First or Last

I noticed a book title the other day, If You're Not First, You're Last, outlining sales strategies to come out on top in the competition. It's interesting that the world so often teaches principles that are the exact opposite of what Jesus taught. He would say something like, You're Not First, Unless You're Last." (Not that one shouldn't be diligent in making their work profitable.) Jesus told His followers, “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.” (Mark 9:35)

The "Good Samaritan"

Some organizations and individuals have discovered that the way to be successful is to follow Jesus' example, and they do that assiduously. While it is always right to do the right thing, I wonder about the motive of much "servant leadership." Like Pharisees standing on the street corner to pray, I suspect that some corporate action is really saying, "Look at us! We are fair to our employees. See how our good policies benefit the community!" If that's the case, is the attention they gain really going to make them first? Or is good PR already their only reward?


And Jesus' call was to serve everyone else, not just the profit-making business world or the public service sector or even the church world. Does real servanthood make much noise at home and in the marketplace? "Don't sound a trumpet before you," Jesus said. (see Matthew 6:2)


Or put another way, "Don't blow your own horn."

MaryMartha

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Art from http://www.sxc.hu/ and
lavistachurchofchrist.org/Pictures/