Having someone else selected for a job or position that we desire is a very personal issue. We sincerely believe that we have the skill-set, experience, and talent to do the role and we desire to advance to higher levels of status and income to provide a better life for our families. But for reasons either known or unknown to us, sometimes we are not selected. As a result, we can become angry, critical of our leader’s judgment, depressed, or even fearful of not meeting retirement goals. Although this is naturally a huge disappointment, we cannot allow sin to control our reaction. When we do, we are displaying a lack of trust in God’s sovereignty.
Let’s take a step back for a moment and consider our motivations for even pursing a position of higher status. Do we have a pure motivation? Or, deep down, is it really a selfish motivation? Is this promotion something that we desire so deeply that we are willing to sin to get it, or conversely, sin when we don’t get it?
The disciples weren’t immune to this earthly pursuit. They argued and jockeyed with each other for positional status and greatness in the Kingdom of God. One example of this is in the book of Mark:
And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you discussing on the way?’ But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.
Mark 9: 33-34
