18 March | Youth
«He who is greatest among you shall be your servant.» Matthew 23:11
Ellen White teaches that “Christ's followers have been redeemed for service. Our Lord teaches that the true object of life is ministry. Christ Himself was a worker, and to all His followers He gives the law of service—service to God and to their fellow men” (Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 326).
The mother of James and John asked Jesus for her two sons to have a privileged seat in the Messiah's kingdom. Her intentions were good, but she had not understood the nature of God's government. Jesus himself said: “You do not know what you ask” (Matt 20:22).
Then Jesus clarified to all his disciples the striking contrast between the kingdom of men and that of God. For human nature, the greatest is the one at the top. For God, the pyramid is inverted. The great lesson that the Master gives us here is the example: He did not come to be served, but to serve. “Whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him 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” (Matt 20:26-28). True greatness lies in serving others. And the attitude of a servant is the appropriate attitude for all of Jesus' disciples.
Dwight Moody's life is full of inspiration. He was one of the greatest Christian preachers of all time. Used by God in an extraordinary way, he was also an entirely submissive man. He was invited to hold a series of conferences for ministers in England at a time when there were no adequate pavements on the streets of London. In large gatherings like that, it was customary to commission someone to clean the participants' boots at night.
People left their shoes outside the door, but the meeting organizers forgot to hire someone for this role. The next morning the boots were clean and polished, and everyone was wondering who had done the humble job. They later discovered that Moody had been up all night doing a servant’s work.
He who has the attitude of a servant does not choose a time or place to do what needs to be done. All the great men and women of God left their mark on history because of a life of service.