Less of me

 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:5-8, RSV

To be born and walk amongst us was Jesus’ supreme act of emptying Himself. He emptied Himself from heaven’s perfection and holiness to earth’s imperfections. He emptied Himself from reigning with the Trinity through all eternity to serving for 33 years in a temporal world so all could see God in the flesh. He emptied Himself of life so through His death and resurrection all who believed could find life on earth and for eternity. Jesus modeled “less of me” so He could humble Himself in obedience to His heavenly Father’s will for His life. Perfect love led Him to assume the body of a perfect life.

“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

As we approach the new year, how can the next 12 months be “less of us” and more for God? Not by declaring to friends, family and strangers we are doing more for God, but allowing the Spirit to help them discover this delightful change in us. Perhaps we live a life that underpromises and over delivers—so an apathetic world might wake up, take notice and ask why. And of course, in the course of conversation with the curious, we can humbly refer to our Savior’s love as the motivation for our love. We empty ourselves of self, so the Spirit can fill us and reveal Jesus.

Less of me and more of the Lord. Less of my agenda, and more of God’s will for my life. Less of my demands, and more humble requests of Christ to fill me with His love, so I can support my spouse in her dreams and desires. Less of my needs being met and more attentiveness to my neighbor’s needs: a walk to hear her hurting heart or enjoy a meal together to celebrate her new opportunity at work. Less of me so I can be more available and attentive to my children and grandchildren to know who they are and who they want to become, so they know how special and loved they are by me and their heavenly Father. For Love’s sake, give up my life to give life!

“Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:26-28).

Freedom in Submission

 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7 (NRSV)

This time of year, as we slowly make our approach towards Christmas Day, we reflect often upon our hopes and longings as the people and followers of Christ. There are likely many things that we hope for, both in our world at large and in our lives. We long for peace in the world, for faithfulness and courage in our leaders, both civil and sacred, as well as an end to the pandemic that continues to plague our communities it seems more and more daily with no end in sight. Yet in spite of this we also hope for healed relationships, renewed spiritual fervor, and freedom from the sin and evil that so often overtakes our desires and actions.

Hope, therefore, assumes a significant degree of struggle. We must contend for the hope we have in Christ, actively pursuing His Kingdom over and against the other kingdoms that seek to take us captive and steal our joy which is only fulfilled and found in Christ. As James says in his epistle, there are “cravings at war within us” (James 4:1). We long and hope for the rule and reign of Christ to be manifest in the world, yet our hearts are still influenced by sin, and so we continue to crave comfort, power, affluence, and pleasure.

According to James, freedom is found in submission. Yet in the same breath, he ties the idea of submission to the active work of resistance. Submit to God by resisting the devil. We must expand our hearts and imaginations to include a far more robust and engaged understanding of submission, which is a good and powerful thing in the life of the believer.

When I think of submission, by default I picture a wrestling match in which the defeated athlete ceases to resist, no longer putting up a fight in order to be free from the dominance of their victorious opponent. This is not the type of submission James has in mind though. Submission as a Kingdom Ambassador always involves active and intentional resistance. We submit ourselves to the way of God by rooting out every evil desire and intention that has found its way deep within our hearts.

Submit to God today by actively resisting evil and instead pursue a life of humble intimacy with our Lord and Savior.

Bear with me

Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Colossians 3:13 (NRSV)

2020 has been a year of relational extremes. On the one hand, we as a society have spent the year isolated from one another in ways no one alive today has ever experienced. Routines have been upended, habits altered, and patterns of living eliminated entirely. 

As a result, cherished family holidays have been postponed or changed to limit how many can come around, weddings and birthday celebrations cancelled or changed, and work-related travel digitally reimagined (are you zoomed out like me). In the face of such relational isolation, we have therefore been pressed into new rhythms of relationship with those closest to us, usually those living together under the same roof or within the same immediate family. 

Thus, we are simultaneously isolated as never before, and at the same time find ourselves in a heightened form of relational connectivity and intimacy with a few select people, and it is this latter group that I want to focus upon today.

In Colossians 3, Apostle Paul exhorts this young church to bear with one another in love, forgiving just as we have been forgiven by our Lord. It is good to remember that the early Christian communities were humble and intimate, functioning more like a family than a programmatically-driven organization. As such, Paul’s words were less born out of his finely tuned deductive skills and more from a simple knowledge of the human condition: greater proximity requires greater grace.

Over the years, I’ve heard people referred to as those for whom “extra grace was required.” At times, this was simply a Southern way of saying you didn’t care for someone. However, I wonder if you have been surprised during this pandemic by the people requiring extra grace in your own life? A parent? Spouse? Child? Instead of a longstanding difficult relationship, perhaps the disruptive rhythms of this year have forced you into uncharted relational waters with those you love the most?

Even the most cherished relationships require ongoing patience, trust, and mutual respect. In fact, the closer you are, the more this will be tested! And so, take Paul’s words to heart today, and as you remember the endless compassion and tender mercy of our Lord Jesus, choose today to bear with those you love, in love.

Principled living

 Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin. John 19:10-11

Over the years and of course in our present climate, I have watched and noticed politicians, preachers and business leaders wield power and authority in a way that belittles others and inflames selfish pride in the process. These leaders we at times find being very self serving and disrespectful to those who disagree with them, so much to the point that power becomes an ugly show of dismissing principled leadership to justify preferred outcomes. It makes me want to holla and throw up both my hands. This blatant abuse of power and authority should grieve and convict those who fear and want to honor God in their life and leadership as all of us lead in someway. There is an assurance that helps me and that is this: One day He will call the abuser into account, which is how the Lord works. 

When powerful people dishonor honorable people, people of principle must do something. Choosing principled living over a power play of narcissistic living is a believers calling.

I look Jesus calls out the government leader of His day who wrongly and arrogantly thought he held all of the power because of his political position. Assigned by Tiberius to be governor over Judaea, Pontius Pilate presided over the trial of Jesus and gave the order for our Lord to be crucified. While attempting to wash his hands of his decision to dishonor and kill an innocent man, he was reminded by Jesus that all power is from God, on loan to leaders on earth. If that divinely given power is abused there is and will be consequences, as God works through the misuse of power to bring about His will for principled living, and through Jesus, the salvation of humanity.

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves” (Romans 12:9-10).

Do you see the use of power delegated to you by God to be used for the Lord’s purposes? Or, do you subtly use power to advance your agenda, wrecking relationships in the process? The lie is to think that the outcomes seen as positive are justified, even though they are the result of unprincipled, even illegal methods used to make things happen. What a short sighted, self serving approach to life, to dismiss the divine in order to achieve my agenda, my way, in my power. Humility waits on God in principled living, while pride powers through on a destructive path.

Or, maybe you feel the pain of another’s abuse of power. Perhaps your home, work or community does not have a culture of servant leadership, but rather a fear based environment facilitated by faithless, fear based leaders. If so, have the hard conversations and risk feeling ignored and dishonored when you disagree or suggest waiting to make the wisest decisions. A bully in power needs a bold taste of reality by your vulnerability in delivering the truth. God overcomes power with your principled living.

“Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way” (Hebrews 13:18).