Friday, November 9, 2001
Friday, November 9, 2001
And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at
your left, in
your glory."
Before we judge James and John too harshly, we need to put ourselves in their shoes.
They
had left their homes, their family, their jobs, to follow the Master. And at night, as they
lay under
the stars, they shared their hopes, their dreams for where life was leading them. And
one of the
things they hoped for was a place of honor in Christ's kingdom. Sure, they were
ambitious. Jesus
never condemned anyone for being ambitious--only for being ambitious for the wrong
things.
Christ's kingdom will most certainly honor our love of God and neighbor.
(Mark 10:35
NRSV)
Jerry D. Twentier in THE POSITIVE POWER OF PRAISING PEOPLE, suggests that
we
pick our favorite professional football team. Assume we offer each player on that team
a 20
percent increase in contract pay--with two restrictions: absolutely no fans allowed in the
stadium during the game, and no press coverage during or after the game. How long
would
professional football last? It would die immediately. Why? Because we would have
robbed them
of their greatest motivation--the recognition that comes from achievement. Mary Kay
Ash,
the head guru of Mary Kay Cosmetics once said that, "Everyone has an invisible sign
hanging
from his neck saying Make Me Feel Important! Never forget this message," she
continues, "when
working with people."
Lord Jesus, help me not the think more highly of myself than I should, but also bless my
life as my
love for you grows. Amen.
 Click here to Vote for this site! |
 Click here to Subscribe! |
|---|