Greatness Defined

At least once a year, I watch “Band of Brothers” created by HBO. The show follows a company of US soldiers during WWII through Europe. It reminds me of the sacrifices of men and women who were part of the greatest generation and makes me appreciate all that I have. But how does greatness get defined in the Kingdom of Jesus?

In Mark 9, the disciples are arguing over who is the greatest in Jesus’ kingdom. Jesus doesn’t discourage greatness but does redefine it for us saying, “The first will be last and the last will be first”. In Matthew 20, the disciples are again arguing over who’s the greatest among the disciples. Jesus says look, I have an upside down kingdom. If you want to be great, you’ll need to be the servant and slave of all.

In Luke 22 as Jesus celebrates Passover with the disciples one last time before he’s killed, he redefines the Passover meal into what Christians celebrate today as the Lord’s supper or Eucharist. After Jesus breaks bread with them and drinks the watered wine, the disciples begin to argue over who’s the greatest! But Jesus says, “I’ve told you I want you to experience the best life possible and the path to that greatness is not pushing people around but serving those you encounter.”

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the story of a land owner who went on a trip but before he left, he gave 5 bags of silver to one servant, 2 bags of silver to another servant and 1 bag to the last servant. Upon his return, the 5-bag servant had earned 5 more bags and the 2-bag servant earned 2 more. The master said well done! Let’s celebrate and I’ll give you more because of how you used the resources to gain more.

But the 1-bag servant was afraid of the master so he hid his silver and did nothing with it. Upon the master’s return, the master took away what the last servant had and gave it to the 5-bag servant. So, what’s the moral of the story and how does it relate to greatness in Jesus’ kingdom?

Well, we notice the 5-bag servant put his resources to work immediately…he didn’t wait. Some of us make plans to work in the kingdom but after our kids graduate and leave home or after I get my nest egg built up or when I get different working hours. But Jesus reminds us it’s a mindset. We all have been given “gifts”. Gifts could be time, talents or resources. The point is, whatever we have, if you follow Jesus, start today using that for kingdom.

We also have to realize that all the resources you have (time, talent, physical resources) are entrusted to us and don’t belong to us. Everything we have was given to us by Jesus and while we have it, it’s used for His glory and for his kingdom.

Too many of us have adopted the American mentality of entitlement and owning, using what we have been blessed with for our own purposes. If this is your spirit, your joy and peace will be wrapped up in the stock market and your bank account. But if you realize what you have is really not yours, your joy and peace will be wrapped up in Jesus.

Finally, if you follow Jesus, serve others as one who will give an account of your life one day. The Bible mentions that we are allotted 70 years on earth. The current US average for life is just under 79 years. In the moment, we think we have all the time in the world to live into the life we have but the truth is, it is a very small window to make a kingdom difference.

Jesus is coming back and when he does, he will not say good job my good and faithful social media influencer or good job my good and faithful public school teach. King Jesus will recognize me by the way I stepped into kingdom life and served those around me. I look forward to the day when my Savior looks at me and says, “Well done my good and faithful SERVANT.”

As we live into the greatness of the kingdom of Jesus, we want to be like him which means we serve those around us and recognize, others are more important than we are. Blessings on the journey.

Red, White, and Hope

If you’ve driven anywhere in the last month, turned on a tv or radio, or gone to the mailbox, then you are probably well aware that the 2024 election season has officially begun. Campaign signs are on every street corner, political ads are airing on tv, debates are being held, and campaign mailers are hitting mailboxes. Over the last decade, politics have felt increasingly tense, so how should we navigate the election season as Christians?

Remember That Every Person Is, First And Foremost, A Person

Politics offer a unique look at human behavior. As we watch campaigns and debates, it can be easy to fall into an “us versus them” mentality. The danger here is that when we do this, our brain makes a shortcut, and we start seeing individuals in the “them” category purely as their political ideologies dictate and not as the humans they are.

This process is known as “dehumanization.” Brene Brown, a research professor and author saying, “Dehumanizing often starts with creating an enemy image. As we take sides, lose trust, and get angrier and angrier, we not only solidify an idea of our enemy, but also start to lose our ability to listen, communicate, and practice even a modicum of empathy.” Once we see the other side as an enemy, the issue becomes framed as good versus evil, and all of a sudden, the ends start justifying the means. We start treating people differently on the basis of their political beliefs. Think about the things you’ve heard about politicians, parties, and the people who support them. What labels have been applied to them? How do people talk to or about them?

