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Often before turning in at night, I dim the lights, sit back in my chair and listen to music to internalize the call from Above -- to, as Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still, and know that I am God" (emphasis added throughout). A regular song choice is "All Things New" by Elaine Hagenberg (words from Revelation). Its lyrics speak of the dynamic contrast between our current age and what God offers in His new world yet to come.
In listening, I reflect on those who've elected to lay down their old lives in heeding Jesus Christ's invitation of "Follow Me" (Luke 9:23; John 21:21-23). And I'm sobered that we all have some road yet to travel, and more to lay aside and jettison, as we strive to embrace the clarion declaration in 2 Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
This "new" referred to is "not from around here" -- but from Above. It speaks of not simply being better, but uniquely transformed from where we first heeded Jesus' invitation. After all, disciples of Christ are called in preparation to be not merely guests at the wedding supper but His actual Bride (see 2 Corinthians 11:2, Revelation 19:6-7).
Let us explore just one dynamic contrast between what is passing away and what being new in Christ is like. I speak of the spiritual gulf between pride and humility -- and the need to be rid of the former and to put on the latter.
Pride is the original sin and the gateway to all sins, then and now. Think about it! Pride begins with self-interest in place of God's will. The god of this current self-absorbed age, Satan the devil (2 Corinthians 4:4), tried to presumptuously impose His will over the throne of God. His ill-fated initial coup is highlighted in Isaiah 14: "For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High'" (verses 13-14). Note that pride is given birth in the heart, yet leads to what's said. And in what's said we hear the "roar of I" broadcast throughout the ages -- five times in two verses along with one "my." Dare I say, self-absorption?
What a contrast between this created being as a "wannabe god" and the uncreated One, the I Am, who dwelt among us (John 1:14) and submitted to His Father, stating, ". . . Not My will, but Yours, be done" (Luke 22:42). He had earlier proclaimed: "I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me" (John 5:30). And remarkably, He wholeheartedly and perfectly practiced what He preached.
Scripture paints the ultimate picture of humility in which Jesus died on the altar of Golgotha for a time that we might live forever with God: "Let nothing be done out of strife or conceit, but in humility let each esteem the other better than himself. Let each of you look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Let this mind be in you all, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped [tightly held onto]. But He emptied Himself, taking upon Himself the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in the form of a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:3-8, Modern English Version)
It's here that we discover Jesus stripped bare and yet, in line with 1 Peter 5:5, "clothed with humility." And consider that as He emptied Himself of His divine glory and power in becoming the Lamb of God, we must in turn as "a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God" (Romans 12:1), give up ourselves, surrendering our lives completely.
How then do we become "clothed with humility"? God's Word awakens us by stating, "Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall" (1 Corinthians 10:12). It's been said, "A man can counterfeit love, he can counterfeit faith, he can counterfeit hope and all the other graces, but it is very difficult to counterfeit humility." It's one thing to make a humble profession of be-ing Jesus' disciple, but it's quite another step to consistently practice humility as a way of life. The good news is that God says, "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land" -- our lives! (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Let us grasp that "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6). We have a target-rich environment in which to grow and embrace humility and allow God to work in us rather than the little god called self. Here are some areas to focus on toward that aim.
1. Humility before God in prayerful need: Prayer with bowed head without a bowed heart goes nowhere! Learn to praise God more and complain less. In Ephesians 1:1, the apostle Paul says he's an apostle, but this is not just a statement of title and mission underlined with pride. As biblical commentator William Barclay brings out, this is a confession of sheer amaze-ment that God would even use a man with such a past. Paul then moves on for 13 verses without a punctuating period in breathless gratitude towards God. Additionally, examine the prayer outline Jesus gave us, His disciples, in Matthew 6:9-13. It begins and ends with praise towards the Almighty. Learn that prayer is more than the physical posture of your prayer life, but the composition of our hearts.
2. Humility towards the world: As we look on others, always remember to take hold of the grand reality "There but for the grace of God go I." It is not about you or me but the One who delivered us! This should be the motivating engine of our thoughts (and not the caboose being dragged behind) -- that it is God alone who calls us and gives us eyes to see and ears to hear (John 6:44; 1 Corinthians 2:9). Remember that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Roman 3:23) and that even as earnest disciples we will stumble along the way while striving to heed Jesus' invitation of "Follow Me."
3. Humility towards others in how we communicate: How we approach people, talk over people, interrupt, answer a matter before it is shared, etc., speaks volumes, revealing what is lodged in our hearts. God's Word exhorts: "Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath" (James 1:19). Remember Satan's pronoun profile? A changed, humble spirit will drop the avalanche of "I" and "my" references. Such a change of heart with recognition of need is a worthy exercise toward building inward character, bending to following Christ's example of selflessness.
It has been said, "God has two thrones, one in the highest heavens, the other in the lowliest hearts." Until next time, as we heed Jesus' invitation of "Follow Me," let us remain humble, giving all credit to God, to whom it belongs. In the words of 1 Corinthians 1:31, "He who glories, let him glory in the Lord."
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