Matthew 19:30 English Standard Version (ESV) But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

Order is an interesting word. It has many uses and we should keep in mind that God is a God of order. Order in that sense eliminates confusion. Here in our opening verse is one of those examples of the upside down examples of how God sees things. It can be confusing to think of this in our own terms and experiences.

This morning the issue of order might best be seen as our Shepherd standing at the gate calling all His sheep to come into the fold. He is the first of many in the family of God but His place is waiting until all of us are in before He enters and shuts the gate. That is the first being last.

Family dynamics being what they are from a human perspective we tend to see ourselves as having come to Christ before others and as such more experienced, more learned, and in some ways better equipped. Once we take on a role within a local gathering there is the tendency of others looking to us for leadership. The responsibilities of shepherding others is an awesome responsibility and serving in that capacity we would naturally want to do our best.

The same can be said of every service gift.

Now think about that service is the same way our Lord is waiting to enter in for the very last of His flock.

Who are you waiting upon? In serving the Lord you serve everyone within your realm of responsibility, from the oldest to youngest, from the strongest to the weakest. You put all of them before yourself.

While we serve everyone else our flesh continues to scream “What about me?”