The Measure of Greatness: Serve Like Jesus Did

Devotional

Day 1: Seeking the Kingdom First for an Abundant Life

True power is not found in a life that is only partially surrendered to God. Instead, the abundant life begins when we settle the priority of our hearts and choose to seek His kingdom above all else. Jesus never promised that our needs would be met from the second position; He invited us to put Him first so that everything else could be added. This principle of priority is woven throughout the scriptures from cover to cover. When we commit to this order, we move from striving to experiencing His provision. [39:51]

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you find yourself holding back from surrendering to Jesus? What would surrendering this area to Him actually look like in terms of daily habits?

Day 2: Demonstrating Love Through Intentional and Active Service

Loving God with all our strength means moving beyond words to intentional action. Real love is mobile and alive; it does not sit on the sidelines but engages and gets involved. We are called to demonstrate our devotion through our service to both God and the people around us. While the world asks what it can get, the follower of Christ asks how they can give. This shift in perspective transforms our daily interactions into acts of worship. [43:20]

And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27)

Reflection: When you consider the pace and pressure of your daily life, what spiritual practice could you adopt to create more space to recognize God's presence?

Day 3: Following the Example of Christ’s Humble Leadership

In the kingdom of God, greatness is not defined by title, prestige, or power, but by a willingness to serve. Jesus demonstrated this vividly when He laid aside His robe, took up a towel, and washed the feet of His disciples. He did not just talk about leadership; He modeled it by performing the lowliest task available. This act of vulnerability shows us that no one is beneath our care and no service is too small. We are invited to follow this example by looking for ways to prefer others above ourselves. [48:05]

If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. (John 13:14-15)

Reflection: Think of a relationship in your life that feels strained or distant. How might God be inviting you to participate in reconciliation, even in a small way?

Day 4: Moving from the Table to the Mission

There is a necessary time to sit at the table and be fed by God’s Word, but that nourishment is meant to fuel our action. We must be careful not to become spiritually stagnant by only receiving without ever giving back. The strength we gain from the scriptures is intended to be burned off through serving the kingdom and fleshing out God's love. True discipleship involves a moment where we stand up and get involved in the mission. By joining in the work, we find the fulfillment that comes from being part of something larger than ourselves. [01:01:57]

He rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. (John 13:4-5)

Reflection: Is there an area of obedience you’ve been postponing? What is one small, concrete action you can take this week to move toward faithful obedience?

Day 5: A Heart for the Messy and Broken

The church is called to be a distinct, countercultural movement marked by acceptance and service rather than judgment. Instead of running away from messy situations or broken people, we are invited to run toward them with the grace of God. We do not have the power to change anyone, but we can serve everyone and watch God transform lives from the inside out. Our calling is simply to consecrate ourselves daily so that He can do something great through us. When we serve with love, we reflect the light of a God who makes all things new. [01:08:16]

Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)

Reflection: Where have you recently sensed God inviting you to trust Him more deeply, and what practical step of faith could you take this week in response?

Sermon Summary

The church is invited into a seven-day commitment: pray Moses’ plea for God to reveal Himself, read the Gospel of John daily, and pursue deeper intimacy with God. Putting God first is presented as the central, life-shaping posture—only a fully surrendered life experiences the abundant life Jesus promised. Love of God is unpacked from Luke’s restatement of the law: heart (passion), soul (personal knowledge), strength (intentional service), and mind (whole-life devotion). The sermon zeroes in on loving God with all one’s strength—moving beyond words and inner devotion to outward, sacrificial action that serves others.

John 13 becomes the defining illustration. In the shadow of betrayal and the cross, Jesus models countercultural greatness by washing the disciples’ feet: He gets up from the table, humbles Himself to the lowly task, and then commissions the disciples to go into the world marked by service. Pride had already infected the group—arguing about status and refusing ordinary acts of hospitality—so Jesus responds not with rebuke but with embodied example, exposing true kingdom leadership as willingness to serve and to go last. The final words of Christ are described as pregnant with purpose; they are not optional etiquette but the very DNA of the church’s mission.

