Today’s Verse—Mark 10:45
Even the Son of Man did not come to be
served. Instead, he came to serve others.
Uniformed soldiers rolled out a red carpet. A band stood at attention ready to play. Thousands of people waited outside the gates, jittery with excitement over the king’s arrival. Inside, a fancy dinner and big party had been prepared.
That’s how a visiting king should be treated. Yet when the King of Kings arrived on earth, He was born in a humble stable. The Lord of the Universe made His appearance, and almost everyone slept through it.
In the Odyssey episodes* “Back to Bethlehem, I, II, and III” (album 10), Connie and Eugene took an Imagination Station adventure to witness the birth of Christ. Connie learned that Jesus was actually born in a smelly cave and not a “nice barn” or stable.
God chose a low-key way to introduce His Son to the world. Jesus didn’t come to sit in a castle and have people feed Him cupcakes. He came to serve and to love in the humblest of ways.
Do you ever get caught up in what you think you deserve? Maybe you’re tired of someone else getting more attention or a bigger piece of cake than you. Or maybe you feel you should have been Student of the Month instead of that boy who always gets his pencil stuck in his ear. Whenever you feel this way, remind yourself that God chose for His Son to be born in a sheep’s food dish even though Jesus deserved more honor than anyone else. If the King of Kings humbled Himself, you can humble yourself too. And when you do, God will help you love and serve others just like Jesus did!
Connie’s Corner
I was a little miffed that I didn’t get a standing ovation after the Christmas play. After all, I wrote the script, painted the backdrop, and sprained my ankle chasing the runaway donkey. But then I started to think: If I was really doing all this to honor God, then did it really matter if I was getting praise for myself? I want to live a life that pleases God rather than trying to please everyone else.
Daily Challenge
Think of some people you can compliment today. Tell them what you appreciate about them, without expecting anything in return.
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Learning About Jesus Theme Memory Verse—John 8:12
[Jesus] said, “I am the light of the world. Those who follow me will never walk in darkness. They will have the light that leads to life.”
* To find this episode and the others mentioned in this book, go to www.whitsend.org/vault.