Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it. For what will it benefit someone if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will anyone give in exchange for his life?
Matthew 16:24-26
I can't tell you how many times I've heard someone say, "Don't pray for patience, 'cuz you might get it." It shows people know you develop patience by going through trials. So, at least they know the principle James spells out in the first chapter of the letter by his name. It also reveals immaturity, because without patience we will never be like Christ. So, every trial, every test, is a tool in the hand of a loving, transforming God who is working diligently to form us into the image of his Son. So, praying for patience is a prayer of surrender to the sanctifying grace of God. The only reason you wouldn't ask for it is if you didn't want to be like Christ.
What about humility? I've never heard anyone say, "Don't pray for humility, 'cuz you might get it." But, that's exactly what I've been thinking about since God rattled my cage in preparing for a teaching last week about the necessity of humility. The fear of praying for patience seems tame when compared to the fear of praying for humility. I mean, if God answers the prayer for patience, then I'm going through some stuff. If he answers the prayer for humility, I'm going through some stuff, too. But, the stuff I will go through to teach me humility could be far more painful. Here's why I say that.
Trials that produce patience are not necessarily personal. They may or may not assault my ego, my status, or my pride. The trials that produce humility will do exactly that. They will assault my ego, my status and my pride. They will dismantle SELF-assuredness, SELF-confidence, SELF-aggrandizement, and all other forms of SELF. They will work out the death of my self that was wrought on the cross.
Trials I can handle. Can I handle deflation? I know I need to. I need all of my SELF replaced with the character of Christ. I don't want to stand before God one day full of my self. I would rather stand before him empty of self, and full of Christ. For that to be a reality for me, I must believe today that he is a giver and not a taker. I must believe that all things work together for my good, because I am called by him for his purposes in love.
I don't have to be forced into humility. As a matter of fact, I'm not sure you can force someone into humility. I don't think that's what God has in mind. I believe he wants me to humble myself. So, while he may answer my prayer for humility by humbling me, he will also answer my prayer for humility by empowering me. He will empower me, and you, to humble ourselves.
So, God help me humble myself. Help me learn how to be a leader, and still be humble. Help me learn to wash feet, and what that means in the context of everyday life. Help me know how to be a humble servant in the middle of all the other imposing priorities of life. Help me develop the character of Christ by learning how my own character conflicts with his. Help me learn, as Paul did, the value of weakness. Help me serve selflessly as Jesus did, humbling himself to the point of death, even death on a cross.
(Picture is public domain in the United States: Français : Lavement des pieds de Saint Pierre par Jésus.)
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