A Monthly Reflection

“Try not to become a man of success,” said Albert Einstein, “but try to become a man of value.” While there may be some exceptions, it is usually true that valuable people are eventually recognized and appropriately honored. Success that comes only from self-promotion is temporary, and you may be embarrassed as you are asked to move down (Prov. 25:6–7).

Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 229.

This month we sought to be challenged to walk in humility.  Last month we realized that we need to grow in prayer and faith – a goal, but how?  I mentioned in my opening last time, “that we face those challenges typically on our own strength, with our own desires, for our own goals.  Our faith is in ourselves and of ourselves.  It is instinctive.  It is raw.  It is carnal.  The problem is that it is wrong.”  So true.  Let’s build on that, or should I say sink down a little farther in the weeds, where we belong.  We belong in the trenches, in the scum. 

Imagine for a second if the world had no pride, no selfish ambition, no desire to get ahead by stepping on others….

We cannot grow by ourselves – it is a delusion at worst and a false hope at best.  We need to return to our place where our Heavenly Father is in charge not only as He already is within space, time, etc., but where we allow Him to be in charge within us, by Him for Him.  When we are at this lowest place, we can begin to develop faith as we learn to trust Him more and more and through prayer.  We return to the truest order of things, of life itself.  When we are pushing against this grain of reality – His reality – we inevitably face all sorts of strife, trials, temptations, etc. and frankly things just go all wrong quite a bit.

The real problem is pride.  Humility we need, pride we seek.

We trade the pure sweet spirit of Jesus for the lust of the flesh and our own selfishness.

Our modern world is very competitive, and it is easy for God’s people to become more concerned about profit and loss than they are about sacrifice and service. “What will I get out of it?” may easily become life’s most important question (Matt. 19:27ff). We must strive to maintain the unselfish attitude that Jesus had and share what we have with others.

Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 230.

Again it is about focus.  Off us.  On Him.  Off our wanton desires.  On His glory and praise.

We need it.  Our spirit (if we allow it), needs to convene with His to help us with this pure sweetness.  This humility.  It is the only key, the only way.

So how can we get what we don’t have, don’t want, or bluntly just don’t think we need?

There is only one way.  One answer.  Ask Abba.  We need to prayerfully seek to surrender and ask for help not with humility for ourselves as the end, but with emptiness of ourselves for His sake.  It is not about obtaining directly a virtue for the sake of being proud in ownership of it – but not even knowing that we have it, being so unselfishly self-unabsorbed that nothing else matters except how we can please the Father.

That was Jesus’ mission – to do the will of His Father.  To lay it all down for His glory.

Reality check!

For me, yep, guilty.  I love myself.  Sometimes, and quite often.  I focus on me, me, me.  I want things.  I must have my way.  I get irritated and impatient.  I find faults in others.  I think higher than I ought about myself.  I push others away trying to be better or say things that make me feel better and them worse.  And many more.

I need His help.  I know it has been said roughly never to pray for patience (and perhaps humility), yet I think that humility can bring patience and vice-versa.  If you are patient than it is easier to be humble because you already know that you are not in charge and that you are at the mercy of His will for His purposes and glory.  In fact, you probably have already been humbled and thus have learned patience through that trial or circumstance.  If you are humble then, similarly, you know that you can be patient more naturally because the focus is on Him and not on yourself and thus you don’t need to strive to manipulate or control a situation through your own merits.

Smack – (reality check #2)

Remember how I stated to pray for humility.  Well another, and it will come sooner or later, is the fact of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  You can’t just erase what happened.  You can’t hide it in a closest or deny His existence.  We all know that Jesus walked this earth.  Some think that He was just a man, or a leader, or a great spiritual teacher – but if you examine the Scriptures, and really do some serious research perhaps from an evidentiary basis you will learn what the Truth is.  He came to help us, not harm us.  To serve and not to be served.  To show love, grace, and what really matters.  This gospel is truth.  This gospel is life.  This gospel is a point-proven fact and will be shown out to be even more “real” as time goes on.  Real reality will set-in and will be here before we know it.  Again, can’t run.  Again, can’t close your eyes and pretend it does not exist.

