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Mark 9:35-37 (NIV)
³⁵ Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."
³⁶ He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them,
³⁷ "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me."

The disciples had just been caught arguing which of them would be considered greater and in charge within the new kingdom. They were still focused on old ways of thinking. Jesus once again turns everything upside down. The wisdom of the world does not reflect the wisdom of God. Being first is based on how we relate to others. In the kingdom of God the focus is on love: the love of God and each other. Jesus came as a servant to God and mankind. To be like Him involves seeing ourselves in that same light.

It is not the easiest thing to change one’s thinking, especially when we are bombarded with the conflicting messages contained in the marketplace of human thought and nature. It took the disciples time before they began to understand and we are no different. When we can look at others and see the child of God inside we begin to free the child of God within ourselves. Living from that place of the heart is the pathway to God. Welcome home.