The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is the strongest college football conference in the United States. The national champion often comes from the SEC. Teams like Alabama and Georgia are repeat champions. 

Vanderbilt University is a part of the SEC. It is not known for its football prowess. Its fame is in academics. As you might guess, it has never won a national championship and is found at the bottom of the SEC football standings year after year. 

But its graduates are known for their success after college. Many go on to highly successful careers in medicine and business, for example. As a rule, a degree from Vanderbilt is more valuable than one from Alabama. A Vanderbilt grad is likely seen as more intelligent than someone who went to Alabama. The former takes academics seriously, while the latter may have gone to college for the football games. (I know there are exceptions!) 

Years ago, I was watching a game between Alabama and Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt was getting killed on the field. After Alabama scored another touchdown, the Vanderbilt students chanted: “That’s alright, that’s OK, you’re going to work for us someday!” 

Even the Alabama student section laughed. The Vanderbilt cheer was based on a perception that was often true. Vanderbilt would be beaten and suffer humiliation on the football field, but for the vast majority of people in the stands, their fortunes would be reversed in the future. While they would lose this game, the Vanderbilt students would be the winners in the long run. They would own businesses for which many of the Alabama graduates would work. 

This is not only true among SEC football teams. It is true in the Church. One day, the disciples were arguing among themselves about which of them would be greatest in the kingdom. During the football game, the Alabama students could brag about how great they and their team were. The disciples looked at their present circumstances and argued as to why they were greater than those around them. 

But the Lord says that is not the way it will be in the future. Roles will be reversed. In Christ’s kingdom, the believers who are currently seen as being the least will, in fact, be the greatest (Luke 9:46-48). Vanderbilt students may have found themselves at the bottom of the football rankings, but they will one day tower over the Alabama students. 

In Matthew 23:11, the Lord says that the one “who is greatest among you shall be your servant.” Believers who serve others in this life may look like losers in comparison to more seemingly successful people. They often go unnoticed and get no fanfare. They may not get any awards. They often acknowledge others as being better than themselves. That’s what a servant does. 

But they are like the Lord. He was a Servant (Mark 10:45). Such believers have eternal glory stored up for them. 

Many believers around us seem insignificant, much like the Vanderbilt football team. They are not impressive. Instead, we are more likely to be impressed by successful, famous believers. If we were ever to express that sentiment, it would serve us right if the lowly servants started their own chant (even though they would never do it): “That’s alright, that’s OK, you’re going to work for us one day!”