“Jesus desires that we be willing to humble ourselves to serve others. He is looking for men and women who will ignore pride, position, and power in order to do whatever must be done, where it needs doing, and for whoever requires assistance.” ~Dr. Charles Stanley
For reflection: Philippians 2:1-14
Yielding for Grace
“But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore, be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.” (Luke 6:27-36 )
As I continue focusing on “GRACE”, I recognize this endeavor as both a challenge and a gift. Even though I want to think it’s getting easier for me to see God’s grace at work in my life, I’ve actually started to notice the times I need to extend grace to others and to keep an open heart for grace to take a deeper root in my own life.
I really desire to have a character that reflects God’s love and mercy, and as I pray to be the woman that God wants me to be, I’m realizing I have a lot of “self” to surrender.
I’m also learning that my chronic illness will not get me out of the lessons that God is teaching me. And, I know that I shouldn’t be shocked at this realization.
My latest lesson occurred on a day when I was coming out of a flare that had left me with extreme fatigue and pain in most of the joints in my body.
My husband volunteered to drive me to an appointment, but at the last minute another family member also asked him for a ride. This person’s destination was in the exact opposite direction of the location I needed to go.
Immediately I felt frustrated.
My husband, ever the diplomat, told me that he could take both of us. He gave me the choice to either ride with him or wait for him to come back and get me. He’s been this way since we met thirty-two years ago, so I shouldn’t have been surprised when he found a way to accommodate both of us.
I blamed the building anger, discouragement, and anxiety on my health, especially my negative attitude and thoughts – “I should be first! My needs met before anybody else’s!”
As I think about that situation, I see how much I resembled my children when they were little and in the midst of temper tantrums.
I’m thankful that I didn’t voice my selfish thoughts and that I listened to the gentle nudge of the Holy Spirit – “Humility. Grace. Compassion. Where are they?”
Passages of scripture threaded their way through my mind and caused me to back down and repent, seeking the very mercy from God that I was having trouble extending to our family member (Matthew 5:42; Luke 10:30-37; Galatians 5:13-14; Galatians 6:9-10; I Timothy 6:18-19).
I told my husband, “Go ahead and take them. I’ll wait until you get back.”
“Thank you for understanding,” he said.
When he left, I thanked God for my husband and for his kind heart. He has always been a generous man and never complains when he’s called upon to help family, friends, neighbors, or coworkers. He gives like today’s passage describes – generously and without thought of receiving anything back.
I sat down with a cup of tea and my Bible and asked God to speak to my heart and help me.
I’m ashamed that I believed my health should come first; that just because I was having a hard day I needed special consideration; that my husband should ignore the request for help and cater to me.
That is NOT what Jesus modeled or taught.
As I considered my actions and thoughts, I surrendered my desire to be first to the Lord and asked for the strength and courage to face each day as it unfolded, without demanding that my concerns take priority first.
And then, I read this prayer and quote:
“Lord, thank You that You do not grow weary. Give me strength to face whatever situation I am in today.” – David McCasland
“When life’s struggles make you weary, find strength in the Lord.” – David McCasland
It seemed like God was giving me a gentle reminder to keep my focus on Him and to trust Him to take care of everything that concerns me.
This episode has taught me that grace will often include surrender, generosity, and compassion.
Prayer: Father, forgive us for the times we fall short. Help us remember that we are here to serve and not to be served. No matter what is going on in our personal lives, when You give us the opportunity to assist others, please allow us to see it for what it is and give us the strength to magnify and glorify You through it. In Jesus’s name, we pray. Amen.
Luke 14:10 (NIV) – But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests.
When we first joined our church, we had no idea that a lot of important people were members. What drew us to our place of worship was the unpretentious attitude of our pastor, his availability to everyone and his willingness to greet everyone he encountered. Most important of all was his dynamic teaching of God’s Word – the whole truth.
It’s normal for us to attend church and see celebrities, local and national political figures, sports stars, and community leaders. World renowned gospel artists stop by, often treating us to impromptu concerts. Military and law enforcement personnel or business executives worship right next to doctors, lawyers, teachers, and stay at home moms. We’re not limited to a single race because ethnic diversity is something that is celebrated.
When it comes to seating, we never worry about “our seats.” We remain flexible – sometimes sitting close to the pulpit on the main floor. Other times we sit up in the balcony. I like sitting in the balcony because I have a great vantage point.
I’m not so sure that I’ll think of the balcony’s view in the same way – ever again.
Why? Although I live in Los Angeles and have met celebrities – both at church and outside of any church related function, the majority of them have been kind, friendly and inviting.
With this background, it is easy to imagine my horror when I observed a celebrity’s wife abusing her power.
She waltzed into church late, right before the pastor got up to speak. She stood in the aisle near the front of the church and refused to take the seat the usher offered her, which was a few rows back. Finally, the usher whispered to the man sitting on the aisle and gestured to the empty seats behind him. He nodded, grabbed his things and moved.
The celebrity’s wife nodded and smiled at the usher, sat down, slipped off her sunglasses and gave a small wave to the pastor’s wife.
I was shocked because her husband is an A-list celebrity. We’ve seen him sit all around the sanctuary, including in the balcony!
A few months after that incident, this same woman was a guest on a Christian TV talk show. She looked just as beautiful and glamorous on TV as she did in person. But it saddened me when I heard her begin to give her testimony. She talked about her many blessings and about all the opportunities that were coming her way; about all that she was doing for the poor and those less fortunate than her; how she loved everyone; how she never abused her position in society to do good and to serve others; how she was blessed to have a servant’s heart.
All I could think about was the Sunday morning when she pulled her VIP card. I wondered if the person she uprooted from their seat was watching the same show on “Christian TV.” Were they calling her a hypocrite? Were they shocked and appalled that the words coming out of her mouth did not match the actions she had taken?
Had they told their family and friends about the incident? What did the people sitting near them that day at church think? What type of reputation did our church have now? Were we all labeled hypocrites and phonies?
This whole matter made me realize that our everyday actions, decisions, and choices matter, even though they are small. It’s those moments we think of as insignificant that have the potential to ruin our testimony for Christ. I never want to look at someone else in judgment because I’m capable of doing so much worse.
I’m reminded that a prideful spirit and attitude can strike any one of us, even when we believe we are in the center of God’s will (Philippians 2:3-5). And while her actions disturbed me, I’m also aware of my need for mercy and grace, which causes me to utter a prayer for her as well as for myself.
Prayer: Father, let us love not in word only but with our actions and deeds. Let us not think more highly of ourselves than we should think, but let us esteem others more highly than ourselves.
[Additional Scripture reading: Matthew 23:1-12 (NIV); Acts 10:34 (ESV); Romans 2:11 ESV, and Luke 14:7-11 (NIV)]
Living Water by Dorothea Love 