He Came To Minister...

For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Mark 10:45

Jesus came to this earth with one assignment which was to serve the very creation of His father by laying down His life… Knowing that Jesus was and is the Savior allows us to place Him in high esteem or regard; however, we must know the submissive nature that He displayed to reach and obtain such a noble calling… We have to examine the life He lived which was indeed a life full of service and not one which was built upon people serving Him… Through today’s devotion we are challenged to remember the humility with which we are called to live and know that our duty as Christians is to assist others instead of seeking our own will and having others assist us in reaching it… This is not to be confused to say that you cannot have goals; however, what the passage says to us today is that we must be about the work of Christ which is extending hands of love and gratitude toward our fellowman if we want to reach and obtain these aforementioned goals… One of the biggest struggles in the church today is living a life of service… We can all shout, we can all quote a scripture, but the true definition of a Christian is found in their ability to minister… As we studied on yesterday, we are all called to the Ministry of reconciliation; however, this calling will be null and void if we are not able to submit ourselves to the will of God which requires us to submit to our brothers and sisters here on earth… Make sure that you are living your life with the right purpose and the choices you make are for the right reasons… Mark reminds us today that Jesus in all His glory came unto this earth to minister unto all who would accept His offering which was poured out on the cross… We are reminded of this today, because the call we have on this earth is not about “me, myself and I” but to minister unto those we come in contact with… We shouldn’t be focused on obtaining financial wealth for ourselves, we should be focused on be successful so that we can lend a helping hand to our fellow brothers and sisters… In the Old Testament, the Hebrews were instructed to lend resources unto their brothers without interest, it was the duty of the brothers to help out in times of need and not take advantaged of one another… In this world today, the goal is to get rich quick, the mindset is that only the strong survive and the focus is on taking care of your house… The reality of all these things is that that if Jesus lived this way you and I wouldn’t be here… Think about how troubled your life has been, is or may become and now think about the life that Jesus laid down on your behalf… We may want riches; however Mark is reminding us that Jesus was the richest of all… He is alpha and omega, the beginning and the end… He’s is the first and the last and yet He still gave His very life for my sin… When you think about doing stuff just for yourself meditate on this verse… Mark says, “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto…”

Jesus wasn’t here to be pampered, He wasn’t here to receive praise and for people to gloat over His success; He was here to do the will of the father, He was here to fulfill the plan that God had for His life and He was here to drink the cup put before Him… Mark starts this verse off this way because we can’t get things twisted… Even Christ came to minister… We are here to minister, we aren’t even close to being in the same category of Christ; however He still washed the disciple’s feet and laid down His life… If Christ, in all His majesty was able to do that, what does that mean as far as our responsibilities on this earth… See this passage helps me to stay grounded in knowing that being a child of God is more than just saying you love Jesus… This passage instructs me today that being a child of God is more than just going to church and spending time with brothers and sisters in Christ… This passage reminds me that our lives must be totally sacrificed to the Lord… We must offer ourselves a living sacrifice as Paul writes in the 12^th chapter of his letter to the Church of Rome… A living sacrifice means each and everyday, each and every hour and each and every second we are walking the will of God and ministering to those around us… Your ministry doesn’t just live on Sunday, your ministry is speaking kind words in the midst of gossip, your ministry is turning the other cheek in the midst of a confrontation, your ministry is loving those who don’t love you back… Christ new He came to this earth to transform lives and pave the way to Salvation… Your life is more than just having a good job and driving a nice you’re your life is far more than living in a nice community and having money… You’re here to transform lives and lead other to Christ… This ministry is the foundation that all Christians stand on… We are called to impact the lives of others… We can do that if we are worried about buying this or diving that… We can do that if we are worried about what people may say or what obstacles may come our way… Whenever you are faced with a choice think to yourself, “What Would Jesus Do…?” I say that because we already know the answer as to what He did… He ignored the desire to maintain a reasonable life for Himself… He didn’t acknowledge the desire to lookout for self and even in the worse of times; He didn’t give into the temptation of resisting the cup of God’s plan which was laid before Him… Today, when someone needs a helping hand stop ignoring them, stop rejecting them and start truly living the life that you claim you have found in Christ… The Son of man came to minister, we are here for the same purpose… We are on this earth not to be served, but too serve. Again, many Christians have lost sight of this most important point. Jesus came to serve His people and bear witness to His Father’s mission for us all. To be a true Christian is to serve throughout your life. Give to the needy, pray for your enemies and be a beacon light in this dark world.

BE BLESSED!!!