And they were all amazed at the majesty of God. But while everyone marveled, at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, “Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.” But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying. Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, “Who ever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great” (Luke 9:43-48, NKJV).

Can you believe this! In the midst of their experiencing the majesty of God, they are arguing over who should be the greatest! No wonder they could not understand the saying of Jesus. They were far too occupied with their own egos! (We’re talking about the disciples of Jesus here!) It is unfortunate, but true, that Christianity has often become very spoiled over this very thing. Positions and titles have reduced the Christian ministry to the level that the world functions at. Christian ministry is not about position ~ it is about walking with Jesus, and learning to understand what He is saying to us today ~ perceiving and discerning His will, and the times in which we live. As long as there are egotistical people present there will always be disagreements and contentious arguments! When Christians seek and strive after position above others, they are promoting the wrong attitude of heart, and are opening themselves up for the wrong spirit to motivate their lives. Those who continually push for recognition and promotion are the wrong people for position anyway! The way up is the way down! We must “humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt us in due time” (1 Peter 5:6; James 4:10). In humbling ourselves we become like little children. In humbling ourselves we strike at the root cause of egotism. Egotism is often a subtle cover up for insecurity ~ and there is plenty of that around. We must learn to let God do the promoting.

I remember in one place I went to, a person complained to me about all the problems in the church. When I asked if he had spoken to the church leadership about it, his answer was, “No, I can’t do that. Because if I do that, that will be the end of my chances of promotion!” His ego was blinding his conviction, and clouding his actions. His ego was more important than seeing things righted in the situation. And in that frame of heart and mind, if he ever was promoted in that church, then you can guarantee that his promotion would have created more problems down the track. God does not bless ego! Ego is self-importance . . . the big “me, me, me” syndrome. It is a curse within Christianity.

Jesus defused that situation with His disciples by the lesson of humility, of becoming like a little child. The more “successful” we believe we are becoming in our Christian walk, the more we need to examine our heart and motives to make very sure that ego is not in the driving seat. The answer lies within each of us, because I cannot humble myself for your ego, and you cannot humble yourself for mine ~ Rodney W. Francis.

Bible  Readings:  James 3: Proverbs 4.   

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