Find & Follow Jesus, Quarter 4Sample

Devotional:

“Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, ‘Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.’” – Mark 9:35 (NIV)

In this passage, Jesus doesn’t just flip the script—He rewrites the whole storyline of greatness. In Mark 9, the disciples had been arguing about who among them was the greatest and who should sit at his right and left hand in heaven. Jesus, knowing their hearts, chooses to teach them a new perspective. And His lesson is both countercultural and timeless: true greatness is found not in status, power, or recognition, but in servanthood.

“Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” That’s not a suggestion—it’s a kingdom principle. In God’s eyes, the one who willingly chooses the back of the line, who washes feet, who serves quietly without applause—that’s the one who is truly first. This challenges our instincts. We naturally want affirmation and influence. But Jesus invites us into a different kind of life—a life where downward mobility is the path to greatness. Where the most powerful position is serving others and meeting their needs with love.

And Jesus didn’t just say it—He lived it. From touching the unclean to carrying a cross He didn’t deserve, He modeled servant leadership perfectly. Today, Jesus still calls us to lay down our pride and need to be first, in order to be a servant of all.

Prayer:

What does it look like to model servanthood in your family, workplace, or school, or at my church? Ask Jesus to help you see where your pride keeps you from living out this countercultural value in a way that honors Jesus.