Remember when you were a kid…and when you were lining up to go to lunch? or gym? And the teacher didn’t have any tricks (strategies) to get you to line up?? And that daily event never happened without fighting for being first in line? It took me about 3 years as a young teacher to come up with a plan (actually I tested many ideas over the years) to get my students from racing, crowding, budging, giving budgies, saving places, etc. Then there were those interesting ones who lingered, longed for the LAST spot in line. What was/ is that all about anyway?
Have you noticed that in the past few years practically every show on TV, be it cable or not, is all about someone being first? You know, the reality shows, the competition shows, the shows that are all about winning and losing? In the past I could numb my mind by flicking on the TV to find something that wouldn’t tax my thinking. Or I’d choose Food Network because I could learn a better way to cook my potatoes. Now, singers are vying for the top place on Idol, overweight people are competing to see who can become skinny (or at least skinny-er), women are lining up potential husbands, bachelors are taking advantage of being surrounded by lots of available girls, Trump is creating dog-eat-dog events to reveal the way life really is at the top of the business world, and chefs are going all out to prove their cuisine reigns supreme. Cupcake Wars??? Yikes! Media-hyped and media-fed selfishness.
Being first, being best, being #1. A cultural addiction.
So what happens to our world, our mindset—what happens to our choices in life when we are told:
The Last will be First.
“But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.” Matthew 19:30 (NLT)
“Jesus then said, “So it is. Everyone who is now first will be last, and everyone who is last will be first.” Matthew 20:16 (CEV)
“So you want first place? Then take the last place. Be the servant of all.” Mark 9:35 (Message)
That idea is abundant in Christ’s teaching. It is everywhere in God’s Word. It’s His BIG IDEA. This idea of being first by being last has always been a bit of a paradox to me. I’m beginning to get it.
“You want God to be pleased with you? You want Him to take notice? You want Christ to know how much you love Him? Then become another person’s attendant, another person’s helper…their servant.” (Suzanne paraphrase)
OK. That’s not going to go over very big with lots of people. Still, it is repeated again and again. And it isn’t a suggestion.
Serving others is not slavery. And that really hit home for me this past Sunday. Freedom Sunday. Confronting the reality of slavery existing today makes my heart sick. It is the fastest growing crime industry in the world. 30 Million people! Half of them are under the age of 18. It’s happening not in another continent, but right here, in my country, and in my city. Human trafficking breaks God’s heart.
This slavery is NOT the servanthood God is talking about.
But, doing something about today’s slavery is.
* Buying from a company that doesn’t use trafficked labor. You might have to go out of your way, or change your buying habits. That is servanthood for me.
* Fasting from one meal each day, taking the money not spent, sending it to help rehabilitate a rescued slave. That’s servanthood.
* Confronting a friend or family member…or yourself with the use of porn, giving them some facts about the victims. Risking being put down or criticized. That might be ending up last, but being first.
Juniper Networks + Not For Sale from Not For Sale on Vimeo.
Some Facts at National Underground Railroad Freedom Center: Slavery Today