Good morning -
Let's be honest; being famous is appealing. Who wouldn't want to be a well-known personality whose legacy would be well-noted for generations to come? The ultimate validation of our lives would be our highly-visible impact on the lives of others, and the world ... or would it?
Jeremiah the prophet spoke some interesting words from the Lord to a man named Baruch:
"But you, are you seeking great things for yourself? Do not seek them" (Jeremiah 45:5)
It would be one thing to have greatness thrust upon us - which could be a gift from the Lord - but to actively seek greatness is a pursuit completely contrary to the will and plan of the Lord. The disciples of Jesus, the great "pillars of the church", were confronted by Jesus for arguing among themselves as to who was the greatest (Mark 9:33-34). As Jesus pursued the path of a servant his followers pursued the path of greatness.
There is no more striking description of the path we are called to pursue than is found in Philippians 2:
"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:5-10)
The most famous One of all chose the most unlikely path of all; that of a lowly servant. Rather than seeking the fame that ultimately is His, He chose instead humble servant hood. And his example is the pattern that we are called to: "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus". The lifestyle of a Kingdom citizen is in showing preference to the needs and interests of others; it is making their agenda our agenda - a difficult if not impossible task, humanly speaking.
Jeremiah's question is posed to us today: "But you, are you seeking great things for yourself? Do not seek them" (Jeremiah 45:5). No matter how elusive, are we seeking fame and success according to the world's definition? Is our own agenda of importance our priority, or are we pursuing the Kingdom agenda of Jesus through the lifestyle of a lowly servant? It's all about motive, and there is only One we can clearly see motives. May He see only pure and humble motives within each of us today.
Trying to put myself down so that Christ can be raised up,
Pastor Steve
Let's be honest; being famous is appealing. Who wouldn't want to be a well-known personality whose legacy would be well-noted for generations to come? The ultimate validation of our lives would be our highly-visible impact on the lives of others, and the world ... or would it?
Jeremiah the prophet spoke some interesting words from the Lord to a man named Baruch:
"But you, are you seeking great things for yourself? Do not seek them" (Jeremiah 45:5)
It would be one thing to have greatness thrust upon us - which could be a gift from the Lord - but to actively seek greatness is a pursuit completely contrary to the will and plan of the Lord. The disciples of Jesus, the great "pillars of the church", were confronted by Jesus for arguing among themselves as to who was the greatest (Mark 9:33-34). As Jesus pursued the path of a servant his followers pursued the path of greatness.
There is no more striking description of the path we are called to pursue than is found in Philippians 2:
"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:5-10)
The most famous One of all chose the most unlikely path of all; that of a lowly servant. Rather than seeking the fame that ultimately is His, He chose instead humble servant hood. And his example is the pattern that we are called to: "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus". The lifestyle of a Kingdom citizen is in showing preference to the needs and interests of others; it is making their agenda our agenda - a difficult if not impossible task, humanly speaking.
Jeremiah's question is posed to us today: "But you, are you seeking great things for yourself? Do not seek them" (Jeremiah 45:5). No matter how elusive, are we seeking fame and success according to the world's definition? Is our own agenda of importance our priority, or are we pursuing the Kingdom agenda of Jesus through the lifestyle of a lowly servant? It's all about motive, and there is only One we can clearly see motives. May He see only pure and humble motives within each of us today.
Trying to put myself down so that Christ can be raised up,
Pastor Steve
posted by steve @ 9:47 AM
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