Then came to Him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshiping Him, and desiring a certain thing of Him. And He said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto Him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on Thy right hand, and the other on the left, in Thy kingdom.
But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto Him, We are able.
And He saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on My right hand, and on My left, is not Mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of My Father.
And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. But Jesus called them unto Him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.
But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.
Examining Our Motives
I’m just mentioning what Pastor said yesterday as we examine our motives. He said there are three things we can do to help shift the shift. So these are the three things I’m going to mention very briefly, and then we will move on.
First, we need to humble ourselves before God, or before God humbles us. And we know 1 Peter 5:6–7 says that He may exalt us in due time. Let us humble ourselves before God and not have to let Him humble us, because He will do it. So we need to humble ourselves. God gets in the process.
Self-Examination and Accountability
Second, we need to check ourselves and hold ourselves accountable. Look in the mirror. Do the work. Ask yourself about yourself. Examine yourself. What are my motives? What am I doing? Why am I doing this?God sees the heart, and He is willing to work with us and make us more like Himself.
Community, Service, and Generosity
Third, we need to get up and get involved, get in community, and get in service. We need to be part of the community—not Jamaica, South Jamaica—but the body of Christ. We’re talking about Foundation Church. We cannot do this alone. We like to say, “Oh, I can do this myself,” and when you’re raised an only child, you tend to develop a spirit of independence. So I say, God forgive me, because I tend to be like that a lot. But we are in community with others, and we need to be in community. Brothers need brothers. Sisters need sisters. We need to be open, honest, and transparent.When we do that, someone comes alongside us, and the fervent, effectual prayer avails much.
He said, “Challenge yourself to think about somebody else this week. Make an intentional shift to be generous. Help somebody else. Go the extra mile and see if it changes the posture of your heart—and see what the Lord will do.”
Faith Defined
Today is our day to pray, focusing on faith—faith, faith.
How do we define faith? The scriptural definition of faith is found in Hebrews 11:1: faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen. Faith is total belief. It is complete trust and confidence.
One of my favorite verses is 1 John 5:14. This is the confidence we have in Him: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions we desired of Him.
Faith Developed
Faith is developed. Luke 17:5–6 tells us that the apostles said, “Lord, increase our faith.” Jesus said that if we have faith as a mustard seed, we can speak, and it will obey.
When we become Christians, the kingdom of God is planted in our hearts. As we grow spiritually, our faith grows—through prayer, Bible study, worship, service, and witnessing God at work. We walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). As we mature, our faith matures.
Faith Demonstrated
Faith is demonstrated in the impossible.
In Luke chapter 1, Mary was told she would conceive, and she asked, “How can this be, since I have not known a man?” It was impossible. Yet Mary believed. She had no proof, but she trusted God’s Word.
We have God’s Word before us, filled with promises. Even when we do not see results, we can believe. Jesus said that whatever we desire when we pray, if we believe, we will receive.
Faith Through Trial
Faith is also refined through trial. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 1:5–9 that we are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. Trials test our faith, but they also strengthen it. So I encourage you: as you get before the Lord in faith, He will reveal so much more to you.