IF YOU WANT TO CLIMB HIGH YOU’VE GOT TO GET LOW

Watch Sunday’s sermon: “Servants“

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What would you do if someone handed you $500 billion today? For an hour, you would be the richest person in the world. You could buy anything, go anywhere, experience everything you ever dreamed of. But when the hour was over, all of it would vanish. Would you still feel rich?

That scenario sounds ridiculous, but in reality, that’s exactly what life is like. Earthly wealth, recognition, and success seem massive in the moment, but when viewed against the timeline of eternity, they are here and gone in an instant. Jesus made this point when His disciples jockeyed for status. James and John asked Him for the best seats in the kingdom. They weren’t content just to follow Jesus—they wanted to be on the throne next to Him.

The other disciples were furious. Not because they were shocked, but because they wanted those seats too. And in that moment, Jesus redefined greatness for them:

“Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:43–45)

The world says greatness is about being in charge, making money, and earning influence. But Jesus flips the script. True greatness isn’t measured by how many people serve you—it’s measured by how faithfully you serve others. The way up, Jesus says, is actually down.

This is the upside-down logic of the gospel. If you want to climb high, you’ve got to get low. Jesus Himself showed us what this looks like. The King of Glory knelt down with a towel and basin to wash the dirty feet of His disciples. And the very next day, He stretched out His hands on a cross, giving His life to ransom us from sin.

That’s greatness. That’s what lasts.

C.T. Studd, the famous English athlete who walked away from wealth and fame to become a missionary, put it this way:

Only one life, ’twill soon be past;
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Every achievement, every dollar, every title will eventually fade. But every act of love, every humble moment of service, every sacrifice made in Jesus’ name endures forever.

So the question we each need to ask is simple: What am I spending my one life on? Am I chasing what disappears in an hour, or investing in what will matter for eternity?

Greatness isn’t about gaining. It’s about giving. And when we serve like Jesus, we gain something we can never lose.