I See You As.....

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Philippians 2:3 (NLT)

Sometimes the hardest thing about my day is dealing with people. They can be so annoying. I know that doesn’t sound very Christlike; but hear me out.

A little while ago I was sitting in a meeting and honestly, when I left I was just so bothered. There was the person who snorted disapprovingly after I said something. There was the other attendee who was super kind but I wasn’t sure grasped what we were trying to do. There was the woman who wanted to reschedule a meeting we’d had on the calendar for months because she schedule a conflict.

I sit in these meetings and all of these thoughts pop into my head….which I cannot say out loud because that would really NOT be Christlike. We work through the issues and everything gets settled but I leave bothered. On this particular occasion, every time I thought about it I was bothered again. So I decided to bring in the big guns and I prayed about it.

As I did, I remembered a conversation we recently had in Bible Study about humility. Learning humility is hard and it is a life-long lesson. You see, being humble isn’t about plastering a smile on your face, saying what is politically correct and moving on. It’s about the state of your heart.

Do I believe in my core that others are better than me? WOW! That goes against all that we are taught in western society doesn’t it? But it was Christ’s way. Philippians 2 says:

6 Though he was God,
    he did not think of equality with God
    as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
    he took the humble position of a slave
    and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
8     he humbled himself in obedience to God
    and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

If I want to be like Jesus, this is the example I have to follow. I fully admit it is going to take some work. In a lot of situations I am fine with this but there are days where I am terrible at it. So what am I going to do about it? I am going to try to refrain from saying things out loud, put a smile on my face and pray right then and there that God will change me. I am going to ask him to help me see everyone as he sees them and to soften my heart to be like Jesus.

I may not fully get there until Jesus comes but I just have to do it today. Every day I try to be like Jesus, that day will be a success.

How Dare They!

Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Romans 12:18 (NLT)

We went on a family vacation to the beach. There were lots of us there which meant lots of laughter, lots of love and lots of attitude. You know how it goes. Family dynamics are messy and no matter how hard you try, it’s ..... well... messy. 

One day, someone did something that sent my heart to grumbling. I wasn’t mad but indignant. Why would they do that? Didn’t they understand that I needed to be treated with more respect than that? And the thoughts kept pushing through my head until....I stepped aside and said “Lord, what is wrong with me?” 

And this verse popped into my head.

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Philippians 2:3

That was the problem.  I was thinking of myself as better than others....like I deserved some treatment because of my position in the family. As I pondered this, I understood how easy it is to get side-tracked from how God is calling us to be. No matter where we are, what we are doing, who we are with, our job is to stay focused on Jesus. 

Staying connected and having refocused, I was able to let go of the me-first attitude and stay firmly planted where God wanted me....living life in my family as a servant. It was a much better day after that.

I Can't But God Can

Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it.But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” Genesis 41:15-16 (NIV)

Here was Joseph, standing before Pharaoh, the ruler of the world. Can you imagine? You are brought from prison, bathed and suited up and taken before a king. I imagine that must have been a little nerve racking.  After all, Joseph knew that if Pharaoh wasn't pleased, he executed you.

And then Pharaoh said "I hear you interpret dreams." Do you think Joseph pondered if he should or shouldn't say yes? What if he interpreted them wrong? What if the interpretation didn't come true? Pharaoh would impale him on a pole like he did the Chief Baker.

Those are all the thoughts that would have gone through my head. But, not Joseph. 

Joseph was sure of who he was and who gave him the interpretations. He knew on his own he could not accomplish such a great task. He knew who God was and what God had done in his life. Joseph gave God the glory. 

In our lifetime, we probably will never be called before a King to interpret their dreams. But how often do people tell us what a great thing we did and we are tempted to take the credit for it? I know in my life, anything good that is done is because God did it. His hand is in everything and he deserves the glory. 

Over and over in the Bible we see the downfall of God's people happen when they stop looking at what God is doing and start believing that it's about them. It is never about us. It is always about God. I pray that, like Joseph, we will humbly remember to give God the glory as we say "I cannot do it but, God can."

What I Really Need For Christmas

Though he was God,
    he did not think of equality with God
    as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
    he took the humble position of a slave
    and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
    he humbled himself in obedience to God
    and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Philippians 2:6-8 (NLT)

He came as a baby. He was born in basically a barn; laying in a feed trough where animals drooled. You can't get much more base than that. Yet, he was God. He gave up living like God, he gave up being divine, so we could live. What a sacrifice. And knowing this, I still sometimes think I should have it better than I do. I sometimes act entitled. What is wrong with me?

Maybe this Christmas I need to pray for the humility of Christ.

That's My Son

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. Luke 2:19 (NIV)

When we go back to Greece to visit, I am often surprised at the intimacy of the villages. Usually, folks know we are there to visit before we reach out to them. Someone saw us and started telling folks and the word gets out.

I would guess Mary experienced this in a much greater magnitude. What do you think she heard as she walked around villages and towns?

"Did you hear what Jesus did? He made the blind man see."
"Jesus healed the leper."
"It's too incredible to believe, he walked on water!"
"Jesus fed 5,000 men with just 5 loaves and 2 fish!"

The Bible tells us in a few places that Mary pondered (treasured) these things in her heart. Here's my question. How did she stay humble? I'm a Mom. I am super proud of my kids. My heart swells when I see them and I feel good. Here is this Mom who has a son that is the Son of God. He heals people! He calms storms! How would you keep your pride in check in that scenario?

Maybe that's why God chose Mary. Maybe he knew that she would keep coming to him each day to keep herself grounded. Mary was not supernatural. She was a human that needed a Savior just like we do. I am sure she struggled with being a Mom, being a woman, being a human just like the rest of us. We don't know a ton about her but we know she had a relationship with God because God said she found favor in his sight. We also know she pondered....contemplated....thought about the things that were happening....is it possible this could also mean she prayed about them? In all that pondering, was she praying?

I look at Mary and I want that.  I want that relationship with God that grounds me so well that no matter what good is happening in my life, I stay humble. I stay connected. I want to stay grounded in the one thing that is true. I want to always remember that it's God who is doing great things, not me.

Father God, It is impossible for us to be humble without you. As soon as we think about how humble we are, we are not humble! But you, Holy Spirit, can change us from the inside out so that we can truly experience your humility. Please do that in my life. Amen

A Minute In It - Pharisee or Tax Collector?

A minute in God's word will change your life. Take a minute to read the passage below. Then, ask yourself the questions at the bottom of the post.

Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’

“But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14 (NLT)

Which one are you? The Pharisee or the tax collector?