After success, put yourself last

As we approach the end of the year, I'd like to talk about the end of a successful thing – the end of a prosperous business, the end of a great career, the end of an accomplished life.

This will be based on Jesus’ tough words here…

Luke 17:7-10

“Which of you who has a servant plowing or tending sheep will say to him when he comes in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat?’ Will he not instead say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, and appropriately clothe yourself [for service] and serve me while I eat and drink; then afterward you may eat and drink?’ He does not thank the servant just because he did what he was ordered to do, does he? So you too, when you have done everything that was assigned and commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants [undeserving of praise or a reward, for we have not gone beyond our obligation]; we have merely done what we ought to do.’”

Jesus was basically calling all of us slaves and indeed all of us are slaves to whatever we partake from – light or darkness.

Romans 6:16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

We’re like cups with only a choice of which fountain to receive from, then we pour out what we have received.

I’ll give some examples of what I think Jesus was saying in that scripture.

It’s like having a spouse that never asks for anything expensive vs having one that is always demanding. The one that never asks usually gets more without the spender even knowing it.

It’s like having an employee that is always asking for positions and always does a poor job vs having one that always does their job well and never asks for positions and is always learning from the employer. Who do you think will get a promotion and be despised by the employer? Who do you think will inherit the entire business from the employer after some years?

It’s in tests that character is built and faith is only stretched in the wilderness.

This is the difference between Jesus and Satan. Jesus submitted to the process. It was always “Your will be done.” He always put Himself last. After the cross, He didn’t say to God “Look at all I have done! Where is my reward? I want 5,000 mansions!!” I can’t even imagine Jesus thinking that. He never took anything. He was always given.

NB: God has a different process and timing for everyone. So it's important not to compare and make a template.

Of course when you're always serving, people can manipulate and take advantage of you so that’s why it’s important to only be submitted to God’s will or just use wisdom. Like if you’re not being paid for a service you’re supposed to be paid for, get your money man!!! Go to the person privately first and if they still refuse bring witnesses to settle the dispute. If that fails, you could take them to court or you could just leave the thief to repent or reap their damnation in due time. You have to be slick among the wolves of this world.

Matthew 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

When God gave Jesus “All authority both in Heaven and Earth” He received it because it was His Father’s will.

When someone is still serving after accomplishing great things, the universe will conspire to give them more but if they change their mindset to being served, it’s like they’ve put a cap on what they can receive (unless they’re very gifted). The ones serving them are the ones that will receive. Some services can have a charge and others can be free, according to the discretion of the giver.

Also, it should be service from wholeness. Giving from a cup that’s overflowing. Having much more to spare. That’s where self love comes in.

Paul said this after he had accomplished much...

Ephesians 3:8 To me, the very least of all saints, was given this grace: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ

Contrast that with Herod's attitude after he'd succeeded in his efforts of becoming king and killed so many saints...

Acts 12:21-23 On an appointed day Herod dressed himself in his royal robes, sat on his throne and began delivering a speech to the people. The assembled people kept shouting, “It is the voice of a god and not of a man!” And at once an angel of the Lord struck him down because he did not give God the glory [and instead permitted himself to be worshiped], and he was eaten by worms and died [five days later].

Is God power hungry? Does He not want to share the power? No. He just doesn't give the power to the premature because the world inside them will manifest outside. Heaven and Hell are in our hearts and when we get power, what is inside manifests outside.

God only gives His glory to those that will give the glory back to Him.

John 17:22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one

That glory produces unity and creative power beyond anything we've seen in this modern age. Engineers still have no clue how the pyramids of Giza were built.

Genesis 11:1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.

God only gives the power of a god to those that will refuse to be worshipped and give God all the glory. He has such an amazing plan for His children but it will only work if we submit to His process, not if we exalt ourselves to it before the appointed time. He has an appointed time for everything...

Galatians 4:4 But when [in God’s plan] the proper time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the [regulations of the] Law

Jesus can seem contradictory at times because at one point He's killing people for taking His throne and at other times, He's giving people His throne...

Revelation 3:21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.

It can be very stressful to try to interpret the Bible but what matters most is the heart of the person. Eventually understanding will come if intentions are right.

The book of Revelation says that there are elders around the throne on their own thrones.

Revelation 4:4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and on these thrones sat twenty-four elders dressed in white, with golden crowns on their heads.

God said this about the elder son Esau and the younger son Jacob...

Genesis 25:23 The LORD said to her [Rebekah], “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger."

Esau (the older one) probably took that as an insult. Jesus saw it as a blessing.

Acts 20:35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

It’s not self-hate or a low self-esteem that I’m talking about. I'm talking about breathing in the cool air at the top of a mountain and saying to yourself “I have done a great thing! But if it had not been for the Lord who was always by my side, where would I be?" It should be from your heart though. It's always better when we're honest with ourselves then God can show us the truth. Not just lip service.

Receive the accolades and the congratulations with open arms, then serve another. That’s what Jesus did. After great displays of power, He washed the disciples' feet.

Luke 14:7-11 When Jesus noticed how the guests chose the places of honour, He told them a parable: “When you are invited to a wedding banquet, do not sit in the place of honour, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited. Then the host who invited both of you will come and tell you, ‘Give this man your seat.’ And in humiliation, you will have to take the last place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the last place, so that your host will come and tell you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honoured in front of everyone at the table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Would you rather be honoured or embarrassed? I’d prefer it if God said “What are you doing down there?” not “What are you doing up here?”

It takes a lot patience because God is very meticulous.

Even after achieving, there will still be work God wants to do. As this scripture says...

John 15:2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes (kathairó), that it may bear more fruit.

So there's no point in being hard on ourselves for past mistakes because there will always be past mistakes if we're always growing.

The word there for prune doesn't mean cutting so bleeding begins and everyone's crying on the floor and screaming lol. Kathairó comes from the greek word katharos which happens to be the root word of catharsis.

Catharsis - the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.

Producing fruit is simple for a tree as long as it's being watered. However, when God comes to heal the traumas, pains, false identities etc. it's awkward, uncomfortable and sometimes painful because we have to let go.

Self improvement should be the gardener gently cutting out weeds, not the tree pressing itself till a near death experience. Self improvement should be resting in Him. Not self-examination that we're all prone to. A tree can't improve itself, only the gardener can. It just has to be in the gardener's presence.

Merry Christmas and a happy new year!