and You are the last. No one is more greatly esteemed than Your Son, Christ. He set the way of true service to You-not because He was only a servant, but He was a beloved Son and friend. Lord, I'm sorry that I lack love and intimacy for others and especially You, oh God. Forgive me for my wandering ways, and would you breathe that warmth back into my heart? I don't want to bring my offering before You to receive rank or to be greatly esteemed even amongst the church. But I want to be received by You and to be greatly esteemed in Your eyes. I know that I can never make You love me more than You do right now, and I thank You so much for that. Despite my lack of love or service, You love me the same-day by day; And that makes me want to humble myself before others and serve them with the same love and devotion that You show me all the time. Teach me to be last, as I walk with You, Jesus. In Christ, amen.
Soli Deo Gloria
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