Matthew 21:28-32

Matthew 21:28-32
English Standard Version (ESV)

  When James and John were hoping to sit at the right and left hand of Jesus in the Kingdom, they had a warped understanding of what it means to be in the Kingdom.  They viewed power the way we view it here on earth -- as something by which we compare one another.  We could probably rank all 7 billion people on the planet by how much earthly power they wield, from the highest statesmen and women to the recent sighting of the Amazonian man dubbed the 'World's loneliest man' who has never had any outside contact.  We can acummulate power and try and locate ourselves near the sources of it to make ourselves more important.
  What Jesus is teaching the pharisees here is that power in the kingdom of God doesn't work that way.  You don't get an extra trophy or an extra star in your crown for believing first.  No one gets bonus points and can sit next to the teacher in class in heaven because they managed not to completely mess up their life at some point.  God isn't looking to see who is more worthy of God's love.
  It's about simply accepting that we are lost and believing that in Jesus we have a Savior.  The more we are willing to be honest with ourselves and accept that we are sinful and broken and unworthy, the easier it is to accept that we need someone to help us sort ourselves out.  If it takes us twenty years and a lot of sin and brokenness to get to the point where we see we need a Savior, it's a sad tale that we have to wander in the wilderness for so long, but Jesus rejoices all the same when we come to accept that he is King and died for us.  Believing that you are better than someone who is a little more lost doesn't get you closer to God -- it can put you in danger of pride, which is the belief that you don't need a Savior as much as others because you're doing just fine. 
  So focus on the Savior, and trust that God is using all the things in your past to enrich your future ministry.  Past mistakes don't have to be baggage to weigh us down -- they can be gifts that enable us to reach out to other broken people and demonstrate that God can work in anyone's life.  We worship a God of grace, and I pray that the grace that accepts us can transform the way we treat one another.