[Jesus] did not come
to be served, but to serve.
—Mark 10:45
I recently presided at the funeral of one of the best men I’ve known—a quiet, humble man of servant spirit. Many of those who gathered for the service had a feeling of severe loss: he had touched their lives with warm friendship and unselfish service.
As I drove away from the cemetery, I thought about a man who was a total contrast to my departed friend. King Jehoram’s wretched eight-year reign, recorded in 2 Chronicles 21 ends with the appalling epitaph: “He passed away, to no one’s regret” (v. 20).
Jehoram probably thought his position and power would define his legacy. It did. He is remembered as a ruthless, immoral, self-serving, despicable despot.
King Jesus left a legacy of serving and saving—a king we gratefully glorify, honor, and worship.
Useful or Useless is an individual choice.