And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Timothy 2:2)

Compound interest is a financial principle that either works in our favor or works against us; it can seem very confusing at first. Wikipedia defines compound interest as the concept of adding accumulated interest back to the principal, so that interest is earned on interest from that moment on.

This works in our favor when we follow healthy models of financial planning and regularly set aside money in a savings account. Interest earned on our savings becomes a part of our savings and earns interest and so on. Returns are small at first, but as the balance grows compound interest begins to make more and more impact. Setting aside money in an account that leverages compound interest is much more beneficial in the long run than saving in jars or under the mattress.

In 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul’s instruction to Timothy works a bit like compound interest. Teaching one person to teach another person, and so on, begins to yield a higher rate of followers of Christ impacting their world than does one person teaching a few. As Christians, our goal is to see a sort of compound discipleship occur as we learn and grow and use that learning and growth to lead others to learn and grow. It may not seem like much at first, but the multiplication of disciples has far greater impact as time goes by.

Today, ask yourself who you are learning from and how you can teach others around you. We all have a part to play in spreading the love of Christ, learning and growing in Him. Ask God to place reliable men in your life to increase your impact and bring the principle of compound interest alive in your Christian walk.

Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. (John 12:3)

It’s easy to overlook people, to judge or categorize them based on outward physical appearances. We live in a world that almost entirely assigns value to a person, place or thing based on the way it looks or appears. It’s easy to assume that those things or people that do not fit our views or live up to our expectations have little to no value to the greater whole.

Take the recent pop-culture example of Susan Boyle, a quiet, 47-year-old, unemployed Scottish woman who by most worldly standards is a homely looking woman and appears very unassuming. As she walked onto the stage of a European talent show, her looks and outward appearance elicited laughs and verbal harassment from the audience and panel of celebrity judges. But as she opened her mouth and began singing, something happened. Her vocal gifts and talents overshadowed her outward appearance and the whole world has been captured by Susan’s story and voice; a lesson to all in misplaced values.

For you, it may be easy to think you have no contribution to make to the church or greater good. You may erroneously think that because you don’t sing well or feel comfortable teaching in front of groups, you don’t have much to offer. You may even live with the wounds and memories of being deemed of little value in your past. This week is all about learning that as a follower of Christ, you have been given gifts to share with others through the context of the local church. You have been uniquely created and called to be somebody in the kingdom of God.

Today, ask God to reveal His plan for your impact on others. Take an online spiritual gifts assessment at TheMETonline.org/
spiritual-gifts and begin to understand what you have to offer in your love of Jesus, as Mary did in John 12:3; become a sweet smelling fragrance for others to enjoy. 

Now when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit {as judge} and all the people stand about you from morning until evening?” (Exodus 18:14)

No one would disagree that Moses was a great leader. Under God’s constant direction, he led the Hebrew people out of the safety of Egypt and into some of the worst desert in the world. He had to find food and water. He ultimately led these people through the desert for 40 years. There’s no denying God’s direct influence; but in human terms, Moses relocated a nation of over two million people to a land they would need to take by force with nothing but what they could carry. That takes a great leader; but as good as Moses was, he could not do it alone. Soon, his father-in-law Jethro sat him down for a little heart-to-heart talk. He explained to Moses that he would burn out if he kept trying to do all the leading by himself. The solution was to appoint leaders over groups of 1,000 people, groups of 100 people and so on. Together with these new leaders, Moses could get the job done. Jethro used his own leadership experience to help Moses grow in his.

The church is like that today. No pastor can ever get the work done alone. God never intended for a few people to do all the work. That’s why the Apostle Paul tells us in the Bible about the gifts the Holy Spirit gives to every follower of Christ. Moses selected men who were qualified to be leaders. God only wants our willingness to obey and use our gift. Together with God, the church can do some amazing things.

What about you? Pray and ask God to show you where He wants you to serve with your gift. If you don’t know what your gift is, visit TheMETonline.org/spiritual-gifts. 

So the people shouted, and {priests} blew the trumpets; and when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight ahead, and they took the city. (Joshua 6:20)

When the nation of Israel first entered the land God had given them, they were assigned the task of conquering the city of Jericho. There were a few problems, though. A huge wall surrounded the city, the people in Jericho would fight back and the Israelites were not skilled in war, yet. God gave everyone their own job in the battle and gave the leaders some very specific directions. While God’s directions more than likely didn’t make much sense to some of the people, they had already seen God do some pretty amazing things; they knew they could trust Him. So each person did their part and God gave them the city of Jericho. It is important to mention that the only things the Israelites brought to the battle were swords, spears and horns. They didn’t have any ladders, siege towers, elephants, dynamite, bombs, tanks or bulldozers. They did have what mattered; they had the blessing of God and His promise of success if they followed His directions. By God’s power, all of the Israelites accomplished much more together than any one person could have done alone.

