THE BEST SEAT...weekly devotion

thank you for joining us this week for the weekly devotional. It is my prayer that your heart will be challenged by the Word this week!

THE BEST SEATS

There used to be a popular sitcom on television, FRASIER. (blogging has replaced tv watching for me...so maybe it is still on ...I don't know!) This show depicted a pompous, self-focused radio psychiatrist named Frasier Crane. (also known as Frasier on the ever popular CHEERS tv show). Frasier was an uppity character who never thought he got the respect due him. He always wanted the best seats at the best places. Unfortunately, on this adventure of getting this recognition he felt he so deserved...he often would find that people did not think as highly of him as he thought of himself.

We are very well warned by Jesus about this very thing that Frasier was expecting out of life.

LUKE 14:7-14

He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noticed how they would choose the best places for themselves: "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, don't recline at the best place, because a more distinguished person than you may have been invited by your host. (9) The one who invited both of you may come and say to you, 'Give your place to this man,' and then in humiliation, you will proceed to take the lowest place.

(10) But when you are invited, go and recline in the lowest place so that when the one who invited you comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up higher.' You will then be honored in the presence of the other guests. (11) For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

WHY DID JESUS FEEL IT IMPORTANT TO TELL THIS STORY?

Prestige is not something you can give yourself. It is what others give you when you are not really looking for prestige. The question Jesus was putting before His disciples was this: "Can a person really understand what life is about if their main concern in life is only about the most prestigious seat?" Life IS NOT about exalting us! IT IS about exalting God!

To fully understand what was happening here in the scripture, you need to read what is recorded earlier in verses 1-6:

- It was sabbath day.

- Jesus had been invited to the home of a prominent Pharisee for dinner.

- Since Jesus had been healing people on the Sabbath...He was being watched very carefully to see if He would do it again on this occasion. (and HE DID!)

- This angered some of the guests, causing a need for Jesus to respond to justify what He had done.

- However, Pharisees were campaigning for social position. They were looking for seats of honor at the dinner table.

- The Pharisees were called to honor the Sabbath, but instead shifted the focus of honor on themselves.

The Pharisees were doing exactly what they were accusing Jesus of doing! However, Jesus WAS honoring the Sabbath by healing people. The main purpose of honoring the Sabbath was to honor God, and the main purpose of life is to honor God. When we surrender our quest for personal status to serve God, we learn what life is about:

"ANYONE FINDING HIS LIFE WILL LOSE IT,

AND ANYONE LOSING HIS LIFE BECAUSE OF ME WILL FIND IT."

The BEST SEAT at the banquet is not important, especially if you lose sight of the reason you are at the banquet. My children are PK's and every one of them know the ADAMS rule at a church dinner or banquet.... to be LAST in the food line! I can remember one of my boys stating to me one time, "But what if there is NO food left?" Not to worry dear...there is a McDonalds on the way home! We have tried to teach our children that part of serving God is serving others, and there is no better way to show that than allow others to go first!

This is probably a very difficult thing for young ones (and some seasoned Christians also!) to grasp. I am reminded of family dinner parties, especially Thanksgiving dinner at my Grandmothers house. The dining table in the dining room, set with the fine china was designated as the ADULT TABLE, and the kids had TV trays set up in the living room with paper plates!

That always seemed unfair to me as a young child. I see some of you also experienced that from last weeks YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL....

" When you were a child and your parent(s) had a dinner party, where did you end up sitting?"

The top 3 results:

53% voted that they sat at the same table with the grown ups. (lucky!)

23% polled said they sat at a "child's table" in the same room.

23% voted (and joined me) at a "child's table" in some other room, away from the grown ups.

When Jesus spoke of who would inherit the kingdom, He didn't speak of the beneficiaries being those who had spent the most hours studying Scripture or those who most heartily defended the faith. The receipients were to be those who served others! Remember the story of the sheep and goats? (Matthew 25:31-46) This story reminds us that it is the one who fed the hungry, clothed the naked, visited the sick and imprisoned - they will be honored!

THIS WILL BE AN HONOR WORTH

SURRENDERING HUMAN STATUS FOR!

WHICH SEAT ARE YOU SERVING FROM?

Thank you for joining me for the devotion this week! Please check the PRAYER BLOG for prayer needs this week.

Blessings, Laurie

THIS WEEKS "YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL"

Please vote in this week's poll located on the side bar of the blog. This week I want to know "In what area of your life do you tend to envy others?"