Last, first.

 The other day I received a blog post about the upside down nature of God.  I love this description, and I love how true it is.  Jesus talks about those who are exalted will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted, as well as the last being first and the first being last. 

Jesus said to his disciples "If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and minister of all." Mark 9:35. 

Mark 10:31 "But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

And the most important  Mark 10:43 " ;but whoever wants to become great among you must be your minister, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of all.  For even the Son of man came, not to be ministered to, but to minister and to give his life as a ransom in exchange for many." 

I love how God is aware of the ego in all of us and how with many people, as all of us can do in the world sometimes, we can strive for accomplishment and to be the "best" or the "first".  And to strive for that "first" or "best" in the way of serving and praising God, we instead must be the "last" and be humbled through serving.  Its that the striving and climbing to the top of the mountain doesn't bring the satisfaction of being closer to God, but possibly the sitting at the base of the mountain looking up is where you can find him. Its "upside down" (:



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