The Path To Greatness - James And John

[James and John] replied, “When you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.”

Mark 10:37

At a time when people are leaving the corporate world in droves to pursue their own businesses, many people ask, “What do I need to do in order to be successful?” One of the most frequent answers is simply to serve—to put the customer’s or client’s needs and desires ahead of one’s own. As one business adviser put it, “The greater the quality and quantity of your service, the greater the reward.”

Our culture doesn’t always value putting others’ needs and desires first, but as the apostles James and John learned, that is exactly what they needed to do to achieve greatness.

One day, James and John sidled up to Jesus and made an audacious request. They wanted Jesus to give them the two highest seats of honor when Jesus assumed his throne. James and John’s request didn’t sit too well with the rest of the disciples, probably because they had similar ambitions. That day, Jesus taught all of them what it takes to assume a position of greatness in God’s Kingdom.

James and John had the noble goal of being great in God’s Kingdom. Jesus didn’t scold them for asking, but he taught them and the other disciples that the path to greatness is found by serving others.

Does achieving greatness by putting others first seem a little backward? It does to a lot of folks today, but that’s just what God calls you to do. Your humility will be richly rewarded!

Do you want to be great in God’s Kingdom? To be the kind of leader, husband, father, and worker he calls you to be, make serving others your life’s ambition.