SATURDAY, MARCH 10
Scripture: Mark 10:42

There is a second truth here in the other part of the verse we looked at yesterday. Again this verse says, “But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, ‘You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.’” Let’s look at the phrase, “and their great ones exercise authority over them. Kat-ak-ex-oo-see-ad-zo is the Greek word here. Kata is to stand against. Ex-oo-see-ah is to use your God-given authority against others. Jesus used His authority for others. The other is our priestly authority. This verse calls into question our motivation for using our God-given authority! Whose Kingdom are we building? Are we using God’s authority to set the captives free? The twelve were often trying to outdo each other. They were using their authority to dominate or tyrannize. Kat-ak-oo-re-yoo-o is to subdue. Are we going to use our faith and our God-given talent on the enemy in behalf of the church or are we going to occasionally use it against the other believers to gain advantage over them. The Lord’s Kingdom just simply does not work that way. The twelve had to learn this the hard way. We must use our faith, use our gifting and use our calling and our anointing, for both priestly and kingly ministry to bless others and never to carve out a position for ourselves! Jesus watched a lot of that battle go on between the twelve. He said, “It shall not be so among you.”