Now here’s an Idea... After spending a couple of weeks working in Africa a comment was made to me about humility in our lives as Christians. What it looks like, how it is communicated, perceived, and lived. That comment has been niggling at my consciousness throughout the single engine plane flight to the capital city, the afternoon, during dinner, onto the Boeing 777, in-between naps during the night...and into this morning sitting in the Air France lounge.
Caveat, right up front!
Not many people are probably going to appreciate this perspective, but I think there will be some who agree. And sometimes thoughts should percolate.
Might need to open the thought with a couple others first...
Humility: Walking with God in recognition of what HE has done, is doing, and will do in the future.
Perspective: A right understanding of God. Impossible to fully grasp at this time, or ever for that matter, but should be growing steadily!!
I walk with God. THE God who created the Universe. Why should I be anything but humble? God who created me - loves me. That reality alone is awesome, literally. He gives me the breath that I breathe. How can I truly take any credit for any “accomplishments”? To admit I am entirely dependent on Him only makes sense.
“Life’s dim windows of the soul
distort the heaven’s from pole to pole
And goad you to believe a lie,
when you see with, not through, the eye”
- William Blake
God created my eyes. He gave me sight. Gave me my mind, my hands, gifts, abilities.
I cannot take pride in this. They are gifts given out of His love, design, purpose, and choice. What option do I have but to give them back to Him? How could I honestly think I could steal them as my own, or somehow contrive the flimsiest excuse of a thought that somehow I am “Captain of my destiny”? What ludicrous foolishness! Yet, to those who do not realize this relationship - to them - I am the fool. They are blind to the truth that there is no such thing as a “self-made man/woman”. We do not create our destiny. We are simply given the choice to accept or reject God. No middle ground. And some are not given that choice. For those who know me, you know who some of those are - for certain.
Now the thought: God has made this vessel holy. And it is made holy by Him, for Him, and completely HIS.
Some religious leaders would have me consider my life as nothing but a hideous evil, an ignominy, a physical being harboring a heart that is full of sin, evil, and has nothing good within it. They love to quote Calvin and Augustine along these lines.
But somehow they don’t seem to recall the words of my Creator: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” - John 11:25.
Or, “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean...” - 13:10
“Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”- 14:19-20.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.; apart from me you can do nothing.” - 15:5
“My prayer is not for them [the disciples] alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message [that means me and all others who have believed in and given their lives to Jesus], that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me [!!], that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” - -17:20-23.
When I read these passages and numerous others, I realize that I can not look down upon nor denigrate my God’s creation. I have no choice but to respect it greatly - to be in awe of His goodness and praise Him with every thought, action, breath.
God does not live in sin. He does not indwell hideous evil. His spirit does not indwell unholy vessels. The vessels are not intrinsically holy. Because of sin the human vessel is unutterably evil without His presence. But His presence changes everything!
Do not denigrate what God has done by calling it evil! Take no pride in the blessing we have received from Him. Only be entirely grateful and give praise to the Awesome God we serve! I thank God I no longer have a wicked and unbelieving heart, even though I am tempted at times to act and feel like I do - when I see with, not through, my eyes.
It is when I see life from a perspective of one locked inside a vessel that is “me” and accept every facet as evil, unregenerate, despicable...I have no choice but to see myself as unloveable, evil, despicable. But this is not the creation God has made - at least not now - because His Spirit now lives within me. I see through my eyes - seeing life from within a vessel that while wasting away has been remade into a holy vessel because of the LIFE that GOD has placed within me! The vessel is pure, not because of me, but because of the Spirit of God that dwells within me. His touch has made the leper clean. Literally.
So, back to my earlier comment -
There is no room for anything BUT humility. All gifts, abilities, sight (physical/spiritual), understanding, wisdom...are simply that - gifts! We are stewards of abilities and opportunities. Yet even then He is willing and will direct and guide according to our obedience to his command: To love one another. There is no pride in real love. Only a desire to see every person through eyes which have opened to see from the perspective of Jesus. Not the view of people and life from an unregenerate perspective. But of Jesus.
And He said he would do that for me. For you.
He can make each of us holy - Now - Give us eyes to see through and continually grow in appreciation of His incredible love for each one of us.
That truth settled deeper into my soul this trip to Africa.
A deeper desire to love out of a heart that has been filled with the love that Jesus gives. To live in an expression of a pure heart that has been redeemed and changed. To see through eyes that have been given His perspective. To see dimly now, but ever clearer. And never return to lies that blinded me in the past. To choose truth - the reality and person - Jesus.
There is no room for pride in this body. All is lost without the presence of Jesus alone. A vessel that is made holy by His presence. And I long for the day when we will be in that Presence and it is seen clearly beyond what any of us can imagine! To experience love as it truly IS. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Heb 13:8
THAT is reality :-)