Practical application follows: believers are called to get up from the table of being served, to avoid “spiritual obesity” from consuming teaching without responding in service, and to join the church’s mission to meet real needs. The offer is broad—those already committed are urged to serve and be sent; those not yet surrendered are invited to come home to Christ without pretense. The closing moves from conviction to invitation, praying for new commitments and for those ready to receive Jesus, emphasizing that the church’s identity will be revealed through humble service that points all glory to God.

Key Takeaways

1. Get up from the table Loving God with strength requires leaving the posture of constant consumption and stepping into active service. Sitting and being served can be spiritually comfortable, but the gospel calls for movement—intentional, sacrificial involvement that aligns gifts and time with kingdom needs. This shift exposes whether God truly is first in daily decisions. [58:53]
2. Humility means getting down True leadership in Christ’s kingdom descends to the lowliest tasks without counting cost or questioning worthiness. Humility is not merely an attitude but public, vulnerable action that dignifies others and models redemption’s scandalous grace. Washing the feet of the unworthy underscores that God’s love reaches into the dirt of human failure. [64:26]
3. Sent to serve the world The church is commissioned not to be an attractive club but a sent community whose distinctiveness is measured by service, not spectacle. Being salt and light means choosing costly, countercultural love that invites transformation rather than judgment. This mission redirects acclaim away from the church and toward God’s reconciling power. [66:27]
4. Pursue intimacy with intention Knowing God requires deliberate rhythms: prayer that asks God to reveal His ways, and daily engagement with Scripture to cultivate recognition of God’s presence. Intimacy isn’t accidental; it is the fruit of disciplined longing that reshapes motives from “what’s in it for me” to wholehearted devotion. Such pursuit prepares hearts to serve well. [06:27]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[06:27] - Seven-day prayer and John reading
[39:51] - Introducing God First series
[40:42] - The greatest commandment explained
[43:05] - Loving God with all your strength
[47:03] - Setting the scene: John 13
[50:52] - Pride among the disciples
[58:53] - Three actions Jesus modeled
[62:47] - Call to serve and join mission
[73:19] - Invitation and prayer for salvation

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

John 13:1-17 (ESV)
Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”

Observation questions

According to the sermon, the world, the flesh, and the devil have taught us to build our lives around one central question. What is that question, and how does it contrast with the life of Christ? [43:55]
In the context of the sermon, what was the atmosphere in the room before Jesus washed the disciples' feet, and why did none of the disciples use the basin and towel that were already there? [50:52]
Jesus performed three specific actions in this passage that serve as an example for us. What were those three movements described in the sermon? [58:53]

Interpretation questions

The sermon notes that Jesus washed the feet of Judas, who would betray him, and Peter, who would deny him. What does this specific act reveal about the nature of Kingdom greatness compared to worldly leadership? [01:04:56]
The concept of "spiritual obesity" is introduced to describe a specific condition in a believer's life. What causes this condition, and what is the remedy for it according to the message? [01:01:31]
Jesus told the disciples, "If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet." Since we do not live in a culture where foot washing is a daily necessity, what are the practical equivalents of this command in our modern lives?

Application questions

We live in a culture that constantly asks, "What's in it for me?" [43:55] In which specific area of your life (your job, your marriage, your friendships) do you find yourself asking this question the most? How can you flip that script this week to ask, "How can I serve?"
There is a time to sit and be served, but there comes a time when we must "get up from the table" [58:53]. Have you become too comfortable simply consuming sermons and worship without an outlet for service? What is one tangible step you can take to move from consumption to contribution?
True humility often looks like doing the tasks that others feel are "beneath" them. Is there a "dirty job" or a menial task in your home, workplace, or church that you have been avoiding? How might doing that specific task be an act of worship this week?
Jesus washed the feet of the very people who would hurt and abandon him. Is there someone in your life who has been difficult or even hurtful that God might be calling you to serve rather than judge? What would serving them look like practically?
We are called to avoid "spiritual obesity" by working off the spiritual food we receive through serving others [01:01:31]. If you were to audit your spiritual life right now, would you say your intake of the Word is balanced by your output of service? If not, how can the group help you find that balance?

