“Which one of us is the greatest?” The Gospel of Mark (9:33-35) doesn’t tell us what started this conversation among the disciples, but there must have been at least two different nominations for the title as it had evolved into a heated argument. I imagine the disciples were growing angrier every minute it continued. Words were said that probably caused deeply hurt feelings and lingering resentment.

Those within Jesus’ closest circle were fighting for recognition and status. They were divided.

Jesus noticed the conflict, but He chose not to intervene. He waited for a teachable moment. He wanted them to learn an important lesson about the Kindom of God.

Later that day, Jesus asked His disciples what they had been arguing about. They did not answer him. He sat down and told them, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

Jesus takes our worldly perspectives and turns them upside down. We want to be important. He wants us to consider others as more important than ourselves. We want to be served, God wants us to serve others. We want to do things so that we get the credit, God wants us to work together as His Church so that He gets the glory!

I wish you could personally meet the many believers around the world that God has led Reach Beyond to co-labor with in ministry. These partners are so passionate and eager to proclaim and demonstrate the Gospel. You can see the joy on their faces as they tell of all of the amazing things that God is doing! God has gifted each of us with knowledge, skills, abilities, and resources that He wants to combine together to accomplish His purposes. It should be no surprise that God seems to build His Church so much more when we as believers stop competing with each other and instead work together in unity.

Disagreements become dangerous whenever we lose sight of God. We can become discouraged when God chooses not to immediately answer our prayers to be rescued from conflict. Our loving Heavenly Father sometimes waits until we are ready for a teachable moment­—until we are ready to see the world as He sees it. God wants us to see others first. He wants us to be His servants—serving others and working together as part of the Body of Christ­.