Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 217
Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ... Please take the time to take in song and lyrics from Kristian Stanfill singing … More Like Jesus … Poignantly singing of how our lives as Christians should be more like Jesus, giving our all to serve Him and others.
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Highlight Passage: Mark 9:35 [NIV] …
35 He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.”
… After Jesus’ disciples had been discussing who among them would be the greatest among them in heaven, the Lord showed them that the measure of greatness in God’s kingdom would be marked by their service to others in this life.
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Highlight Passage [Context]: … Mark 9:33-37 [NIV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus shows His 12 disciples that being great in God’s kingdom is having the trusting heart of a child and the willingness to serve others like Jesus had served the twelve.
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Reference Passage: … Matthew 23:11-12 [NLT] …
11 The greatest among you must be a servant. 12 But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
… Jesus in teaching to His followers about greatness being humble servanthood, … showed that the Pharisees taught the Law but weren’t servants of God as they were called to be.
Reference Passage: … Mark 10:41-45 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus trying to teach James and John and the other Disciples that greatness in heaven will be a heart like His … to humbly serve others even to the point of dying for others.
Reference Passage: … John 12:26 [NLT] …
26 Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.
… Jesus teaches Phillip and Andrew (and us) that following and serving Him by serving others is the mark of greatness in God’s kingdom.
My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Sheridan Voysey, AT THIS LINK … uses the life example of an evangelist named, Cuthbert, a much beloved figure in 7th century England. In fact an entire town was named after this man because of his humble service to others, including a story of him praying for a dying child who lived thereafter to show God’s favor on the greatness of this quiet servant of God.
The ODB story is a good illustration of today’s ODB teaching point … which anyone can get from merely hearting the linked song and taking in the words of Jesus, documented above; and that is that those of us who claim to be disciples of King Jesus must do all we can, as did Cuthbert, that 7th century servant of God, … to live as Christ lived and died … as the ultimate model of the greatness of servanthood.
And I’m very convicted by this ODB entry today … to do more - MUCH MORE - to be the humble servant of my Lord as He calls me to be today … and then tomorrow as well.
How about you?
My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for showing us how to be Your servant by humbly serving others.
My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to use every opportunity today to serve others as You have served us. … Amen
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Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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