Sermon Clips

What's in it for me? We all ask it. We all ask it. We ask it because of our flesh. We ask it because the world's taught us to. We ask it because the devil baits us to. What's in it for me? In other words, what can I get out of this? How does this benefit me personally? And it's precisely this attitude that makes the life of Christ so incredibly transformational because Jesus was so countercultural. [00:44:22] (27 seconds) #StopWhatsInItForMe

He is vividly demonstrating the greatness in the kingdom of god look what it looks like. The mark of greatness and leadership in the kingdom of god is not gifting. It's not position. It's not title. It's not prestige. It's not talent. It's not power. It's not importance. Greatness in the kingdom of god is marked by a deep commitment and willingness to serve others [00:48:34] (22 seconds) #GreatnessIsServing

There listen. There is a time to sit at the table and be served. There is. But please hear me. There is a time that every one of us that name the name of Christ that declare we are followers of the lord Jesus Christ, there is a time that you must get up from the table from being served and serve others. [00:59:03] (19 seconds) #GetUpAndServe

We must be careful that we do not fall into the routine of always sitting and listening to great sermons and learning god's word, but then never get involved and take action to live out his love in the lives of others. God's word feeds our soul, but it doesn't feed our soul just so that we can merely enjoy its flavor. The word feeds our soul to give us the fuel and the strength that we need to serve others and to flesh out the kingdom of God. [00:59:23] (26 seconds) #FaithInAction

He again, I I I know I'm repeating myself, but he's the sovereign god of the universe. I just can't get my mind around it. He's he's not a king. He's thinking of all kings. He's not a lord. He's the lord of all lords, and he's washing his creation's feet. And have you ever thought about this? He didn't skip anybody, and I would have wanted to. [01:04:25] (24 seconds) #ServantKing

He also knew that if he would just get down and serve them and love them through it, that some of those men would go on to be redeemed and restored and go on to do great things for the cause of Christ. Listen, maybe you're here today and you failed god or your family, your friends, and yourself, and you think everybody's given up on you. You need to see that because god knows everything that you said, saw everything that you did, and he still washed your feet on the cross. [01:05:23] (22 seconds) #StillWashedYourFeet

Our call is not to do something great for God. When I was in my twenties and and freshly saved and in ministry, man, I was so zealous for the Lord. I just thought I'm gonna make my heavenly father proud. I'm gonna do something big for god. My heart was pure but I didn't understand that wasn't the call. The call was not for me to do something great for god because I can do nothing apart from him. Our calling is simply to consecrate ourselves to him every day so that he can do something great through us. It's to say less of me, more of you. [01:09:04] (32 seconds) #LessOfMeMoreOfYou

``I'm not gonna ask what's in it for me anymore. I'm gonna ask, Lord, what do you require and desire for my life? And then I'm gonna do that. My life is not my own. Galatians said, we are bought with a price. We are a purchased possession. He bought us with his own blood. And I'm not gonna live my life anymore self centered, self absorbed, or selfish. I'm going to ask the Lord, Lord, what is it that you would have me to do to serve you and to serve others? [01:13:27] (37 seconds) #ServeNotSelf

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The Measure of Greatness: Serve Like Jesus Did

Devotional

Day 1: Seeking the Kingdom First for an Abundant Life

Day 2: Demonstrating Love Through Intentional and Active Service

Day 3: Following the Example of Christ’s Humble Leadership

Day 4: Moving from the Table to the Mission

Day 5: A Heart for the Messy and Broken

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

The Measure of Greatness: Serve Like Jesus Did

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