SCRIPTURE:
"Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."(Mark 9:35, NIV)

OBSERVATIONS:
I asked myself how did Jesus respond to the 12 disciples' silence regarding their argument about 'who is the greatest' in the previous verses?
"If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."

INTERPRETATION:
I asked myself what do I learn about Jesus?
Jesus was all about emphasizing being a servant of all instead of having an egotistic attitude. So, Jesus tells the disciples that being first comes from being last. In other words, I saw Jesus emphasizing to the disciples that no one should try to outdo the other but think about others better than themselves and be a servant to them.

INTERPRETATION:
I asked myself why are the words of Jesus so significant?
When I think about the interaction that Jesus previously had with the disciples sharing with them 3 things:
1. The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men.
2. They will kill him.
3. After 3 days, He will rise, 

it shows that Jesus displayed a servant attitude from the beginning. He came to serve and not to be served. He came to give His life as a ransom for many.

IMPLICATIONS:
I saw important implications for my own life here. I need to serve instead of wanting to be served. I need to be a servant of all and never let my titles or credentials ever get in the way of having a servant attitude. This is what Jesus wants for me and that's how I should live my life being a servant to others.

HOW GOSPEL GIVES ME TESTIMONY REGARDING  S.E.R.V.A.N.T:
Those who have made a greatest impact in my life were those who I saw as having a servant attitude where they never let their titles or position in life lord it over me. When I think about being a servant to all, I am reminded of my friends Sean & Amy and Kevin & Liz from InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and the late Sam Brunsvold from Christian Student Fellowship. It is amazing how much they served me though they were leaders. Especially, it was Kevin, Liz, Sean, and Amy that prompted me to think about going into student ministry to serve the students as a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. I always felt that I was assigned to do student ministry in some capacity and was a calling of mine.

Four years ago, at a crossroads in my life, I wanted to be sure of student ministry and as I read the Word of God in 33 days from Genesis to Revelation, I felt God speak to me directly and so profoundly from Acts 20:24: "But life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus --- the work of telling others the Good News about God's mighty kindness and love." (Acts 20:24, TLB)  which became my signature verse and a confirmation that I should continue to do student ministry, as a servant of the students, being a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ until He reveals to me otherwise.

The assignment I felt was in reaching students with the love of Christ for His honor and glory so I decided to use http://www.pittsburghstandard.com,  http://www.facebook.com, and my time at Market Central Dining Services to serve the students.

Being a servant to all students does not necessarily mean it involves giving them Scriptures every time I see them but what it does involve is serving them where they are at as I depend on the Lord Jesus Christ. But it is also not limited to students alone but whomever the Lord Jesus sends my path.

What it also means is that I do not let my degrees, majors, and minors come in the way of thinking to myself that what I am doing does not reflect my academic standing so I should do something else that is more privileged and prestigious. On the contrary, I want to be a servant to all that I may reach even few for Christ.

People have asked me why I am a manager at Market Central when I can be doing a lot more with my life and my response to them is that student ministry is where I feel called to and as long as the Lord will have me there, I will continue to be there to serve students and use all means necessary to reach them with the love of Christ.

"This is my work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB)

But most of all being a servant to all is not because I have that attitude always. Far from it, if it were up to me, I would continue to fail miserably. But I can be a servant to all when I depend on Jesus Christ and let His attitude become my attitude. When my mind is focused on Christ and let Him rule my life, leadership does not become lording it over people but leadership becomes servant leadership where I serve along others.

I had experienced servant leadership at work years ago with Abdou Cole, my mentor and manager at the time. He is a General Manager now to all the managers.  As a GM and whatever high position he held, he never lorded over his employees including me but always served them being a servant. If anything, he would remind me to live out the principles of what Jesus Christ taught in the Sermon on the Mount and His Word. A lot of times he would get frustrated with me because my actions would not reflect the actions of being a servant to the employees as their manager but lording it over them. I have come a long way since then thanks to the Lord's continual sanctification in my life but I am not completely there yet.

To be a servant, I need the Lord's help each and everyday. The Lord Jesus has put wonderful people in my life such as my mommy, Pastor Hugo of Pittsburgh Chinese Church, and Edwin&Marie who show me what it means to live out a life of servant hood instead of lording it over people. As my mentors and leaders in my own life, I have been blessed by their attitude of caring and serving. With them I never felt lorded over because they were in positions of leadership. On the contrary, I always felt them serving, serving, and serving me to the point that I would feel guilty that they keep giving, giving, and giving. I don't want to just receive but I want to give too. It is not limited to them alone.

