Get Real November 23 Devotional
November 23, 2024
LUKE 9:1-4 | 1Then Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey: no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money—not even an extra tunic. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there, and leave from there.
Wherein lies the greatness of such self-effacing service? Service done with and for God builds the everlasting kingdom. Earthly empires ultimately disappear and accolades fade. Seemingly great accomplishments became footnotes soon forgotten. But even small acts of service advance God’s purpose and work, becoming part of the way He renews the world and restores people.
The story of salvation itself depended on often nameless people doing unheralded things for others. An innkeeper sheltered Mary and Joseph and the Messiah was born. A man lent Jesus a foal and so He entered Jerusalem for the week we call Holy. A little boy gave his lunch to feed a multitude. Many unknown people hosted the Lord and His disciples on their journeys of preaching and teaching and healing. All of these servants seemed obscure and unimportant at the time and certainly not worthy alongside the doings of kings, emperors, generals, and the famous intellectuals of the day. But in the longer view, they were vital in the purpose and plan of God, and so much more important!
How do you explain the greatness of service?