The church is like that, too. God has commanded us to tell the world about Him and teach people what it means to follow Him. He has given us each gifts to do His work. His plan is for us to each do our part; work as a team. God promises blessing and success when we do it His way. Everyone will accomplish much more together than any of us can do on our own.

Visit TheMETonline.org/spiritual-gifts to learn how you can discover your gift and find ways to use it.

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. (1 Corinthians 12:27)

Think about where you live. It does not matter if you live in a mansion, a big house, a small house, a new house, an old house or an apartment; they all have the same parts. There is the foundation, the walls, the roof, the plumbing, the electrical system, the furnishings and in Texas, the air conditioning system. All of these contribute to making a place where people live. They are all important, and they all help each other. The foundation is the least visible, but without it, there is no point building anything else. The parts of a home were designed with a specific purpose in mind. The electrical system is for getting power to every place in the home where power is needed, but all of that wiring and plugs would make a very poor air conditioner. For the house to be a house, every part needs to be in the right place and in use.

Jesus Christ is the foundation of His church. The Bible says if you are a follower of Christ, you have been given gifts from the Holy Spirit. The reason you have these gifts is to use them to do God’s work, through the church. Compare the Kingdom of God to the home described earlier. The pieces and parts it takes to build a home are similar to the followers of Christ. Each one is important, and they all help each other. Each spiritual gift is also designed for a specific purpose, and for maximum impact each gift needs to be used according to its design.

What about you? Do you know what your spiritual gifts are? Pray for God to show you your unique contribution to His cause. Using your spiritual gifts in the way and place God intended is very exciting and fulfilling.

Visit TheMETonline.org/spiritual-gifts to see how you can discover your spiritual gifts. 

… and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. (John 19:27)

As He completed His ministry on earth, one of the last directions of Jesus from the cross was to make provisions for His mother, Mary. As the oldest son in the Hebrew culture, he bore the weight of caring for his parents as they aged. Even in the most pivotal moment of mankind, when the only sacrifice that could sufficiently atone for our sins was made and in the midst of his pain and suffering, Jesus demonstrated a seemingly small act of servant leadership by directing John to care for Mary.

So, it is fitting to end this devotional journey of moving others into first place in our lives with this passage. As you seek to become second to those around you, putting yourself aside in humility, consider this important moment from the cross. There is no greater act of sacrifice than to lay your life down for another. Even in those moments, caring for our family is the supreme example of servant leadership.

As you continue on your journey beyond this series, ask God to continually place opportunities in your life to be second to those around you. In every situation and circumstance you face, be mindful of your leadership that comes from serving those in that situation with you. When we can face our challenges and lead others to Christ at the same time, we demonstrate His sacrifice in our lives.

Ask God to show you two or three specific ways you can demonstrate His love over the next weeks and months. On the notes page provided for this week, write those Next Steps out and commit to serve those around you. Let God continue to develop an I am second heart inside of you. 

Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their children. (Genesis 47:12)

If anyone had the right to complain about his family, it was Joseph. There probably has never been any greater opportunity to avenge the wrongs in life than Joseph experienced. Hopefully you have read how, because of his family, he was thrown in a hole in the ground, sold into slavery, falsely accused of rape and thrown in prison. However, by God’s leadership and provision, he rose to be the second most influential person in the kingdom of Egypt.

If Joseph failed to recognize this divine leadership and provision, he could have mistakenly seen his rise from the pit to the prison and then to Pharaoh’s side as something that he accomplished by his own hard work. However, Joseph’s willingness to follow and recognize God in every situation helped him to rise above the rough times that he experienced and ultimately forgive his family.

No matter what situation you might be living with because of your family, God wants to give you the ability to rise above through following Him and recognizing Him in every situation. Your story can be like Joseph’s: one of spiritual success that defines your lifestyle and ultimately brings the ability to forgive and serve those who have hurt you.

The story of Joseph may also inspire you to take a stand and be an advocate for those marginalized and suffering around you in this world. However, if you feel like a victim of your family history today, ask God to show you His divine plan to take you from the pit to Pharaoh’s side in your context. Also, ask God to give you the opportunity to truly forgive and to lead by serving those who might have hurt you. 

From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. (Genesis 39:5)

Take some time today and tomorrow to read the full story of Joseph from Genesis 37:39 – 45. While it may seem overwhelming to read eight chapters of the Bible, the leadership that Joseph demonstrated while serving those God placed in his life is well worth the investment of your time. Tomorrow’s devotional will build on this servant leadership story. 

Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. (1 Peter 3:7)

Do not get caught up in the gender roles that are described in this verse. While God’s definition of a family and His direction for leadership is clear throughout His Word, we can become distracted by disagreement and miss out on the underlying principle. Today’s principle is this: we are really leading when we are serving. Leadership is not telling other people what to do or controlling someone else; but as today’s verse states, it is about prioritizing the other person as more important than yourself.

Even if you don’t agree with a term like weaker partner, it’s not hard to imagine how much better the world would be if husbands valued their wives with consideration and respect and wives did the same for their husbands. When we can learn to think first of what do they need from me before what do I need from them, we take steps toward that better life Peter describes here.

In fact, Peter goes so far as to say that our willingness to lead by serving affects our spiritual life as well. Throughout the New Testament Gospel accounts of Jesus, Peter stated that how we consider others matters as much as how we consider God. Read Matthew 22:34 – 40 and examine how Jesus taught us to prioritize.

Today, ask God to give you an other’s first attitude at work, on the highway and especially at home. What is one next step you can take to serve your family and lead them closer to God and each other? 

These commandments I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)

Today’s passage comes from a passage known to the Hebrew people as the Shema. Every morning and every evening for thousands of years, orthodox Jews have recited these verses as a remembrance of God’s laws to the Israelites. To continue today’s study, look up in your Bible the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy and read verses 8 – 9. Notice the specific ways God instructed His people to remember His direction and provision in their lives.

As children develop we naturally teach them about things that will benefit them or harm them. Looking both ways before crossing the street, playing nice with others, respecting your elders, not touching a hot stove, not running with scissors or not petting a strange dog are just a few examples. God has told us for generations that it is also, just as important to teach our children His guidelines for living.

As parents, we know and learn that we truly set our children up for blessings when we teach them to live as followers of Christ. When we make this a part of our daily routine – at breakfast and bedtime, when we are on our way to school or practice and when we are simply spending time together as a family – we honor Him and serve our children well. What we do with the instruction of our children is as important as what we do with our heads and our hands. Our homes are to literally demonstrate God’s presence in our lives.

This week, pick one area of the Shema to practice in your life with your family. Gather for prayer at breakfast or begin a family devotional at bedtime. Pray and thank God for His provisions and ask for His direction as you drive. Turn off the television for an hour and share with your children what God is doing in your life. Ask God to help you lead your family well this week.

May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. (2 Timothy 1:16)

Focus. That’s what traumatic events in our life provide. Think of the last time you experienced a desperate event. When you came out on the other side of it, did you feel you could put that on your resume as one of the “been there, done that” things in your life? Some are worse than others, but all produce a sense of having survived. If you are a parent of a troubled teen, you’re focused on parenting and the welfare of your child. If you are in the military and in harm’s way, you’re focused on staying alive. If you are a business owner – especially in today’s economy – you’re focused on staying afloat and making a living for you and your employees. If you drive a car in Houston, you’re focused on not having an accident.

The traumatic event in the Apostle Paul’s life that caused him to focus was being in prison for spreading the Gospel. In prison, Paul chose not to focus on the injustice done to him, but instead on the blessings God provided to him. Even the smallest acts of kindness, like Onesiphorus coming to visit Paul, had a huge impact on him. Paul’s willingness to be thankful for the small things in life, even when in jail, show us how those random acts of kindness can refresh us.

This week if you can relate to Paul’s situation, pray that God can help you focus on the good that surrounds you and not on the bad situation you may currently find yourself in. If you’re not experiencing a traumatic event in your life right now, be like Onesiferous and provide those random acts of kindness in someone’s life. Be a blessing to someone else. Paul found a way to serve despite his circumstances and Onesiferous chose to serve Paul even beyond possible public persecution.

And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:42)

Blake Mankin grew up in an affluent lifestyle, but was firmly grounded in God. He freely admits he has never wanted for anything, and for that he is grateful. Blake and his friends would often try to one-up each other with material things that they could easily attain as a result of their lifestyle. In high school, he took a trip to the Sudan in Africa. As the filth and poverty assaulted his being, Blake began to question, “How could God allow such suffering?” Not long into his trip, he began feeling guilty about blaming God for what he was seeing. By the time Blake left the Sudan and returned to his affluent life, his question had turned to “Why would God allow such wealth?” A few weeks after his return from Sudan, Blake and several of his friends decided to donate money they would have spent trying attain more things and use it to supply fresh water to people in the Sudan. Then they challenged their classmates to do the same. The boys raised $6,000, which enabled a ministry to build two water wells. Those two wells now provide clean water for 10,000 people in the Sudan. In the end, Blake learned that there are more important things to do with the wealth that he’d been given. Even a seemingly inconsequential gift can make a large impact on others.

