Serving Faith

We often struggle in our own lives with finding that balance between living in "the world" and following Jesus, living by His example. This is the problem Jeremiah faced. He wanted to follow God and what He had in mind for him, but more often than not, Jeremiah found himself overwhelmed by it all. To further complicate matters, we have these men who wanted to discredit Jeremiah. They wanted to use Jeremiah's words against him. But, Jeremiah, this humble person who struggled to follow God, called out to Him. "Heed me, O Lord, and listen to what my adversaries say. Must good be repaid with evil that they should dig a pit to take my life?" (Jer 18:19-20, NAB). How often have we wondered the same thing? We have to remember that, in times like that, we need to seek the Lord even more, to allow Him to guide us, to be reassured that we are doing just what we need to. 

In turning to our Gospel reading, we see the mother of James and John asking Jesus to assure that her sons will be favored and be seated with Him in Heaven. The crowd that had gathered wondered why these two men should be so privledged as to receive favor in Heaven. Jesus promptly replies that that is not His choice to make, it is whatever His Father has predestined for these men. You see, Jesus was just a humble servant of His Father. He tells the crowd that even though the Gentiles may hold power over people and seek glory for themselves, this is not how it's done in Heaven. Those who are willing to humble themselves, to do for others without glorification are the ones who are the most blessed. They will see their reward in Heaven. 

In everything Jesus did, it was with kindness, understanding and compassion. Knowing He was the Savior of the world did not inflate His ego. It could have. For most folks it would have. But not Jesus. He showed that He was ready and eager to serve the needs of others. Are we ready to take on that challenge? Are we willing to humble ourselves in the service of Jesus? Are we willing to be the least among others? It is something to think about. 

With so much strife and unrest in the world today, take time to pray for others. Pray for peace. "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them." (Mt 18:20, NAB)

Be blessed dear friends. And as always, be a nice human. 😇