Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.” Mark 9:35-37. 

A faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time. Titus 1:2. 

In our chapter, Psalm 29, we are reminded of what we so easily forget consumed as we are with the “reality” of our small world. Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. v. 1, 2. Every joy, every love, every goodness you enjoy is because Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit – created. The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters. v. 3. Have we forgotten what the children of Israel experienced? The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars…strikes with flashes of lightning…shakes the desert…twists the oaks and strips the forests bare…v. 4, 7, 8, 9. How can we forget? When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. Exodus 20:18. Do we? The children of Israel didn’t want God speaking directly to them…they wanted a mediator. An imperfect, all-too-human being. Is that not our problem today? We don’t want to hear God’s voice. The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever. The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace. v. 10, 11. 

We listen to ourselves and to others who agree with us. But if we listened to God, maybe what Jesus said wouldn’t seem so different from what we or what those who lived in His lifetime on Earth expected Him to say. Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all…Everyone will be salted with fire…Mark 9:35, 49. The Glory of our God. His Will will be accomplished in His timing and it will be for the good of all of us and not just the very few. Will we listen? Will we trust Him? Instead of trusting what men say, let us trust what our God says. It won’t be what we have been led to believe by the deceiver of all men. Did God really say?…Yes!