What kinds of things do we argue about?  Politics?  Money?  Sports?  When we argue, we reveal our heart.  Our principles, priorities and passions are uncovered.

“On the way, an argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest.”

Here in Matthew 18, Mark 9 and Luke 9, we find Jesus instructing his disciples on greatness in the Kingdom of Heaven.

What did the disciples’ argument reveal about their hearts?

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

What were the disciples after?  Prominence, position and power!  Their arguments revealed hearts filled with pride.  While these are all things that this world values, Jesus “turns the tables” on them, flips the script, and again shows that he plays by a different set of rules in His Kingdom.  His is an “upside down” Kingdom.

The first is last, and the last is first.

The greatest is least, and the least is greatest.

Your stature, your greatness, is not determined by the size of your entourage, by those who serve you and cater to your needs and wants.

Your greatness instead is determined by how many you serve and how well you serve them.  That’s upside down, topsy-turvy thinking!

Pride (self-love) will cause me to seek the applause of others.  It will cause me to “use” people to get what I want, to have relationships that serve my own self-interests.

Humility (God-love) and sacrifice (others-love) will lead me to put others ahead of myself and serve based on how it benefits others, not myself.

When it comes to serving, do we argue about who HAS to (not me, please, make someone else do it)…

or do we argue about who GETS to (please let me do that)?

I like to be served.  Do I like serving others even more, or do I view serving as a burden or inconvenience?  I have lots of room to grow here.
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