Those who serve others are the greatest ~ Mike MacIntosh

And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all." Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. 

And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, "Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me."
Mark 9:35-37

The world defines "the greatest" as those who have the most, those who are in powerful positions, and those who are the richest. But Jesus says that those who serve others are the greatest. This was (and still is) a revolutionary thought for people. It's not our normal inclination to find satisfaction in helping push others to the top, above ourselves. It's not a normal activity in business or politics to put the interests of others over one's self-interests. But the ways of God are different than the ways of man.

Think about this: if the first are last and the last are first, then everyone is equal! If we treated everyone with the attitude and mentality that we're truly all equal in God's sight, then we'd not try so hard to climb the ladder and trample over anybody. Paul says that we need to have the mind of Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:5). Truly understanding His actions and authentically living out His words to others is the only way we can really serve each other in a way that puts them above ourselves.

When we come to Jesus Christ, He gives us a whole new mentality. Think of other people first and serve other people first, and you'll always be first in the Lord's eyes.