We can all be inspired by Mankin’s willingness to give a cup of cold water to others. Using resources available to many American high school students, Blake and his friends made a huge, life-saving impact on 10,000 lives in the Sudan and potentially the Kingdom of God. What can you do with the resources God has given you? Ask Him how you can use your wealth to impact lives forever.

If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? (1 John 3:17)

Consider our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. You would think they would feel some level of self-centeredness since they are a long way from their families, friends and the comforts of home. As they live in harm’s way, a kind of greedy self preservation would be easy for them to embrace. The troops are very appreciative when they receive things from back home! It’s exciting to see that many people in this country have chosen to express gratitude for the sacrifices of our troops by sending them care packages. It is even more exciting that instead of asking for goodies for themselves, many of our troops have asked for things such as books, clothing, toys and sports equipment that they can give to the children who live where they are fighting. It’s amazing to see that people who live with death each day would be that caring about the children they see. Or is it?

Could it be our troops rightly discern that our country has much to offer children in war torn countries? Isn’t it true that compassion should never have borders? And what would happen if you were more aware of the needs in our own country and even in our own communities? Today’s verse is a great reminder that our faith should impact our focus on others. What would your life look like if it reflected today’s verse and you took pity on those who don’t have the same possessions?

The King will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)

On her first evening at the shelter, the young mother watched people line up for the meal when a woman next to her offered to watch her children so she could get their food. The young mother was immediately suspicious and refused. The next morning, when the same woman offered to watch her children again, the mother asked the woman bluntly, “Why?” “Because everybody needs help sometimes,” the woman answered. Sadly, the young mother’s life had been filled with violence and exploitation, so she had learned to distrust everyone.

Not too long after, this young mother started going to church at the shelter and saw people praising God. Afterwards, she talked to some of them and found out they’d been through even worse things. How could they praise God in spite of their horrible hardship? As she learned more about God, she began to understand why. He loves them and has a deeper plan for their lives. He is able to meet their needs in amazing ways. She saw real proof of that.

This young mother received help and encouragement from shelter staff. While the road to healing has been long and difficult for the young mother, she now has expectant hope for a better future. She is determined to avoid a life in the streets and to give her children the hope she never had. The shelter where she lives is largely supported by the donations of businesses and local churches. They also rely heavily on people who volunteer their time to help the work continue. By the way, the young mother was raised here in Houston and the shelter where she lived is right in our backyard.

As a family, discuss ways for you to help the least of these brothers of mine. There are plenty of opportunities for the whole family to serve together. Visit TheMETonline.org to check out our upcoming opportunities to serve; then make a plan to get involved.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27)

Printers and publishers understand that paragraphs should be wholly contained on one page. That’s the plan. When things don’t go according to plan and the first line of a paragraph lies on the previous page, it is said that you have a widow. The same is true when the last line of a paragraph lies on the following page; it’s called an orphan. Having widows and orphans on a printed page can cause the communication process to lose effectiveness. The widows and orphans also lose some of their meaning and support because they have been separated from the remainder of the paragraph. Isn’t it interesting that printers and publishers use these words to describe how communication loses its effectiveness? As Christians, we also lose our effectiveness in communicating God’s love when we ignore widows and orphans. We can’t click a button and prevent people from losing their families, but we can embrace them and show them God’s love. Most word processing programs have a feature that prevents widows and orphans, but it isn’t that easy in real life. Widows and orphans are so important to God that He tells us looking after them is pure and faultless religion.

In many cultures, and too frequently in our own, widows and orphans are marginalized or ignored. Fortunately, we can do something about that. God calls us to. Set aside some time for your whole family to pray for the widows or orphans you know. Think about what you can do to help them and make plans to do something for them soon. You will be surprised what an impact even the smallest things can make in someone’s life.

To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. (1 Corinthians 9:22)

About 200 years ago the medical community recognized that a one-size-fits-all approach to medicine did not work. In the late nineteenth century, the idea of having special hospitals for children became very important. Most of the pioneer children’s hospitals in existence today had their beginnings between the years 1880 and 1915. You may ask what is so different about a children’s hospital. Children are smaller and shorter than adults; so these hospitals have smaller and shorter facilities, medical equipment and furnishings. The children’s hospitals have fun colors and pictures on the walls, fun toys, fun TV’s, fun doctors and fun nurses. You more than likely won’t hear laughter or see a clown walking down the hallway at an adult hospital, but these are common sights and sounds in a children’s hospital. Children have many of the same diseases and injuries as adults, but often the treatment plans are specific to children. Children are more fragile than adults and child-sized needles and medicines aid their progress toward good health. As a result of this realization, the pediatric specialty was born.

