10-27-2016

Good Morning All,

                 Philippians 2:8; “And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

     Sometimes, the Holy Spirit can really line stuff up for us.  This past summer I accompanied some of our youth to the National Youth Convention in New Orleans.  While we were there, we attended a fantastic Bible Study on Philippians.  This day’s study was on humility and what being humble means to a Christian. 

     As life goes, one of the students had lost her wristband which was needed to get into all the events.  I went with her to the main office to replace it.  As we rejoined our group, we came upon some other groups and visited with them about where we were from and so on.  As we met one group, we said we were from Mansfield, SD.  The adult looked at me and asked, “Are you Pastor Bret?  I read your devotion every day!”  Well that was really cool and unique to think we were 1200 miles from home but ran into someone who reads our devotion.

     Apparently, the young lady whose wristband broke was truly impressed.  When we got back to our group she told the others, “Our pastor is a rock star!!  Everyone knows him!”  Now I knew better but must confess that I was humming that old Mac Davis song “O, Lord it’s hard to be Humble.”  Then the Bible Study on humility started and the tune went away.  But that night, when we met just as our group, it played a role in our discussion.

    What does it mean to be humble for a Christian?  Too often, we think of the, “Aw shucks, it weren’t nothing” as humility but that isn’t the case.  For a Christian, it is not about degrading ourselves or downgrading what we do.  When we degrade ourselves we offend God and when we downgrade what we did we can offend the person who thanks us.  Probably the best description of humility for a Christian is the one the C.S. Lewis gave.  He wrote that humility is not thinking less of yourself rather it is thinking of yourself less.  It is not thinking we are worthless or of lesser value; it is thinking of others and their needs first.  This is what Jesus did when he came to die on the cross for us.  He laid aside his glory and thought of us more than He did himself. He humbled himself, for us, in order that his death would give us life eternal.

    Our humility comes from Jesus’ desire and command that we be a servant to others.  One of my fellow pastors signs his letters with the phrase, “Your fellow foot washer”.  This serves as a reminder of who we truly are.  We are servants of Christ who are serving Jesus by serving our fellowman.  In this capacity, we think of others and their needs especially in times of trouble or sorrow.  So, fellow foot washer, look around and see whom God has placed in your life’s path today that needs someone to share God’s grace and love with them.  Share God’s good news with them so they may experience the healing power of the kingdom of God.

Loving Savior, lead me to be humble like you, to think of the needs of others first. Guide me to serve you in all that I do.  Lead me to the hurting, the lost and the broken hearted.  Strengthen me with your Spirit.  In your loving name, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret