Tag Archives: self worth

Humility

Living in the Spirit
November 10, 2018

Scripture Reading: Mark 12:38-44

As he taught, he said, ‘Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the market-places, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.’ –Mark 12:38-40

My Bible study group is currently reviewing the book of Esther. Upon reading the above scripture, I immediately thought of Haman the antagonist in the story of Esther. He was not a Jew; he was the one who schemed to have all the Jews killed thus leading to Esther’s intervention to save her people. Haman was rather full of himself. Being self-centered and self-promoting is not limited to religious leaders, but they are as susceptible to such behavior as are all humans. How do we walk humbly with our Lord*?

Merriam-Webster defines humble as having a low opinion of one’s own importance or merits:  modest or meek in spirit, manner, or appearance:  not proud or haughty** In the Hebrew, humble is a root word describing itself.

Having a low opinion of one’s own importance does not mean having low self-esteem. It carries the connotation that one’s worth is not better than any other’s worth.

Jesus was not stating anything new in the above scripture; he was clarifying ancient teachings. It is interesting that this scripture falls in the lectionary immediately after the national elections in the USA where we have been assaulted with claims and counterclaims of candidates’ qualifications for office. Some fit the description of the scribes Jesus described, others walked the fine line between maintaining humility while trying to prove to voters that they are the most qualified for the position they seek. While we may not be on the political stage in our daily lives, we represent Christ as we serve him. What message do we send as we interact with people who translate our actions as representative of Christ? I was raised with the idea that my behavior reflected good or bad on how others judged my whole family. Is that not also true of the family of God?

Prayer: Lord, keep my focus on my mission not on myself. Amen.

*See Micah 6:8
**http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/humble

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

 

The Covenant Way

Living in the Spirit
July 26, 2017

Scripture Reading: Psalm 105:1-11, 45b

He is the Lord our God;
   his judgments are in all the earth.
He is mindful of his covenant for ever,
   of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
the covenant that he made with Abraham,
   his sworn promise to Isaac,
which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
   to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
saying, ‘To you I will give the land of Canaan
   as your portion for an inheritance.’ 

that they might keep his statutes
   and observe his laws.
Praise the Lord! Psalm 105:7-11, 45b

In all the soap opera that was the house of Abraham, God kept God’s part of the covenant relationship while Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob stumbled along the journey sometimes on the right path sometimes not. We do the same today. Our Psalmist attests to the two-way relationship of covenant and indicates that God even goes further sustaining our ability to keep our covenant commitment to God.

What is it about humans that we seemed hell-bent on seeking our worth through means outside of God’s purview? Our pridefulness, lust for power, and greed are anathema to God’s ways. Yet, we chase after them with every fiber of our being. What would the world be like if we put that much energy in humbly fulfilling the work of justice and mercy that Christ sent us forth to do following his resurrection?

We worry about how others judge us when the only judge we have that matters is God whose forgiveness and eternal love always accompanies God’s judgment. Yes, I know only too well how much we do not want to look bad in front of others. Some of us are most likely our worst judges. We expect far more of ourselves than anyone else does.

I fear we project onto God experiences of trust involving humans that may not have gone well. We need to let those bad experiences go and lean ever more faithfully on God’s everlasting arms to carry us through similar future encounters not let them frame our lives with bitterness.

Prayer: Forgive me, O God, when I turn from following your guidance. Attune me to your Spirit  so I can follow you more nearly. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Our Inheritance

In the arms of GodLiving in the Spirit
Light a Candle for Children
October 7, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Exodus 32:1-14

 But Moses implored the Lord his God, and said, ‘O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, “It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth”? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, “I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it for ever.” ’ And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people. — Exodus 32:11-14

Why do people do wrong when they know better? Moses makes an interesting point in his negotiations with God in our scripture today. Moses doesn’t plead for the Israelites for their sake but asked God to essentially “turn the other cheek” because if God does not, it will look to all the world like God is not all powerful. It is scary, if you realize that the whole world judges God by the behavior of those of us who claim to be God’s followers, but it is true. The back story of this scripture is that Moses is basically admitting that we humans are a weak and fickle lot who chase after any and all other gods when at the same time we are being held in the loving arms of the one true God.

The other point in this scripture is also pertinent. Moses reminds God that God promised the descendants of Abraham countless children and land, and I am reminded that Jesus said the meek or gentle shall inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5) It seems to me that one of the traits of a meek or gentle person would be an understanding of the majesty of God because they are not self-absorbed and also an understanding that all children are God’s children and that the land God has given us for sustenance and to sustain is the whole earth.

We need to live so that others can clearly see the image of God in us and we need to be catalyst for all of God’s children to understand that they are people of worth because they too were created in the image of God.

Oklahoma Fact: In 2013, 11.8% of children were overweight or obese.*

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we turn away from you and hurt others in the process. Heal our souls O God, so that we may be whole and in our wholeness may be the means for healing among others in our world. Amen.

* http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/8223-children-overweight-or-obese?loc=38&loct=2#detailed/2/any/false/36,867,38,18,16/any/16741

 All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.