Daily Devotional
By Pastor Jerry Teboe
A Closer Walk with Christ in 2026
A Walk with the Master Series
Serving Others
Mark 10:35-45
Mar 10:35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire. Mar 10:36 And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you? Mar 10:37 They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory. ar 10:38 But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? Mar 10:39 And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: Mar 10:40 But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared. Mar 10:41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John. Mar 10:42 But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. Mar 10:43 But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: Mar 10:44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. Mar 10:45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
James and John had an unusual request for the Lord. They requested to be seated beside Him when He was reigning on His throne in the Kingdom. They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory. Then Jesus asked them some very pointed questions about their request. Would they be able to suffer as Jesus was to suffer? Their response was quick and without much thought because they did not realize all that Jesus would suffer, or that He would die. And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized.
Jesus then told them that they truly would take part in the things which He would have to suffer. Sometimes, we also do not realize what we are asking when we make a request of the Lord, but He knows the future and what will take place. When we search the Scriptures, we find out what these two men had to face. We see, in Acts 12:1-2, that James would become the first of the disciples who would be martyred for his faith. Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. In Revelation 1:9, we find that John later would suffer greatly, be tortured, and then be sent as a prisoner of Rome to the Isle of Patmos. I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Because James and John didn’t know the future, Jesus had to show them that their request had to be denied because the Father had already planned who would have those honored positions in glory. But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared.
Then Jesus explained to them that instead of seeking a place of position and glory, their goal should be to serve others as Jesus was doing. He did not come to be served, but to serve others. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
This also should be our goal in life. As the Lord showed James and John, no matter what will happen in life, our life’s work should be to reach others for the Kingdom, and to serve others as the Lord leads us to do!
Bible Reading for the Year
April 30th, 1 Kings 1-2; Luke 22:54-71
Prayer Needs
Please pray for Dr. Joe Jordan. He is back in the hospital, with a partially collapsed lung and with concern about his kidneys. But later on Tuesday he seemed a bit better.
Frances Lee asked us to please pray for the Matt Paige family, the husband of one of Tammy’s friends. He passed away on Tuesday.
Please pray for Shirley and Kenny Deans. Shirley has learned that the lymphoma cancer has returned, and she will have a PET scan and a biopsy done to determine future treatment. Kenny will need a heart catherization. He will also be seeing a doctor for a sore on his right leg that will not heal.
Please pray for Carolyn Tyson’s niece and her husband Pam and Joe Wobbleton. Joe had open heart surgery Friday morning because of a heart attack. The surgery went well, and he went home on Wednesday. Pam has had several mini-strokes and will need surgery at Chapel Hill.
Please pray for Judith Tyson, Carolyn’s sister, who has lung problems from smoke inhalation caused by her furnace.
Praise the Lord! Thank you for praying for Jennifer Teboe Buchamer. She had a CT scan on Friday, April 17th. All of the tumors had shrunk except for 2 that remained stable. The doctors were greatly surprised. Please continue to pray for complete healing.
Please pray for Robbie Harvey, who has MAC lung disease. He fell and broke several ribs. He is now home from the hospital but in a lot of pain. He has started a new medication for his lung disease.
Please continue to pray for Carter Crandell (Corey’s Dad). He is home from the hospital, but he still has infection and two kidney stones. Once the infection clears up, he will go back to have the stones removed.
Please pray for Peggy Warren. She is in a lot of pain from a partially crushed disc in her lower back. However, surgery is not recommended.
Please continue to pray for Marvin Silverthorne for his eyesight to improve.
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Pray for our Missionaries!
Sue Singleton and the mission in Cambodia
Dr. Joe Jordan and the CBM (Cross and Bible Ministries)
Travis and Caroline Fennessy – IBM missionaries to Southeast Asia