Picture yourself at a wedding reception, seated at the finest table in the room, overlooking all the other tables. Conversation and laughter emanates from each table, while you sit alone in silence at your exquisite table. Suddenly, the announcement is made that the wedding party has arrived, and the bride and groom enter amidst much fanfare. Before the eyes of crowd assembled, they make their way to the head table to be seated. In a moment of supreme embarrassment, you are asked to move from your superb seat as the realization sinks in that you occupy the position reserved for the bride and groom.
"When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, 'Give your place to this man,' and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place. But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, move up higher '; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." (Luke 14:8-11)
Often the Christian life seems like traveling on a two-lane highway in which all the traffic is going in the opposite direction. The crowded lane opposite us is filled with people trying to exalt themselves, and build a name and reputation for themselves. The lonely lane we travel seemingly takes us nowhere; to obscurity and debasing circumstances. And yet, it is the crowded lane opposite us that ultimately leads to a dead-end because, "everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." In the spiritual realm, self-abasement wins out over self-aggrandization.
Jesus' wedding banquet parable is rich with imagery. His original audience easily recognized this as a picture of the coming kingdom of God. This future celebration is to bring the ultimate vindication. Those traveling the self-aggrandization highway will come to the ultimate dead-end, while those traveling the self-abasement highway will find status that is elusive in this age. The score will be settled for all eternity.
The lesson is both obvious and practical: travel the road of selflessness and servanthood today if kingdom reward is your priority. From a kingdom perspective, fame and fortune in this age is clearly seen as fleeting. Investment in the lives of others with the good news of the kingdom of God and name of Jesus is all that matters, and all that will ever be ultimately exalted. A life of put-downs in service will be richly rewarded in the age to come.
Serving Christ and serving our Father through serving others with the kingdom gospel is the ultimate principle of success. May we each be guided by this important principle as we live in the world today.
Steve
©Steve Taylor, 2011
"When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, 'Give your place to this man,' and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place. But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, move up higher '; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." (Luke 14:8-11)
Often the Christian life seems like traveling on a two-lane highway in which all the traffic is going in the opposite direction. The crowded lane opposite us is filled with people trying to exalt themselves, and build a name and reputation for themselves. The lonely lane we travel seemingly takes us nowhere; to obscurity and debasing circumstances. And yet, it is the crowded lane opposite us that ultimately leads to a dead-end because, "everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." In the spiritual realm, self-abasement wins out over self-aggrandization.
Jesus' wedding banquet parable is rich with imagery. His original audience easily recognized this as a picture of the coming kingdom of God. This future celebration is to bring the ultimate vindication. Those traveling the self-aggrandization highway will come to the ultimate dead-end, while those traveling the self-abasement highway will find status that is elusive in this age. The score will be settled for all eternity.
The lesson is both obvious and practical: travel the road of selflessness and servanthood today if kingdom reward is your priority. From a kingdom perspective, fame and fortune in this age is clearly seen as fleeting. Investment in the lives of others with the good news of the kingdom of God and name of Jesus is all that matters, and all that will ever be ultimately exalted. A life of put-downs in service will be richly rewarded in the age to come.
Serving Christ and serving our Father through serving others with the kingdom gospel is the ultimate principle of success. May we each be guided by this important principle as we live in the world today.
Steve
©Steve Taylor, 2011
posted by steve @ 9:15 AM
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