Fine Print: Serve Sacrificially — Thursday
Mark 10:43a
”Not so with you.” (NIV)
In a few simple words, Jesus made it clear in today’s verse that His followers are called to a different way of life. Unlike the leaders in power during His time, His disciples were not and still are not supposed to leverage their authority for their own personal gain. The way the world worked then and the way it usually works now, you use your power and influence to advance yourself, and you make sure people under you stay under you. For a few thousand years, that was the only way anyone led.
After Jesus’ revolution called Christianity, a new mode of leadership operation emerged. People began to experience the principles of following Jesus and eventually called them virtues. Virtues carried the day for many many years and played a vital role in the foundation of this country. Some virtues in the United States grew out of the bedrock of faith in Jesus, and others grew out of the cultural underpinnings of deism.
Imagine for a minute you get to talk with Jesus. He is the most amazing and dynamic person you’ve ever met, but at the same time, He’s not so electric you can’t approach Him. He’s actually kind of unassuming, yet He’s still profoundly engaging. Over the course of the conversation, you are really encouraged. It’s like your soul is alive in a way you’ve never experienced before. And as you go along, Jesus begins to point out some recent things you’ve done and said. Somehow He’s cutting sin out of your life, but it’s not as painful as you’d think. At one point, as He’s getting into an area of your life that really only you know isn’t fully surrendered to Him, He looks you in the eye and says, “Not so with you.”
Sin and poor choices become easy to justify, but Jesus doesn’t settle, nor does He want you to.
Thursday’s Reflection
Pray for a minute and ask Jesus to reveal what He’d say “not so with you” about. Now take steps to remove this from your life.
