Psalm 131 
(A song by David for worship.)
Trust the LORD!
1I am not conceited, LORD, 
and I don't waste my time 
on impossible schemes. 
2But I have learned to feel safe 
and satisfied, 
just like a young child 
on its mother's lap. 
3People of Israel, 
you must trust the LORD 
now and forever. 

Mark 9:33-37
Who Is the Greatest?
(Matthew 18.1-5; Luke 9.46-48)
33Jesus and his disciples went to his home in Capernaum. After they were inside the house, Jesus asked them, "What were you arguing about along the way?" 34They had been arguing about which one of them was the greatest, and so they did not answer. 
35After Jesus sat down and told the twelve disciples to gather around him, he said, "If you want the place of honor, you must become a slave and serve others!" 

36Then Jesus had a child stand near him. He put his arm around the child and said, 37"When you welcome even a child because of me, you welcome me. And when you welcome me, you welcome the one who sent me." 

Luke 14:7-11
How To Be a Guest
7Jesus saw how the guests had tried to take the best seats. So he told them: 
8When you are invited to a wedding feast, don't sit in the best place. Someone more important may have been invited. 9Then the one who invited you will come and say, "Give your place to this other guest!" You will be embarrassed and will have to sit in the worst place. 

10When you are invited to be a guest, go and sit in the worst place. Then the one who invited you may come and say, "My friend, take a better seat!" You will then be honored in front of all the other guests. 11If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honored. 

Luke 18:9-14
A Pharisee and a Tax Collector
9Jesus told a story to some people who thought they were better than others and who looked down on everyone else: 
10Two men went into the temple to pray. [a] One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. [b] 11The Pharisee stood over by himself and prayed, [c] "God, I thank you that I am not greedy, dishonest, and unfaithful in marriage like other people. And I am really glad that I am not like that tax collector over there. 12I go without eating [d] for two days a week, and I give you one tenth of all I earn." 13The tax collector stood off at a distance and did not think he was good enough even to look up toward heaven. He was so sorry for what he had done that he pounded his chest and prayed, "God, have pity on me! I am such a sinner." 

14Then Jesus said, "When the two men went home, it was the tax collector and not the Pharisee who was pleasing to God. If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honored." 


Footnotes:

a Luke 18:10 into the temple to pray: Jewish people usually prayed there early in the morning and late in the afternoon. 
b Luke 18:10 tax collector: See the note at 3.12. 
c Luke 18:11 stood over by himself and prayed: Some manuscripts have " stood up and prayed to himself." 
d Luke 18:12 without eating: See the note at 2.37. 

Luke 22:24-27
An Argument about Greatness
24The apostles got into an argument about which one of them was the greatest. 25So Jesus told them: 
Foreign kings order their people around, and powerful rulers call themselves everyone's friends. [a] 26But don't be like them. The most important one of you should be like the least important, and your leader should be like a servant. 27Who do people think is the greatest, a person who is served or one who serves? Isn't it the one who is served? But I have been with you as a servant. 

Footnotes:

a a Luke 22:25 everyone's friends: This translates a Greek word that rulers sometimes used as a title for themselves or for special friends.

Romans 12:14-16
14Ask God to bless everyone who mistreats you. Ask him to bless them and not to curse them. 15When others are happy, be happy with them, and when they are sad, be sad. 16Be friendly with everyone. Don't be proud and feel that you are smarter than others. Make friends with ordinary people. [a] 

Footnotes:

a Romans 12:16 Make friends with ordinary people: Or " Do ordinary jobs." 

1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Christ Is God's Power and Wisdom
18The message about the cross doesn't make any sense to lost people. But for those of us who are being saved, it is God's power at work. 19As God says in the Scriptures, 
"I will destroy the wisdom 
of all who claim 
to be wise. 
I will confuse those 
who think they know 
so much." 

20What happened to those wise people? What happened to those experts in the Scriptures? What happened to the ones who think they have all the answers? Didn't God show that the wisdom of this world is foolish? 21God was wise and decided not to let the people of this world use their wisdom to learn about him. 

Instead, God chose to save only those who believe the foolish message we preach. 22Jews ask for miracles, and Greeks want something that sounds wise. 23But we preach that Christ was nailed to a cross. Most Jews have problems with this, and most Gentiles think it is foolish. 24Our message is God's power and wisdom for the Jews and the Greeks that he has chosen. 25Even when God is foolish, he is wiser than everyone else, and even when God is weak, he is stronger than everyone else. 

26My dear friends, remember what you were when God chose you. The people of this world didn't think that many of you were wise. Only a few of you were in places of power, and not many of you came from important families. 27But God chose the foolish things of this world to put the wise to shame. He chose the weak things of this world to put the powerful to shame. 

28What the world thinks is worthless, useless, and nothing at all is what God has used to destroy what the world considers important. 29God did all this to keep anyone from bragging to him. 30You are God's children. He sent Christ Jesus to save us and to make us wise, acceptable, and holy. 31So if you want to brag, do what the Scriptures say and brag about the Lord. 

2 Corinthians 12:1-10
Visions from the Lord
1I have to brag. There is nothing to be gained by it, but I must brag about the visions and other things that the Lord has shown me. 2I know about one of Christ's followers who was taken up into the third heaven fourteen years ago. I don't know if the man was still in his body when it happened, but God certainly knows. 
3As I said, only God really knows if this man was in his body at the time. 4But he was taken up into paradise, [a] where he heard things that are too wonderful to tell. 5I will brag about that man, but not about myself, except to say how weak I am. 6Yet even if I did brag, I would not be foolish. I would simply be speaking the truth. But I will try not to say too much. That way, none of you will think more highly of me than you should because of what you have seen me do and say. 7Of course, I am now referring to the wonderful things I saw. One of Satan's angels was sent to make me suffer terribly, so that I would not feel too proud. [b] 8Three times I begged the Lord to make this suffering go away. 9But he replied, "My kindness is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak." So if Christ keeps giving me his power, I will gladly brag about how weak I am. 10Yes, I am glad to be weak or insulted or mistreated or to have troubles and sufferings, if it is for Christ. Because when I am weak, I am strong. 



Footnotes:

a 2 Corinthians 12:4 paradise: In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, this word is used for the Garden of Eden. In New Testament times it was sometimes used for the place where God's people are happy and at rest, as they wait for the final judgment. 
b 2 Corinthians 12:7 Of course. . . too proud: Or "Because of the wonderful things that I saw, one of Satan's angels was sent to make me suffer terribly, so that I would not feel too proud."