We all have problems keeping our lives organized. So many things pull us in different directions to the point where it’s hard to remember and focus on the most important things. When someone asked Jesus what was most important, he responded with the greatest command: love God, love people. Everything else in life hinges on this command.
On two separate occasions in Mark 11, Jesus becomes frustrated by a lack of fruit. First, he curses a fig tree for its literal lack of fruit. Then he drives vendors and money-changers out of the temple for using it as a way to make a profit. In the same way that Jesus judged the fig tree for being all leaves and no fruit, Jesus judged Israel for being all temple and no life change. As Christians today, are we all church and no life change?
In our world, power is everything. We all want to be influencers at some level in the areas we are most passionate. Even the people closest to Jesus wanted to leverage their relationship with Him into a position of power. But Jesus tells us the kingdom doesn't work the way the world does. Jesus prescribes service to others as the antidote for power-hungriness. In His kingdom, serving others is always better than being served.
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MessagesThis is the weekly podcast of the Sunday morning message. Archives
March 2020
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