Becoming Last So Others Can be First

This past Sunday we had the privilege of welcoming our friend Troy Vande Lune from Freedom for Youth as our special guest speaker. Troy shared a message that has been stirring in his heart as he’s been reading through Matthew, and it stirred in mine as well. He pulled on a thread woven through chapters 19, 20, and 21 -- a repeated statement from Jesus: “The first will be last, and the last will be first.”

We saw it with the children the disciples tried to push aside. We saw it with the rich young man who walked away sad. We saw it in the parable of the vineyard workers, where everyone received the same generous wage no matter when they started. And we saw it again when the mother of James and John asked for her sons to have positions of honor in the kingdom.

Each moment reveals something about the human heart. We want to be first. We want recognition, advantage, control. That desire shows up in small ways and big ways.

But Jesus flips that desire on its head. He tells us that true greatness in His kingdom is found in becoming a servant. He doesn’t just teach this. He lives it.

Following Jesus means surrendering the drive to be first and choosing to serve instead. It means becoming last so others can become first.  When we serve like Jesus, we reflect the heart of the One who gave His life as a ransom for many.

Let’s keep learning this together.