EVER WONDER if Jesus would have agreed to star in His own reality TV show? Let's allow Him to answer in His own words:
The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.
No mumbo jumbo. Just a straight-from-the-shoulder response. Jesus came to be a servant. Being a celebrity wasn't in His DNA.
Nothing is more refreshing than a servant's heart and a giving spirit. This is especially true when such Christlike qualities are displayed in a person tagged as celebrity. Years ago, my wife and I attended the National Religious Broadcasters convention in Washington, DC. That year one of the main speakers was Colonel James B. Irwin, a former astronaut who was part of the Apollo 15 crew who had walked on the moon. That made him famous. He spoke of the thrill connected with leaving this planet and seeing it shrink in size. He mentioned watching "earthrise" one day . . . and thinking how privileged he was to be a member of that unique team. On the flight back to Earth, it hit him that many would consider him an international celebrity because of what he'd experienced.
Humbled by the awesome goodness of God, Colonel Irwin shared his true feelings, which went something like this:
As I was returning to Earth, I realized that I was a servant—not a celebrity. So, I am here as God's servant on planet Earth to share what I have experienced, that others might know the glory of God.
I love that! God allowed this man to break loose from the small cage of Earth, to reveal to and instill in him the high value of becoming a servant, not a celebrity.
Caught up in the fast-lane treadmill of the twenty-first century—making mad dashes through airports, meeting deadlines, homeschooling high-achieving kids, and coping with the stress of people's demands mixed with our own high expectations—it's easy to lose sight of our primary calling as followers of Christ. But let's not forget our goal. Instead, let's focus on becoming servants, not celebrities.
Devotional content taken from Good Morning, Lord . . . Can We Talk? by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 2018. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a division of Tyndale House Ministries. All rights reserved. The full devotional can be purchased at tyndale.com or wherever books are sold.
Used with permission. All rights reserved.
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