But most of all, more than anyone else in life, being a servant to all is displayed by Jesus Christ, my  Lord and Savior. Though He is a King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus never let His status come in the way of saving souls from the bondage of sin and death. Jesus lived out what He taught His disciples about being a servant to all. Jesus became the greatest servant to all when He came into this world not to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many. Jesus did that on the cross of Calvary where He shed His precious cleansing blood to give the antidote to a world marred in sin. For only His pure blood could cleanse the infected souls of humanity covered in sin. I was one of them covered in sin until I turned my life over to Jesus Christ. Jesus then came into my life and cleaned me covering me in His precious Blood.

He who had no sin became sin for me that I may become the righteousness of God and find fellowship in the Arms of my Savior and Lord.

This same Jesus who became my servant to serve me wants to be your servant too. As I learn from the Lord and what He taught His disciples, I want to be a servant of all and I know it starts with Jesus.  I praise the Lord that Jesus did not remain dead but came back to life on the third day to save all those that would come to Him. It is by His Blood we who come to Him have been purchased. It is He who will transform our lives sanctifying us daily by His grace just as He justified us by His grace and grace alone. This too is an act of being a servant to all. Thank you Jesus.

I ask you now dear friend, why be a servant to all?
Dear friend, if we live by the world's standards then being a servant to all becomes a shame to us because we will let our egotistic attitude come in the way just as Satan did when he wanted to be greater than God instead of continuing to serve God. In the process, Lucifer (the Fallen Angel) fell from heaven and took 1/3 of the angels with him into hell wanting his own dominion. To this day, Satan creates havoc in the lives of unbelievers. Believers who do not hold on to Jesus will succumb to the temptation of the enemy because the enemy does not love 'being a servant to all' but wants to lord over people. I don't want that for you nor for me. We will fall when we do not become a servant to all even as leaders. It happened to me but I thank the Lord Jesus for using people in my life to show me my mistakes but most of all using His Word to convict me and restore me.

Jesus in His grace and mercy has rescued me time after time. Wherever the Lord Jesus has called us, we should be a servant to all because that is what Jesus wants for us. And what Jesus wants is best for us always in the long run! Praise the Lord.

When we are a servant to all, it shows the humility that Christ wants us to have. Jesus will never ask us to do anything that He himself has not already done. He who was perfect in every aspect having the characteristics of  divinity and humanity paid the price to give us our freedom, not so we can continue to be in slavery to sin that binds but be free in Christ. This starts with having an attitude that Christ had and to have that we need Jesus in our lives and be medicated by His Word daily reading it and discussing it with the Lord through prayer. We also need a community of believers we can be part of.

Will you do that friend?

Will you give your life to Christ, acknowledging your sin, confessing it, and asking Jesus to be the Lord of your life?

You can do that right now friend taking Jesus as an example so you will not be looking to your own interests but what the God of the Universe has in mind for you. He loves you so much that He paid the price to set you free by His free gift of grace. It is His grace that saves and redeems. It is this same grace that sanctifies us and makes us be how Jesus wants us to be. You can have that friend as you remember the Word of God and apply it in your life.

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,  in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:3-11, NIV)

Philippians 2: "How do you match Jesus' A.T.T.I.T.U.D.E in life?" (July 30, 09, 3:48 p.m.)

"Serving Each Reveals Valiantly Almighty's Nurturing Truth!" (S.E.R.V.A.N.T)/"Why be a S.E.R.V.A.N.T to all?"

Jesus wants you to be part of His life. Yes, He does friend and you can come as you are and give your life over to Jesus so He will take care of the rest. Make the prayer below your prayer.

