I MUST BE IN THE FRONT ROW?

I don’t know if you remember the Miller Lite commercials with Bob Uecker in the stands and they come to tell him he is in wrong seat…and he proclaims….”I must be in the front row”…but actually his seats were much worse. Front row seating is a premium. Super Bowl tickets are between $2,500 and $3,000 and in one case a fan paid $65,000 to get a seat on the 40 yard line just six rows from the field..

Front row seats, in a way, came up when James and John requested of Jesus who would sit at His right and left. They did not know what they were asking as those seats come with a high price tag. The tag is undergoing suffering like Jesus would endure. The seat giving is not up to us. It is solely in the hands of God. The seats are not about greatness but about service.

As flawed humans of a flawed world, power seeking is part and parcel of the way things are done. To be great in God’s kingdom involves servanthood. Our example of a servant leader is best exemplified by Jesus. He served us in our need of salvation. He offered Himself up to purchase our redemption. The world does not see this as great. However, the best seats in the house where Jesus will reign come by following Him.

Jesus responded to James and John as to what they were to do as servants: Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. Whoever wants to be first must be your slave. The Son of Man did not come to be served, BUT TO SERVE, and to give His life as a ransom for many. Remember, we are to be like Christ!

Our only ambition should be focused on how much service we can bring to the game. In all service we do, our mind’s right attitude should be one of humility, repentance, and obedience!

In earthly governments, the higher you are, the more you are served. Now guess what do you think the kingdom of the Lord is when it comes to this? Exactly, the complete opposite is true. In the kingdom of the Lord, in its present, temporary form and in its eternal , spiritual form, THE HIGHER THE MEN ARE, THE MORE THEY SERVE. It says in 2 Timothy 2: 11-12 that “If we have died with Him, we shall also live with Him, if we endure, we shall also reign with Him.”

Not sure what to do? Always be serving for the Lord in some way! Try to keep these 3 words in the front of your mind as you are presented with occasions and opportunities.

LISTEN, HELP ,and CARE.

“Serving God doesn’t necessarily mean entering full-time ministry and going to a foreign land; for some it does, but remember God calls us all to serve Him right where we are.”