Daily Devotions
Our Basic Problem Summed Up In One Simple Request
Reading for October 19th: Mark 10-11
And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you."
Mark 10:35
Read over that request again from James and John. Read it slowly and thoughtfully. Without even considering what the specific request is, do you see anything wrong with this?
This statement betrays what our basic problem in religion is. We're guilty of idolatry. We're guilty of worshiping self. We want to turn Christianity on its head. We want Jesus to serve our needs and yield to our demands and please us. We want to call the shots. We want to lay down the rules. We want control.
Now, if we gave up our idol (self), what would we say to Jesus? We would say, "Teacher, we want to do for you whatever you ask of us."
Father, forgive us for trying to take control in the relationship.
