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.