Digging Deep: Serving in God’s Economy (Mark 10:35-45)

Psalm 1 describes the blessed person as one who has dug deep into God’s Word, making it the source of his daily meditation. In pursuit of this kind of blessed life, we briefly review the sermon from the previous Sunday. May you be like a tree planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in its season (Psalm 1:3). This week we look back at Pastor Kim’s sermon on Mark 10:35-45.

An excerpt:

“But imagine if you saw yourself as a blind beggar desperate for mercy, wouldn’t everything be different? There would be no more pretense, no thoughts of deserving. You would simply be a beggar offering your service to others. No more hating the way your boss treats you; no more being angry with your husband for not being more helpful; no more desiring the in-front ministries at church; no more frustration when people aren’t grateful for what you do for them; no more favoritism to students who are well behaved; no more treating people poorly because they treated your poorly. Why? Because you realize that you desperately need grace and were it not for grace you would be no different than the very people you struggle with. Because you see your desperation for grace, there is no attitude of superiority, no idea that people must live up to your standard of righteousness, no thoughts of, ‘I would never do that…’ You would simply see yourself as desperate for grace and wanting to serve others who also need grace – you would be a beggar sharing the feast of grace you have been given with others who are starving. The gospel changes everything.”

Question: Are their people you struggle to serve because you lack humility? Spend some time in confession and repentance asking for grace to grow in humility.

In light of eternity, we must live this day in light of The Day. By The Day I am referring to the day when we stand before Christ to be judged – on that day as believers our salvation is secure, but we will be rewarded for our faithfulness. 2 Corinthians 5:9–10 says, ‘So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.’ This means we don’t simply focus on the now, but on eternity. Matthew 6:19–20, ‘Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.’ There probably aren’t too many things more detrimental to your faithfulness than nearsightedness, than seeing life as simply being about the here and now…”

Question: What are the ways you get caught focusing too much on the present and not enough on eternity? Use some sanctified imagination to try to picture what life would look like if you lived (and served) in light of eternity.

“And the thing is, when I say live in light of The Day, I am not referring to doing only those things that seem to have a global impact. So often as Scripture defines faithfulness and success it is not in grand pictures but simple acts. Here in Mark 10 it is to be a servant and slave of others. In Matthew 18 it is to be humble like a child. In Matthew 25, it is a picture of end times judgment and God is separating the saved and the unsaved  – and their salvation is demonstrated by how they live. Do you know what marks the believer? Evangelistic revival? Preaching in front of hundreds? Giving thousands of dollars to missionaries? Jesus describes it like this: For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me (Matthew 25:35-36). This is a picture of God’s economy of success and faithfulness. I may not be the most gifted person, but I can welcome a stranger, and I can visit the sick. And this weekend was our chance as a church to feed the hungry.”

Encouragement: Write down two or three simple acts of service you want to do this week (and do them!).