This is the final episode of our 28 day journey of daily podcasts on the statements from Jesus that will transform your relationship!  It's a special one too, because I have two surprise guests join me on the show! I'm in the mountains of Colorado at Deer Valley Ranch encouraging pastors and their wives with Kevin Henson from Compassion International and....you'll have to listen to find out who else joined me.

There is no greater way to transform your relationships than statement #28 from Jesus.
It’s why I titled this one, a flashlight and the fate of your relationship. You’ll want to hang in there with me for this entire episode so you can hear how a simple flashlight can help you understand how important this statement is for you.

The greatest among you must be a servant. Matthew 23:11

"Jesus begins this chapter by describing the failure of the Jewish religious leaders (23:1–36). Verses 2–7, 25–36 describe their hypocrisy. Their practice contradicts their teaching. Insofar as they represent Moses, they are to be obeyed (vv. 2–3a).  Yet what they demand of others, they do not demand of themselves (vv. 3b–4a). How could they care about the pressures that the others feel (v. 4b; cf. 11:28–30)? Their religious zeal conceals their wickedness (which is really just pride and a lack of humility). People who both express and mask their pride."  (Chamblin)

As Jesus is building up to our statement, he’s trying to help prideful or religious people recognize their brokenness and to discover that a God-centered focus is the best way to combat pride and cultivate humility.

The one thing you don’t want to be is a hypocrite, because that person doesn’t even know they aren’t saved. The humble person has integrity and is loyal to God. The humble person is ready for service (v. 11). "For he is not concerned about his status, not always thinking about moving as quickly as possible beyond the service into the position of master, and not concerned to change from being the least to being the greatest, which is why Jesus acclaims him the greatest. The greatness lies precisely in the service. (Chamblin)

Serving others is the greatest tool for influencing them and setting them up to change for the better. There is no greater act of love than to serve and what we’ve learned throughout this 28 day journey is that love transforms.

So what kind of servant should you be? Here are the qualities of a good servant:

• Diligence
  • Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NLT) — 10 Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.
    Proverbs 10:4 (NLT) — 4 Lazy people are soon poor; hard workers get rich.
• Faithfulness
  • 1 Corinthians 4:2 (NLT) — 2 Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful.
    See also Ex 21:5–6; 2 Sa 15:21; 2 Ch 34:11–12; Ne 13:13; Pr 25:13; Da 6:4
• Honesty
  
  • Genesis 39:6 (NLT) — 6 So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat! Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man,
• Perseverance
  • 2 Thessalonians 3:12–13 (NLT) — 12 We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living. 13 As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good.
• Respect
  • Respect is a way of treating or thinking about someone. If you respect your neighbor, you admire her and treat her well.
  • 1 Peter 2:18 (NLT) — 18 You who are slaves must submit to your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel.
• Willingness
  • Ephesians 6:6–7 (NLT) — 6 Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. 7 Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

SIGN UP TODAY FOR THE FREE ONLINE COURSE!

This free online course will give you a statement from Jesus each day for 28 days including the podcast episode and study notes.

Click here to start.