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you so much for teaching the disciples about being a leader does not mean thinking to themselves who is the greatest but on the contrary being a leader means to be a servant to all. Oh Lord, I learned that you became the greatest servant of all to serve me when you went to the cross to ransom me from the bondage of sin and death that Satan brought into this world. I don't want to be captivated by Satan and live an egotistic life. Help me please Jesus for I am a sinner in need of a Savior to save me. Save me Jesus and deliver me. I am so sorry for my sins and confess all of them to you. Please forgive me of all my sins and cleanse me with your precious cleansing blood. Come into my heart Jesus and make my heart your home. Live in me Jesus and I will live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. Thank you so much Jesus for living in me. Take care of my life Jesus and sanctify me daily setting me apart for you in all I do and say. Thanks for saving me. Thank you for coming into my heart and making my heart your home.  I want you to be my Lord and Personal Savior. I believe you are the God of my life and I surrender my life to you. Please have my life and help me. Thank you so much Jesus. Thank you that you have heard my prayer and answered me. Thank you for being my Lord and Personal Savior. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

Lord Jesus, You are my all in all. You are my Prince of Peace, Rock, Savior, and Friend. You are my Holy Father guiding me through to live a life of righteousness, holy righteousness. Oh God, I need you more than ever. I need to feel your hands around me holding me tight. I need your love to surround me so that you can glow in my life. Help me please Jesus. I desire in your presence. Thank you for guiding me to live a life of righteousness. Oh God you love me more than ever. You hear my voice when I cry out to you. When I seek your face, you fill me up. You are my all in all. Thank you Jesus so much for your help no matter what I face, your grace is available and you take my case. Thank you for hearing us and answering us. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! AMEN! (Most of the prayer is from a vineyard song called “All in All”)

You don't have to be locked away anymore for Christ is here to free you and give you peace to LIVE out your actions.

How do you look at GODISNOWHERE?

One of my pastors, Pastor Hugo SHARED this example one Sunday at the RESURRECTION DAY SERVICE in the combined worship service of Pittsburgh Chinese Church-Oakland & Oakland International Fellowship:

If you look at it as GOD IS NO WHERE, you will still be lost in your sin and be in bondage locked away in your sins and problems finding no peace.

But  as my pastor spoke to the congregation and spoke to me, I am here to tell you that GOD IS NOW HERE.

Yes, friend God is aLIVE and wants to bring a transformation in your life through the GRACE of our Lord Jesus Christ for He paid the penalty on the cross to rescue you and me and came back to life to save us and LIVE with us.

Yes, friend that is exciting to know that we can experience HIS SAVING GRACE & LIVING GRACE.

When we mess up, we can go to Jesus with our shortcomings and He will forgive us and RESTORE us to Him and we will find peace in Him.

^"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23, NIV)

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7-9, NIV)

Friend, we need Jesus because we have been separated from God due to our sin. Because of our sin, Jesus had to pay the price to become our bridge so we can reach God now not of our own good works but because of the finished work of Christ, the Lord on the cross.

"For it is by GRACE you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)

Come to Jesus as you are and pray this prayer to accept Jesus as your Lord and Personal Savior. He will transform your life around! Praise the Lord! You don't have to have all the answers! You can come as you are!

If you want to be a soldier in the Lord's army, you can become it right now. Now is the time of Salvation! You do not have to wait but can pray this prayer and give your life to Christ to serve Him daily! There is no draft but coming to Christ is voluntary. He loves you so much and wants you to come to Him! He will take care of you, guiding you and leading you!

PRAYER:
Dear Jesus, I love you. Thank you for loving me so much and thank you for choosing the cross to die for me. You became the Son of Man and lived here on earth. Then you humbled yourself and became obedient to death-even death on the cross. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sin. You died on the cross so that I can be covered in your blood and cleansed by your blood as I acknowledge that I need you and cannot enter Heaven without you being my pathway. So, Jesus I confess all my sins to you and all the ways I have tried to get into Heaven when you already provided the means and the Way. Thank you for all that you have done for me. "The cross is the place, a wonderful place where accused and condemned find mercy and grace. Thank you Jesus, it is at the cross where the wrongs we have done and the wrongs done to us were nailed at the cross. Thank you Jesus, at the cross you died for our sins and at the cross you gave your life for us." I thank you for that and thank you for coming back to life to save us. Thank you Jesus for being there for me! Thank you for loving me. I love you Jesus! Please take me as I am and make my life into something that you will be proud of. I surrender my life to you and need your help to live for you. I am forever grateful for what you have done for me and I can never repay you. I want to live for you and need your help. Help me Jesus please. I thank you Jesus for saving me! Thank you for hearing my prayer and answering me. Whatever your will give me the willingness and strength to bear it. Thank you Jesus! I acknowledge you as my Lord and Personal Savior! In Your Name I Pray precious Jesus! Amen!