"Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that He had come from God, and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing...and began to wash his disciples' feet." John 13:3-5
Did you see that? The Holy Son of God, the Great I AM took off his outer clothes and washed his disciples' feet! The One to whom all creation must bow knelt on the floor and performed the dirtiest of tasks, knowing full well that He was on His way to His own execution. Doesn't that just make you gasp? What is that? What would make Him do such a thing? One word, Love. Love for His Father, and love for his followers.
Jesus knew WHO he was (and is) and WHOSE He was (is). Because of that security in His identity and his position, He was able to boldly follow in servanthood.
Bold Humility.
Being certain of our position in Christ gives us the security and boldness to serve others with humility. We have no need to prove or defend ourselves. Our proof is already complete in Christ. Our defense is already made in Christ. We can walk in humility without concern for what others might think, because we are holy and righteous and we are daughters and sons of the Most High God.
What does this mean for us and for our children? It means that we can teach them to serve, to minister, to walk in humility and to do it all boldly. There is no fear, there is no shame in humility found in Christ. That's where the boldness comes in. Our boldness is also in Him.
I have been troubled recently by the lost art of teaching girls and young women to be Christlike ladies. Our culture has determined that ladylike characteristics are weak and less than desirable. The world says that "girls can do everything boys can do". The world says that riotous behavior is more fun that righteous behavior. The world says that outward beauty is worth more than inward beauty. And so our girls want to be funny, they want to be strong, they want to be loud and they want to be beautiful. We have lost the art of teaching them to be graceful and gracious and quiet and...yes...beautiful. We do them a great disservice.
Instead, we should show them how to live in bold humility. Not ashamed of their gracefulness or graciousness or inward beauty, but confident in their position in Christ. That confidence is a most beautiful, most desirable, most Christlike trait.
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require
of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your
God. Micah 6:8
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 1Corinthians 13:4
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:2
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe
yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Friday, May 11, 2012
Sunshine Award
I was just awarded the Sunshine Award from K. Henriques Photography. Thank you! The Sunshine Award is awarded to bloggers who “positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere”. As an award winner apparently I am supposed to ask a few questions about myself and then nominate my favorite bloggers for the award. (I changed a couple of questions to suit me.)
My Questions
1. favorite color : coral
2. My favorite animal : dogs, particularly mine
3. My favorite book of the Bible : Ephesians
4. My favorite drink : Hot, regular coffee first thing in the morning
5. Facebook or twitter : Facebook...Twitter annoys me
6. My passion : Jesus, then my family
7. Prefer giving or getting presents : giving
8. My favorite song : Virtuoso, by David Phelps (preferably as performed by Ballet Magnificat!)
9. My favorite day of the week : Sunday
10. My favorite season: Summer!
Now, my nominees are:
Proverbs31gal (Debbie)
PrayerintheTanningBed (Karen)
JoyfullyEverAfter (Lisa) (Ridley's blog is also a favorite, but I can hear him laughing now at the thought of completing this, so I am not nominating him, but I will mention him anyway! )
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
It's All About Us, and Therein Lies the Problem
I ran across this today, from a favorite blog of mine (Raising Godly Children):
(James Smith, Affliction Regarded" 1865)
"They shed innocent blood-the blood of their sons and daughters whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; so the land became polluted with blood!" Psalm 106:38
We may plead guiltless as to the shedding of the blood of the body - but there is the blood of souls! How many of us have sacrificed our children to the idols of the present Canaan - fashion, custom, dress, amusements, and worldly conformity in general!
Look at the poor example we give them!
Look at the worldly company we choose for them!
Look at the carnal practices we allow them to indulge in!
O how many of our children have been sacrificed to the custom, fashion, and the various idols of the world!
These words were published in 1865! Yes, nearly 150 years ago, and yet look at what he said. He refers to carnal practices, worldly company, idols of fashion! If this was true 150 years ago, is it not more so today?
I was recently made aware of The Gospel Project , a new teaching tool from Lifeway with the aim of "immerse(ing) participants — adults, students, and kids — in the gospel through every story, theological concept, and call to missions from Genesis to Revelation." Matt Chandler introduces the curriculum briefly in a video clip on the website. I urge you to check out the website and listen to Matt's video. He uses the story of David and Goliath to explain how the Gospel Project approaches Scripture. Basically, he explains that many (most) people view the story of David and Goliath by putting themselves in the place of David, and their problems in the place of "Goliath". But this isn't the point of the story at all. David is a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ and Goliath is sin. David's victory over Goliath is, likewise, a foreshadowing of Christ's triumph over sin. (First and foremost, David and Goliath were actual people, and this account is an actual encounter. But God used their encounter to demonstrate his plans for our future salvation. Don't miss the reality and truth of the Scriptures.)
