BBD 05.07.21 I, Me, and Myself - Part 2 (Classic)

#1 · May 7, 2021, 11:13 am

Quote from Forum Archives on May 7, 2021, 11:13 am
Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

Classic from 2003

The Burning Bush Devotional

7 May 2021

I, Me, and
Myself – Part 2

But Jesus
called them to Himself and said to them, “You know that those who are
considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones
exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever
desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you
desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come
to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” - Mark
10:42-45.

When I
was a child in grade school, it was always important to be first. To be first
in line to go to recess, was vitally important, in order to lay claim to one of
the few swings on the playground. To be first in line to go to lunch, meant
having precious extra minutes playing, and being able to lay claim to one of
those swings. As I grew older, I learned the value of making more than the
minimum wage. Receiving a promotion, and making more money seemed to be a
reasonable thing to desire. Climbing the career ladder, at least at first, did
not have negative connotations; but was a very positive thing.

The
farther up the ladder a person climbed, the closer they came to being first. At
the top of the ladder, a person would be first in power, first in financial
reward, and as far as the material world is concerned, first in importance. The
importance of being first has unknowingly been ingrained into most people at an
early age. This process continues into adulthood although different definitions
and incentives are used.

The
idea of becoming great by becoming a servant or slave to others was certainly
repugnant to most people during the time of Jesus. It was probably more
shocking during the time Jesus walked physically on this earth, than it is now,
because people were more familiar with what slaves and servants were back then.
Servants and slaves did all the repulsive and unpleasant things that those
with money and power did not want to do. They did those repulsive and
unpleasant things and received very little in the way of compensation other
than food to eat. There was little interest among the disciples in stooping to
become a servant to others. They did not begin following Jesus to become
servants. They were following Jesus, and in their heart of hearts, thought they
were moving onward and upward to better lives.

For the
modern mind, climbing down the ladder, instead of climbing up the ladder is
repulsive. We have constantly received encouragement and rewards for climbing
up, not climbing down. How can we give up our position of prominence, by
climbing down to help someone, who does not even make minimum wage? How can we
stoop to help someone, when it will not benefit us personally in some way? How
can we give up our lives, to save some other person’s life? But isn’t this what
Jesus is calling His disciples, and us to do?

The
disciples did give up their lives in service, and tradition tells us that
all but John lost their lives in martyrdom. What changed their hearts? When the
disciples witnessed their Lord crucified, buried, and then His resurrection; it
changed them forever. They then lived through faith in their Lord and Savior,
and we must too. As the apostle Paul says, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ
lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the
Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me (Galatians 2:20).”

Copyright © 2002 - 2021. Ed
Wrather. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On
June 8, 1998 the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.
Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of
those first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent
to prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the
Burning Bush website:

www.theburningbush.net

The Burning Bush websites are
celebrating 23 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the
Burning Bush Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to subscribers
across the world. At one time there were 18,000 subscribers in more than 70
countries to the devotional but that has now shrunk to around 9,000.

You can leave comments/feedback
about the devotionals at www.theburningbush.net.

There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top right-hand corner of all of the pages.

Check out the Scripture Index being constructed for the Devotionals at
the Burning Bush website. The Links are in about the middle of the home page.
Topics for each devotional are now being added to the Index.

Please pray for God to touch and
bring about His will in these lives: Caleb Freeman’ Pat S.; Buck & Barbara
Wright; Gwen P.; James Perkins and his wife; Vonnie; Evi Porter; Addison; JoJo,
Bailey and Nicky; Ralph and De Chapman; Hilary; Cody Stahlman; Patsy M.; Zoe
Marx Jones; Todd Higgins; Brandy and Jadyn’s Dad; Patricia Rohman and Lisa
Butler who has had a stroke; Scott J.; Karla W.; Clayton T. and Sarah; Clark
S.; Lana Bass; Matthew Collins; Marjean C.; Bradley E.; Fern McVey; Shonda Hutson
(fighting cancer); and please pray for my wife, Jeanie, who is having a problem
with her heart.

Please pray for the coronavirus
COVID19 pandemic to come to an end. Pray for treatments and a cure for the
virus to be rapidly found and deployed. Pray for all those afflicted to be
healed and for our leaders to have supernatural wisdom and ability to lead us
through this pandemic.

Please pray for an end to the
rioting, looting, wanton destruction, and the racial hatred in the USA and that
it will be replaced with peace and love. May God help the USA! Many prayer needs
are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page. You can also
post your prayer requests there (Of
course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me. 03.18.18 I accepted the call to be the pastor of Fairview
Baptist Church in Elk City, Oklahoma. Please pray for me and for this church.).

You can contact Ed Wrather at
theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com

If you enjoy the devotional please
recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/DevotionalArchive.html.