From Oswald Chambers:

God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ… – Galatians 6:14

The gospel of Jesus Christ always forces a decision of our will. Have I accepted God’s verdict on sin as judged on the Cross of Christ? Do I have even the slightest interest in the death of Jesus? Do I want to be identified with His death— to be completely dead to all interest in sin, worldliness, and self? Do I long to be so closely identified with Jesus that I am of no value for anything except Him and His purposes? The great privilege of discipleship is that I can commit myself under the banner of His Cross, and that means death to sin. You must get alone with Jesus and either decide to tell Him that you do not want sin to die out in you, or that at any cost you want to be identified with His death. When you act in confident faith in what our Lord did on the cross, a supernatural identification with His death takes place immediately. And you will come to know through a higher knowledge that your old life was “crucified with Him” (Romans 6:6). The proof that your old life is dead, having been “crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20), is the amazing ease with which the life of God in you now enables you to obey the voice of Jesus Christ.

Thus we come face-to-face with the road – our will to the left or His will to the right.  What is the cost?  What will it take?  Really that in-of-itself is self-focused.  The real question that we need to ask ourselves – is it worth it or better yet – is He worth it? 

The short answer is yes.  The longer one, the daily one, is more of a challenge.

Surrender, as mentioned numerous times before, is the key to the lock that holds the door to the true life and a real relationship.  This comes first and daily.

Out of this comes, and on the other side of the door is love for others and for Him even deeper.  And instead of saving up things on Earth, you save in your heart adoration for life and humility that helps weather the storms and frets of this world.

In one of the movies of the month, It’s a Wonderful Life, the main character George Bailey appears to be a great guy via world standards: a family man, a nationalist, an entrepreneur, cares for others within his town, sacrifices for his family, and more – yet when one of his associates loses a huge sum of money, George contemplates suicide because his life insurance policy can pay back the loss and more.  He believes he is better off dead (worth more).  Fortunately, though a few slaps in the spirit via some prompting/guidance from an angel he gets his wish – to see his life if he never existed – no identity. 

No Mr. Bailey.  It struck him.  He would have nothing because he (his identity) is nothing of himself or of money.  He needs people.  He needs his family.  His friends.  His life matters. 

Ours does too.   

Oswald continuing:

Every once in a while our Lord gives us a glimpse of what we would be like if it were not for Him. This is a confirmation of what He said— “…without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). That is why the underlying foundation of Christianity is personal, passionate devotion to the Lord Jesus. We mistake the joy of our first introduction into God’s kingdom as His purpose for getting us there. Yet God’s purpose in getting us into His kingdom is that we may realize all that identification with Jesus Christ means.

That’s our real purpose.  Without His life and without our relationship with Him, we are nothing.  We can do nothing.  We need Him.  Identity with Jesus means humility with the Father in mind.

So where does that leave us?

Are you reflective?  Where do you falter? 

I know I need His help with this. 

The clock is ticking away until my final physical breath….

Yours too….

I need help with witnessing.  I need help with trying to make provisions to allow Him to be #1.

I need help with surrender.  I need help with not being so quick to judge and slower to anger or frustration.

I need humility.

I need to have the need to have humility.

Oh please Father, please help me to be surrendered to you often and forever.  Please help all of us see you as #1 and allow you to be #1 in our lives no matter what the cost as you are totally worth it.  Please give us strength when we are weak trying to follow your will.  Please have mercy upon us as we have shortcomings, character flaws, and overall are prideful and stubborn creatures.  We need You; I need You.  Thank you for your grace and mercy as we are lost without you and desperately in-trouble.  Please help us to love you wholeheartedly as time goes on and for us to grow in love, adoration, and praise for You.

A partying thought:    

A reporter was interviewing a successful job counselor who had placed hundreds of workers in their vocations quite happily. When asked the secret of his success, the man replied: “If you want to find out what a worker is really like, don’t give him responsibilities—give him privileges. Most people can handle responsibilities if you pay them enough, but it takes a real leader to handle privileges. A leader will use his privileges to help others and build the organization; a lesser man will use privileges to promote himself.” 

Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 74.