³¹ But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” (Mark 10:31 CSB)

“If you ain’t first, you’re last!” (Reece Bobby). There are probably not a lot of devotionals that will be read today that quote from The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. But it pretty much accurately sums up a current world view. To be honest, it has and probably always will be a prevailing world view.

You see, we only celebrate the successful.

When did you last see someone celebrating a personal or business failure. No, we shuffle off, wounded when there is failure in our lives. This is not an inditement, it is just a fact of life.

But all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

You see, failure is more a part of our DNA than success. Even the most wildly successful and celebrated people sin and fall short of God’s glory daily. Yet, we tend to go about our days without a serious reflection upon this fact. We focus upon the successful part of our lives and not our failings.

But consider this, God wants us to reflect upon our sin and be repentant of it. However, more than anything He wants us to know we are forgiven, turn from it and be eternally successful.

God views success very differently than the world does. Even the most humble and least outwardly successful people may be richly blessed. They may be more important in the light of eternity than millions of worldly successful people.

In this way the last shall be first.