Ruminations and Ramifications

Humility

Obedience. This is something I have only just recently begun to understand as an imperative to the Christian faith. Doing everything without complaining or arguing. Considering EVERYONE else to be better than myself. And not feeling like I'm losing out or being walked all over, because in order to do that, I am NOT having a mind like Christ, or the mind of a servant.

This is how we win them over. We LOVE. Love does not originate as a feeling or emotion. Love originates out of obedience to the Father. I don't know how to explain this. But we have our sights set on the Father, our sin having been taken upon the shoulders of the Lamb. We don't love to be manipulative. We love simply because love elevates others and lowers ourselves. And this is the cross we are to bear. It isn't that difficult, but it is certainly something that is spiritually discerned.

It sure puts a different spin on that book "Boundaries".

On the other hand, we are not to compromise the truth. Jesus didn't want to just get along with and agree with the Pharisees who were spiritually oppressing the people. So I do not want to just get along with the ideologies of those who are spiritually oppressive. Who produce fruit of spiritual blindness in others, while telling them they really can see.

Like those who tried to drive Jesus over a cliff in Luke after He read from the scriptures and proclaimed to them the prophecy had been fulfilled.

I prophet isn't accepted in His hometown. This makes me wonder if America isn't more spiritually blind because we think we've got some sort of edge on who Jesus is. Remember, He grew up with those people in the synagogue. And they were mad that He told them He was the Messiah. How many of us grow up with Jesus, and when He reveals Himself to us we get angry because He isn't the person we grew up believing Him to be???

Oh, this is such a battle every day. It's not just a battle for truth, but a battle for humility. And my muscles barely feel capable of holding up the armor every day. My obedience muscles are out of shape for sure. I wanted marriage or another job... I wanted to control things. Then I wanted what I wanted at work. But that's not how it is supposed to be. How can I expect to win my boss over when I'm not even being obedient to him? When I cannot be trusted? When I act like I can do it better?

Jesus spent so much time of His life on earth simply being obedient. So much that we do not have record of the details. But we know that He was obedient to His earthly parents. This is so important. When He left the carpentry business (I'm assuming that's what He did with His earthly father) it had been after years of obedience to His parents. I doubt He ever rose up against them or corrected them. Part of His ministry was to live out that obedience to them.

Now it's time for me to START living out that obedience. I haven't been for so long. But now it is time to be trusted and counted upon as obedient to those who ask of me what is not unreasonable, even if it is something I don't want to give.

That is love.

Amen.

posted by Marcian @ 1:58 PM