I will start this blog out by admitting that many of these thoughts are not my own, they come from wiser people who have a better grasp on the ways of God than I. For instance this blog is fueled by equal parts my life and by a recent sermon podcast I heard by Mark Driscoll on The Parable of the Wedding Feast (if you are into podcast you should check out what Driscoll is doing now, he is going through the book of Luke... it has been awesome thus far. Check out Mark Driscoll or Mars Hill Church Seattle to get it.) So basically if you know the parable of the wedding feast you know it is overall a story of pride and placement. I myself have felt as though I have been living this parable for the past two months.
Not that I think I was proud in my position as youth pastor... I don't think I really was (you may feel different, and the fact I say i am not proud in that position actually signifies a little pride in not being proud) but I suffered with more of an overall pride of life. But I can now look back at many things that has occurred in this new year and see how God is starchily opposing my pride. Whether it was my inauspicious departure, my quick replacement, my foiled plans of a church world tour or of course the great blog fiasco of 2011, I am coming face to face with big pride issues in my life. There are much more intimate moments and personal issues where God is allowing me to let go of my pride but since the great blog fiasco I might just keep'em to myself.
For those of you who do not know about the blog fiasco, a few weeks ago I posted a blog and in discussed the church we are frequenting now. I shared a certain thought that entered my head about the way some things were done and the way someone looked. I in that same moment as the thought popped in my head realized the hypocrisy of judging by appearance and repented for it. Anyway some friends of ours at Crossview read it and then passed it along to many of the staff members at the church. I find out and became very embarrassed by my honesty, they of course were just pumped we like the church but from my view I judged the pastor which could create an awkward and even negative first impression."Hi, My name is Justin, I am a judgemental jerk who doesn't like your shoes and has a very narrow opinion of God, nice to meet you". Anyway this Sunday I went to speak to the Executive pastor and we began to talk and then he realized who I was and said "Hey, You're The Blog Guy!". Humility party of 1!
Anyway all my personal examples aside Mark Driscoll made a point that in that very moment driving home from work shook me to my core. He basically said that humility by focusing on humility is still pride. In other words "I know I am proud so I am going to try to be very humble". This is still based on me, he says true humility is only a bi-product of being close to Jesus. A definition of humility is gladly accepting your deserved position and not your wanted position. When we are close to Christ it is easy to know our position, he is God and my only place worthy to be is at his feet giving thanks.
At the root of all sin is pride, yet we as a society place so much importance of pride and self esteem. My prayer for my life is to see and replicate the humility of Christ, who being God lowered himself not only into flesh but into poverty to save those who despised him... That my friends is humility!
QUESTION OF THE DAY
Through the years I have heard many men of God say this phrase: "Look if you are right and there is no God than you would have gained nothing. But if I am right and there is a God than you stand to lose everything."
I always squirm when I hear it... it just doesn't sit right with me... What do you think, is there anything wrong with this statement?
I myself do not like this phrase. Although it is true that those who do not know the Lord will lose everything in the end, it is not the way to help someone in their relationship with God. To me, it is getting them to believe in God because of fear and not the relationship. Instead we need to be an example and show them who God is through our life.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is an OK phrase; Jesus Himself used warnings concerning personal loss in His teaching (see, for example, the end of the Sermon on the Mount in the closing verses of Matt 7 or His statement that His hearers should fear the one who can destroy both body and soul in Hell). However, this should not (IMO) be the only way one seeks to compel people to call out to Christ for salvation for (to build on Rachel's thought) the kindness of the Lord leads to repentance (Rom 2:4).
ReplyDeleteTo me Andrew I guess it is the fact that Jesus would have never said... hey if I am not who I say I am than what do you gain but if I am than you are messed up. It is the whole IF issue. I guess I don't like the "if" from a pulpit.
ReplyDelete