In thinking about this understanding of Scripture, and in discussing it with others, I made the observation that one of the reasons so many people, students and adults alike, have difficulty with God's Word is that our culture has developed a "me-centered" theology. We think it's all about us. We go to the Bible to find out how we are to live our lives, how we are to deal with our problems, and what God is going to do for us. That is not at all what the Bible is about. The Bible is God's revelation of Himself to the world. Yes, we can learn from it and fashion our thinking and lives on it's premises (and we should do just that). But the point of Scripture is to know God. Once we know Him, our lives will naturally reflect that knowledge. Our problems, likewise, will pale in comparison to His glory. And understanding who He is, we see the immensity of what He has already done for us.
So, back to that "me-centered" theology. Doesn't it permeate everything in our culture? In our churches? We are a generation who has been made to believe that our desires, our needs, our likes and dislikes dictate everything we do. And we are raising a generation who believes this even more than we ever did. We live in a culture of political correctness, fairness, "rights", and tolerance. We make our decisions as a culture, as churches, as families, based on how our children will "feel". We never allow them to hurt. We never allow them to work. We worry about them having fun, having things, having friends. And so they believe that they should always feel good, should always get what they want, should always enjoy whatever they are doing. And then, we are surprised that they walk away from their "faith" (if it ever was faith). To quote my husband, "If we keep giving them everything they want, how in the world will they ever understand grace?" It's no wonder they don't understand the depth of the love of God for them. It's no wonder they don't return that love with enthusiasm.
(James Smith, Affliction Regarded" 1865)
"They shed innocent blood-the blood of their sons and daughters whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; so the land became polluted with blood!" Psalm 106:38
We may plead guiltless as to the shedding of the blood of the body - but there is the blood of souls! How many of us have sacrificed our children to the idols of the present Canaan - fashion, custom, dress, amusements, and worldly conformity in general!
Look at the poor example we give them!
Look at the worldly company we choose for them!
Look at the carnal practices we allow them to indulge in!
O how many of our children have been sacrificed to the custom, fashion, and the various idols of the world!
These words were published in 1865! Yes, nearly 150 years ago, and yet look at what he said. He refers to carnal practices, worldly company, idols of fashion! If this was true 150 years ago, is it not more so today?
I was recently made aware of The Gospel Project , a new teaching tool from Lifeway with the aim of "immerse(ing) participants — adults, students, and kids — in the gospel through every story, theological concept, and call to missions from Genesis to Revelation." Matt Chandler introduces the curriculum briefly in a video clip on the website. I urge you to check out the website and listen to Matt's video. He uses the story of David and Goliath to explain how the Gospel Project approaches Scripture. Basically, he explains that many (most) people view the story of David and Goliath by putting themselves in the place of David, and their problems in the place of "Goliath". But this isn't the point of the story at all. David is a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ and Goliath is sin. David's victory over Goliath is, likewise, a foreshadowing of Christ's triumph over sin. (First and foremost, David and Goliath were actual people, and this account is an actual encounter. But God used their encounter to demonstrate his plans for our future salvation. Don't miss the reality and truth of the Scriptures.)
In thinking about this understanding of Scripture, and in discussing it with others, I made the observation that one of the reasons so many people, students and adults alike, have difficulty with God's Word is that our culture has developed a "me-centered" theology. We think it's all about us. We go to the Bible to find out how we are to live our lives, how we are to deal with our problems, and what God is going to do for us. That is not at all what the Bible is about. The Bible is God's revelation of Himself to the world. Yes, we can learn from it and fashion our thinking and lives on it's premises (and we should do just that). But the point of Scripture is to know God. Once we know Him, our lives will naturally reflect that knowledge. Our problems, likewise, will pale in comparison to His glory. And understanding who He is, we see the immensity of what He has already done for us.
So, back to that "me-centered" theology. Doesn't it permeate everything in our culture? In our churches? We are a generation who has been made to believe that our desires, our needs, our likes and dislikes dictate everything we do. And we are raising a generation who believes this even more than we ever did. We live in a culture of political correctness, fairness, "rights", and tolerance. We make our decisions as a culture, as churches, as families, based on how our children will "feel". We never allow them to hurt. We never allow them to work. We worry about them having fun, having things, having friends. And so they believe that they should always feel good, should always get what they want, should always enjoy whatever they are doing. And then, we are surprised that they walk away from their "faith" (if it ever was faith). To quote my husband, "If we keep giving them everything they want, how in the world will they ever understand grace?" It's no wonder they don't understand the depth of the love of God for them. It's no wonder they don't return that love with enthusiasm.
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