When I first heard about this concept, I challenged myself to think about groups of people with whom I did not agree, and I was shocked to see how often I had reduced them down to their ideas and stopped seeing them as people.

At the end of the day, every human being is made in the image of God, and deserves to be treated with kindness and respect regardless of what they believe or do. This includes candidates, protestors, supporters, leaders, and voters. During this time when much of the country will be at odds over politics, how can we intentionally remind ourselves and others to treat people as image-bearers and not as enemies?

Put Your Identity In Jesus, Not In A Political Party.

Over the last several years, politics have grown so that they are now a core part of one’s everyday life. No longer do we live in a society where everyone could vote as they willed and leave it at that, living peacefully with those who voted differently. Now, your political affiliations even affect which memes you see on Facebook.

While it is easy to get wrapped up in the culture and base our identity on politics, it is critical that we remember this is not what we are called to do as Christians. Our greatest commandments are to love God with all of our hearts and souls and minds, and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matt. 22:37-39). We are called to be “salt” and “light” (Matt. 5), but if we don’t have love, these efforts will have gained nothing (1 Cor. 13). The social issues at play in our society today are important, but pale in comparison to eternity.

Pray For Every Candidate, Regardless Of Their Party.

At the end of the day, even the best candidates have human limitations, and being an elected official is an immense responsibility. The sheer number of decisions they have to make on a wide range of topics, and often very quickly, is a lot of pressure. Add on top of that the tensions surrounding many of their decisions, the opposing opinions that may (or may not) have equal credibility, and the number of lives that could be impacted by their decisions. Regardless of whether or not you agree with a candidate or elected official, they need your prayers.

No Matter How It Turns Out, There Is Still Hope.

Whether the election turns out as we hope or not, we have to remember that God is still sovereign. As it says in the book of Daniel, “He removes kings and sets up kings” (2:21), and He has a reason for doing both. As we go through what will likely be a tumultuous election cycle, it is important that we remember to hold fast to our faith and trust that God has a plan for whatever the outcomes might be.

So, I encourage you to do some research; read some articles; don’t listen much to social media; be in prayer; get out and vote when it’s time; be God’s person all the time but especially when the rest of the world seems chaotic. Blessings on your journey.

The Witness of Pilate.

What happens when your life collides with Jesus’ life? You hear so many people say the phrase, “I never saw that coming.” It could be that a spouse is unfaithful and the other says it. It could be a hard worker gets let go from their employment and says it. It could be a long time pastor leaves a church and the congregation says it.

So many unexpected things happen to us in life. And I have found when they do and you find yourself in a valley moment, you have the opportunity to turn to Jesus and let him embrace you, love you and tell you that He’s got you.

In Matthew 27, we read how Pilate interacts with Jesus. As Pilate hears Jesus’ story, hears the crowd, hears the religious leaders and 3 days later, hears the story of Jesus’ resurrection, I’m guessing Pilate would have said, “I never saw that coming!” But things happen in life when your life collides with Jesus.

See, Jesus collides with public opinion. Pilate is swayed by public opinion and gives Jesus up to be killed. The world does care for what Jesus stands for: love, forgiveness, mercy, compassion to name a few. The world is all about “me”. But so many are waiting on someone to lead, to say “enough”, to genuinely care for the world like Jesus does. So lead.

Jesus also collides with personal life. Jesus is always messing with your relationships, in a good way. He has a tough saying in Matthew 10 where he says he will turn father against son, mother against daughter, in-laws against in-laws. It sounds rough but Jesus is saying, when you follow me and others don’t, it will create tension in your relationships.

Jesus also collides with our professional aspirations. Pilate didn’t want trouble but Jesus brought a lot for him. I worked for Walmart for 11 years and became a store manager. If I had stayed with them, I could have retired at 47 and never thought twice about money again. But God called me into ministry to do kingdom work and I’m so glad I listened. Jesus will reorient your direction when you interact with him and realize He is who He said he was.

Pilate asked the crowd, “What should I do with Jesus?” It’s the question each of us ask every day we follow Him. So the call is to make Him Lord of your life. Paul tells us in Romans 14 that every knee will bend and profess Jesus is Lord! He is the King of kings and Lord of lords; the Prince of Peace who wants to change your life forever. Blessings on your journey.