Matthew 20:16 He must increase; I must decrease.”

Luke 9:48 For He who is least among you all is the one who is great.”

Let’s face it, no one wants to be the second man. No one likes to feel second to anyone. No one endorses the runner who wins silver, no one gets their picture on a Wheaty Box, or a mega shoe deal for second place, no visits to the White House for the team that loses the Super Bowl. No woman loves it when her man puts her second on the priority list of things to do in a day. No guy wants to be strung along in the back pocket by the girl of his dreams, just in case her first choice falls through. No one wants to be that guy or girl. No one. I’ve experienced it before, many times, that’s me, I am the second man. How about you? Have you ever been there? Are you there now? Did you know that Jesus actually wants us to embrace the position of being the second man? We are taught in this world that winning is everything and coming first is what counts. But Jesus flips the worlds values upside down. The disciples argued in front of Jesus about who is going to be greatest in the kingdom. They had forgotten all that Jesus had taught in the previous verses, that to truly save your life, you must deny yourself, you must lose it! To be great in His kingdom you must become least. Maybe the next time we find ourselves losing the promotion we wanted so badly to our coworker, we pray blessings for him or her and throw them a party, what if we put our pride second and forgive the person that so hurt us, what if we put our busy agenda second and actually take the time to serve someone who needs to know God loves them, what if that person is our enemy? What if we do as John the Baptist said, “I must decrease He must increase”. The Bible compares this life to a race but for us to win this prize, we must come second, He must come first. This way of life is not easy because it’s so contrary to the worlds values but soon when we cross the finish line and see Jesus face to face, He will remind us that we were always His number one and suddenly second place won’t seem so bad after all. So the next time you’re feeling low for coming up short, just tell your pride to get back in the coffin where it belongs, and declare to it, “Jesus first, I am the second man. “