Devotion vs Devotional: We do our
devotions, we read devotionals.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo devotional group by
sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group (Because of time
constraints the devotional is only being sent now in html format) by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by
sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

--

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org

Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

Classic from 2003

The Burning Bush Devotional

7 May 2021

I, Me, and
Myself – Part 2

But Jesus
called them to Himself and said to them, “You know that those who are
considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones
exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever
desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you
desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come
to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” - Mark
10:42-45.

When I
was a child in grade school, it was always important to be first. To be first
in line to go to recess, was vitally important, in order to lay claim to one of
the few swings on the playground. To be first in line to go to lunch, meant
having precious extra minutes playing, and being able to lay claim to one of
those swings. As I grew older, I learned the value of making more than the
minimum wage. Receiving a promotion, and making more money seemed to be a
reasonable thing to desire. Climbing the career ladder, at least at first, did
not have negative connotations; but was a very positive thing.

The
farther up the ladder a person climbed, the closer they came to being first. At
the top of the ladder, a person would be first in power, first in financial
reward, and as far as the material world is concerned, first in importance. The
importance of being first has unknowingly been ingrained into most people at an
early age. This process continues into adulthood although different definitions
and incentives are used.

The
idea of becoming great by becoming a servant or slave to others was certainly
repugnant to most people during the time of Jesus. It was probably more
shocking during the time Jesus walked physically on this earth, than it is now,
because people were more familiar with what slaves and servants were back then.
Servants and slaves did all the repulsive and unpleasant things that those
with money and power did not want to do. They did those repulsive and
unpleasant things and received very little in the way of compensation other
than food to eat. There was little interest among the disciples in stooping to
become a servant to others. They did not begin following Jesus to become
servants. They were following Jesus, and in their heart of hearts, thought they
were moving onward and upward to better lives.

For the
modern mind, climbing down the ladder, instead of climbing up the ladder is
repulsive. We have constantly received encouragement and rewards for climbing
up, not climbing down. How can we give up our position of prominence, by
climbing down to help someone, who does not even make minimum wage? How can we
stoop to help someone, when it will not benefit us personally in some way? How
can we give up our lives, to save some other person’s life? But isn’t this what
Jesus is calling His disciples, and us to do?

The
disciples did give up their lives in service, and tradition tells us that
all but John lost their lives in martyrdom. What changed their hearts? When the
disciples witnessed their Lord crucified, buried, and then His resurrection; it
changed them forever. They then lived through faith in their Lord and Savior,
and we must too. As the apostle Paul says, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ
lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the
Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me (Galatians 2:20).”

Copyright © 2002 - 2021. Ed
Wrather. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On
June 8, 1998 the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.
Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of
those first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent
to prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the
Burning Bush website:

http://www.theburningbush.net

The Burning Bush websites are
celebrating 23 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the
Burning Bush Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to subscribers
across the world. At one time there were 18,000 subscribers in more than 70
countries to the devotional but that has now shrunk to around 9,000.

You can leave comments/feedback
about the devotionals at http://www.theburningbush.net.

There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top right-hand corner of all of the pages.

Check out the Scripture Index being constructed for the Devotionals at
the Burning Bush website. The Links are in about the middle of the home page.
Topics for each devotional are now being added to the Index.

Please pray for God to touch and
bring about His will in these lives: Caleb Freeman’ Pat S.; Buck & Barbara
Wright; Gwen P.; James Perkins and his wife; Vonnie; Evi Porter; Addison; JoJo,
Bailey and Nicky; Ralph and De Chapman; Hilary; Cody Stahlman; Patsy M.; Zoe
Marx Jones; Todd Higgins; Brandy and Jadyn’s Dad; Patricia Rohman and Lisa
Butler who has had a stroke; Scott J.; Karla W.; Clayton T. and Sarah; Clark
S.; Lana Bass; Matthew Collins; Marjean C.; Bradley E.; Fern McVey; Shonda Hutson
(fighting cancer); and please pray for my wife, Jeanie, who is having a problem
with her heart.

Please pray for the coronavirus
COVID19 pandemic to come to an end. Pray for treatments and a cure for the
virus to be rapidly found and deployed. Pray for all those afflicted to be
healed and for our leaders to have supernatural wisdom and ability to lead us
through this pandemic.

Please pray for an end to the
rioting, looting, wanton destruction, and the racial hatred in the USA and that
it will be replaced with peace and love. May God help the USA! Many prayer needs
are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page. You can also
post your prayer requests there (Of
course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me. 03.18.18 I accepted the call to be the pastor of Fairview
Baptist Church in Elk City, Oklahoma. Please pray for me and for this church.).

You can contact Ed Wrather at
theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com

If you enjoy the devotional please
recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/DevotionalArchive.html.

Devotion vs Devotional: We do our
devotions, we read devotionals.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo devotional group by
sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group (Because of time
constraints the devotional is only being sent now in html format) by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by
sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org