Kingdom Minded

And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way? But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” Mark 9:33-35 ESV

Jesus had just told His disciples that He would die, then rise three days later. Mark states that the disciples did not understand what He was saying and were afraid to ask Him. Matthew says, “they were greatly distressed.” Essentially, His words staggered them. Where did His sudden statement fit into His Kingdom plans?

Apparently, they missed the whole point. They believed that God’s Kingdom was about control, power, prominence, and position. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Because God’s Kingdom is about saving humanity. His kingdom is eternal and God-focused, while the kingdom they longed for was temporary and self-serving. God’s Kingdom is about service, and service is about personal sacrifice. “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” Mark 10:45.

The beauty of God’s Kingdom is that Jesus set the precedent. He does not ask us to do anything He Himself hasn’t done. “Christ is the humility of God embodied in human nature; the Eternal Love humbling itself, clothing itself in the garb of meekness and gentleness, to win and serve and save us.” – Andrew Murray

Thought: “Rest is found in these words: ‘Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). We say to God: “May your kingdom come in all that I think, desire, and say. May your kingdom come in my marriage and in my family. May your kingdom come in my work. May your kingdom come in my leisure. May your kingdom so rule my heart that stepping over your boundaries would no longer be attractive to me.” – Paul Tripp