About 2000 years ago, Paul recognized the need to spread the Gospel differently in order to reach the slave, the Jew, those under the law or the weak. It was important to reach those different audiences in ways that helped them to understand the importance of the Gospel that Paul so desperately wanted to share. In First Corinthians, Paul even said if anything about him was getting in the way of people knowing Jesus, he would get it out of the way. Are there things in your life that might get in the way of other people knowing Jesus? Pray for God’s help in removing those obstacles. What do you need to know or learn about your neighbor in order to share the Gospel with him/her? Ask God to open your eyes to those in your circle of influence. Pray for Him to help you share the Gospel in relevant ways.

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. (Luke 14:11)

A popular animated movie released a couple years ago told the story of a young race car who thought he was “all that.” Granted, he was fast and cool and he had been rewarded with gifts, attention and money. Who could blame him for starting to think he really was that great. It even looked like he would win the highest trophy in racing and get the best sponsor in all of racing.

The storyline in that movie was about the little racecar’s journey from thinking he was great to becoming great. In the closing minutes of the movie, a transformation took place as the little racecar realized there are more important things in life than striving for trophies. He learned that he needed to be big enough to be small. He put everything he’d ever dreamed of accomplishing on the line to do what was right. Ultimately he lost the trophies he had chased, but earned something even better – the respect and admiration of everyone. He learned the value of friendship and trust. He also learned how important it was to take responsibility for his actions and to do what you say you’re going to do. The little racecar found treasures of lasting value. Instead of winning trophies, he found humility.

The Bible is full of stories about people who did great things for God by pursuing eternal matters and not temporary glory. In order to get our priorities straight and pursue the right things, we need to humble ourselves. Ask God to show you any trophies in your life you need to change; ask Him to help you make those earthly treasures less important?

Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. (Mark 10:43 – 44)

A restaurant recently opened a new location in Houston. One evening it was extremely busy; so it was not surprising to see an elderly man fill multiple roles. He carried his dustpan and broom to clean up where needed, bused tables and even greeted people at the door. It seemed evident the restaurant manager needed to hire additional employees. Another aspect that stood out was each employee wore a white shirt, tie and a nametag that displayed the employee’s name and number of years he/she had worked for the parent company. The employee who seemed willing to do what was needed, no matter how menial or insignificant the task, was wearing a gold nametag with 55 years under his name. A customer noticed it and supposed, “This must be a good company to work for if the clean-up guy has been here for 55 years!” Any observer watching this man work would begin to notice that in addition to sweeping the floor and seating guests, he was also serving drinks, giving directions to the management team and generally confirming the employees in the dining room. What guests did not know was that this supposed bus-boy had held a high level executive position at the corporate offices for many years, but had recently retired to be the Regional Training Manager.

Undoubtedly, if anyone in the building had earned the right to sit in the dining room and be served or hand out instructions to management, it was this bus boy. Instead, it was apparent NO job was too small for him. In Mark 10:43 – 44 the Bible tells us to put others ahead of ourselves. No matter what we have attained in life or how strong or smart we are, God tells us to serve others.

Look for opportunities this week at work, at school, on the road, at church or even in the grocery store where you can put other people first and unselfishly serve as you become second.

Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” (Matthew 19:21)

If you ask a new mother why she gets up in the night to feed her child, pushing to the point of exhaustion or why she cares for and talks to the child, keeping him warm or changing his diapers, most likely a mom’s answer will not be because she has to or she is following a set of rules or laws. The fact is, mothers nurture and care for their children because it’s just what they do. They learn and grow, get better and develop skills as time passes, but moms do what they do because of who they are.

In Mathew 19:21, Jesus is having an interaction with a young man of great wealth who had measured his whole life by accomplishing things. This man was doing what he did based on others’ expectations or living up to a set of rules and laws. Jesus used this extreme example of selling everything as a way to illustrate to this young ruler that a life of following Christ is not based on an external motivation but an internal being. Doing what you do for Jesus is because of who you are, not what you are told.

If we claim to follow Christ, loving others by serving is at the core of this internal being. Like a new mother, serving is just something we do because of who we are, not because of a set of rules or laws regarding Christ follow-ship. As you begin this journey of moving from first place to second, let these devotionals challenge you to learn and develop skills in serving others. Today, pray and ask God to guide you in moving from first to second place.