The least will be great
and said to them, “Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.” Luke 9:48
Have you ever wanted to be the greatest at something? The greatest basketball or baseball player? The greatest concert pianist or artist that ever lived? Maybe you have dreamed of being the greatest executive that built a great firm from the ground up? We all have dreams and aspirations of some kind and a built-in desire to succeed. As lofty and grand as your plans may be, it is not wrong to set goals and pursue advancement, but there is a secret to it all.
In today’s reading, Jesus gives us one of those opposite principles. Jesus told His disciples whoever is least will be great. In other words, He was saying that if they wanted to be first or the best, they would have to always put others ahead of themselves and serve them. Ouch! This is not the most popular message He ever gave, and it is certainly not something that is in our nature to do. I would say most people tend to go toward the pride side of things and want others to look what they have accomplished and admire it. But Jesus said true success is when you humble yourself to take care of others and prefer people above yourself.
The apostle Paul talked about this in his letter to the Romans. He said in Romans 12:10 to be kindly affectionate to one another with brother love, in honor giving preference to one another. It is a true success law and a principle set up by God that works every time you follow it.
Our heavenly Father wants us to take care of one another in a way that we make others feel loved and encouraged. In order to accomplish this, you must put the focus on another person and take it off of yourself. Think about it. It doesn’t make anyone feel better about themselves if you tell them how great you are and how successful you have become because you had just the right ideas and plans. Even if it is true, the thing that blesses others is when you talk about their strengths and their enablement to do great things.
You can also consider that it is not so special to others if they get to wait on you and serve your needs. What really shows another person that you care about them is when you humbly take care of their needs and desires.
So, today I want to encourage you to put yourself in first place by being the last. Make yourself the greatest by serving the needs of others around you. Achieve great accomplishments in your life by blessing the people that God brings your way and put yourself in the path of God’s greatest plan by helping others to succeed, first.
Today’s scripture reading: Luke 9:37-48
37 Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him.
38 Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, “Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child.
39 And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him.
40 So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.”
41 Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.”
42 And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.
43 And they were all amazed at the majesty of God. But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples,
44 “Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.”
45 But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying.
46 Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest.
47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him,
48 and said to them, “Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.”
The Daily Dose 