A Gentle Whisper -- Listening for the Voice of God Johnny Almond 2 years ago

Downward Mobility

Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant;

whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.

Mark 10:43b, 44 LNT

Think you are somebody really important, do you? Better think again.

VIPs are forgotten in history’s dust storm—mists of time erase their names.

You are no better than anyone else—you are made of dust, like all humans.

You are not totally, eternally, irrevocably responsible for everything—I am!

Learn this well—I am God, in charge; you are a subject, under orders.

Been throwing your weight around lately? Step on scales of reality.

Your house of cards will topple in winds of change—Mine is eternal.

You are not strong enough to hold the earth on your shoulders—I am.

You do not reign on the throne of the universe—I govern all nations.

You are not wise enough to direct traffic patterns of galaxies—get real!

Serve Me, not yourself; advance My Kingdom, and do not build your own.

Letting power go to your head? Do not turn into a Tyrannosaurus Rex!

Held hostage by ego? Enslaved to ambition? There is a nobler way.

Prioritize My cause—copy Christ’s attitude of downward mobility.

I am absolute Lord of the universe, Master of surrendered hearts.

Submit to My sovereignty, and I will help you make sense of your life.

Lording it over ones you deem beneath you? Dismount your high horse!

Do not be a smart-aleck! Do not overprice yourself!

I condescended to wash dirty feet—you are not too good for slave labor!

Heads swollen with conceit explode trying to maintain inflated self-images.

Hearts living in the holy land of trust and obedience persevere by grace.

Want to be truly great by heaven’s definition? Learn to serve like Jesus.

Do not expect the world to wait on you hand and foot—wait on them!

If you want to rank high in My estimation, take a low position of humility.

Conquer selfishness with service, rise above narrow views of success,

and remember that self-worth does not result from resumes—

then you will see heaven’s approval reflected in My eyes.

Johnny

Johnny R. Almond earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey and a Diploma in Religious Studies from the University of Cambridge. After pastoring churches for a decade, he served the Air Force as a military chaplain in worldwide assignments. After retiring from the military in 2000, he began serving as pastor in Virginia. He currently serves as pastor of Hull's Memorial Baptist Church in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He and his wife, Beverly, have four sons, three grandsons, and three granddaughters.