Service 

(Success through Entrepreneurial Foot Washing) 

Your greatness is going to be measured by your service to others...so, has anyone recognized how great you are - lately?

There's a story in Matthew 20 about the mother of James and John coming to Jesus with her two sons and asking Jesus to give her sons preferential positions of power in his kingdom.

Jesus told her, and them, it wasn't his place to arbitrarily award those kinds of things. He then asked James and John if they were willing/able to do what was necessary to assume those positions of power in the kingdom.

The other disciples got rather uptight over the power-play of the Zebedee boys so Jesus called them all together for a little 'talk.'

Matt. 20:25. Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27. and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-- 

Definitely not what they wanted to hear! How can someone look important, be important, get the respect they know they deserve, and be people's servant?! After all, they knew they were already 'SOMEBODY!' 

Folks came from all over to get them to grant a minute or two with Jesus. They were the 'gatekeepers' for the miracle worker. They had power and prestige among these needy people.

Just a short time ago they weren't given the time of day. They were just seen as fishermen, tax collectors, and some of them as rebels without a cause...a basically worthless lot who were rather insignificant in the area of Galilee that was seeing Roman resorts being built for dignitaries from other parts of the Roman realm.

This is the Roman Empire, for-crying-out-loud, servants - much less slaves - aren't respected! Power, authority, extravagance...these are the things that are respected.

Let's come back to the reality of our 21st Century present. Really not much different from that 1st Century reality, is it? Why do people drive the way they do...road rage and all that? Why the impatience in lines? Why the insistence that "people aren't going to treat me that way...?"

Ouch, did I have to write that? This is beginning to hurt me too much. I prefer to get preachy on subjects that aren't so personally difficult to live...

Okay, so I've never actually asked Jesus if I could have a preferential position of power in the Kingdom...but, I've always wanted to 'be somebody.' I still struggle when, in my 'humble' opinion, someone doesn't recognize that I might be somebody.

So, if I'm understanding this right, I've got to be a servant-type person to everyone in order for them to see value in me? Yep, I think I read that right.

It has to be voluntary? Yep. I'm working over this conversation with myself right now because the next person I have to face with this new path to greatness is my wife...if I pull this off she will, for the first time, see my potential for greatness. It could really surprise my in-laws.

I'm going to approach this entrepreneurially. You know, there have been guys who went from having a shoe-shine stand to owning shoe factories. I'm going to start with something a little more primitive...I'm going to try the proverbial foot-washing. Well,  not literally, but I'm determined to start being useful to everyone and start treating everyone as though they are royalty. Really!

Now, where is my wife?