Luke - Your Kingdom ComeIsampula

Ego Management 101

As Luke 9 opens, Jesus calls his twelve disciples together and empowers them in a way they would never have imagined. He gives them great power and authority and sends them out on a journey that would take them from village to village with a clear mission to serve others and proclaim the kingdom of God (9:2). 

They experience the miraculous as God’s power flows through them. They are supernaturally charged to preach God’s Word and heal the sick. (Heady stuff for a bunch of recently retired fishermen!) This power boosted their confidence, their faith, and perhaps their egos. They go on to participate in Jesus’s miraculous feeding of more than 5,000 hungry people (9:14–16). 

Later, they find themselves in a discussion, maybe to compare stories. Perhaps they were passionately speaking over each other—the way excited schoolchildren speak—all talking at once, no one able to listen, eventually slowing down a bit to hear each tale. Stories may have been exaggerated or adapted and told in a way that was sure to top the previous story, with egos surfacing as the events were recalled. We can’t be certain of how this discussion went, but we do know that it eventually spirals to a level where they begin to compare themselves to each other, arguing about who is the greatest among them (9:46). 

Let’s be honest, this kind of conversation still plagues followers of Christ today—especially leaders. God supernaturally empowers us, through his Spirit, to do amazing things for his purpose. When God’s power is at work in us miraculous things begin to happen! But, if we aren’t careful, our ego may take over and we find ourselves elevating our role in the story. Let us always remember that in God’s kingdom, the ones who serve are the greatest! 

Reflect

How well do you handle power? Do you lose sight of the fact that whatever you are able to accomplish is by God’s grace and power? 

Pray

Lord, you have trusted us with power. Give us the wisdom to manage it.

Respond 

Ask people around you for candid feedback on how you handle power. Ask God to help you make changes, where necessary. 

Lord, thank you for choosing me to accomplish your mission. Help me to always keep my ego in check.