Humble Service in the Body of Christ

³ For by the grace given me^(A) I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven^(A)

18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

² He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. ³ And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children,^(B) you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.^{(C) 4} Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.^(D)

⁴³ “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces.^(A)

¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray,^(A) one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood by himself^(B) and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast^(C) twice a week and give a tenth^(D) of all I get.’

¹³ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast^(E) and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’^(F)

¹⁴ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”^(G)

⁷ For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive?^(A) And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

³ If anyone thinks they are something^(A) when they are not, they deceive themselves.^(B)

⁷ But to each one of us^(A) grace^(B) has been given^(C) as Christ apportioned it.

³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.^(A) Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,^{(B) 4} not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.^(C)