Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who [would be the] greatest. 35 And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” 36 Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.”

– Mark 9:33-37 (NKJV)

I took a group of students on a leadership retreat. In an effort to get as much as we could out of the entire retreat I gave the students leadership assignments on the way up and back from the retreat. One of the assignments was where to stop for lunch. Those making the decision thought this would be great, they would pick their favorite place to eat and no one could do anything about it. So they picked Chick-fil-a… and I told them it wouldn’t work for the group. Then they picked Zaxby’s… and I told them it wouldn’t work for the group. Then they picked Churches Chicken… and I told them it wouldn’t work for the group. Finally frustrated they asked why their picks wouldn’t work. I shared that we had a leader among us who was allergic to chicken and the places they had chosen to eat only served chicken… He wouldn’t have a lunch! They all learned a basic rule of leadership that day, you seldom get what you want when you are making the best decision for “everyone” in the group.

Some of the disciples were arguing about who would be the greatest. That kind of talk didn’t sit well with Jesus and he reminded them that to be first is to be last and to be a leader you really have to be a servant. Serving means we humble ourselves to take care of the needs around us. Often there isn’t anyone more needy and dependent on others than a small child. So Jesus takes a child and puts him in the middle and reminds the disciples that to take care of one of these is as big of a deal as serving the master himself. Doing so, Jesus valued children and encouraged his disciples to be servants.

Serving others with gladness is what we are called to do. The amazing thing is that there is so much joy to be found in serving others, especially those who need the help. The disciples were slow to pick up on the lessons that Jesus offered sometimes, but they would come to value and know the power of being faithful to serve the Lord in small things and as they did, they would be trusted with bigger responsibilities. What about you? Who are you serving in the name of the Lord today?

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Thank you for your grace to serve others in the name of Jesus. Use us in ways small and big. Let us be faithful in the smallest tasks and among the most needy. Let your grace be given and shine through us in incredible ways. Let us enjoy the grace of how you have called and allow others to serve us. Thank you for the humility to both serve and be served. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.