“If you are seeking to impress somebody, you are not humble.” – John Bevere
Someone once asked me the question, “Would you rather speak on forgiveness or humility?” At the time, I couldn’t have been more than thirteen or so, and I promptly replied, “Forgiveness.” When asked why, my response was simple. “Because I understand it better. It’s hard to preach on something you don’t understand.” I always saw humility as something kind of scary. Maybe it’s just that I’m on the younger end of a large family and occasionally felt unseen because I have so many exceedingly talented and gifted older siblings. But I was forever trying to prove myself – to be accepted in with the ‘older kids.’ Some might have called me a bit of a show-off (and maybe I was a bit), but honestly, I was just seeking validation.
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What form do you expect Jesus to come in?
This isn’t a question you may have ever thought before – I certainly had never given it a great deal of thought until I was writing a social media post related to Acts 4:11. Then, I started thinking more seriously about my own expectations – and how they can affect my relationship with Jesus. Let me set this story up a little bit. The fledgling Christian church was still getting on its feet – there’s no consensus on how long it had been since the Holy Spirit had been given on Pentecost, but it had been a little while since that eventful day. The Believers regularly met at the temple to pray, and one day, Peter and John were hailed by a lame beggar who wanted money. Rather then give them what he asked for, they gave him something much better – his healing – through the power of the Holy Spirit. I love reading the Gospels – I feel like they are the portions of Scripture that give us the best picture into Jesus’s personality. We see Him loving, teaching, correcting, rebuking, healing, restoring, affirming – but one of my favorite pictures of Him is in John 13, when He demonstrates what it means to be a servant.
I’ve spent more time than I care to admit envisioning this scene in my head. Thirteen guys recline around a table, likely talking, laughing, joking, and enjoying the prospect of this wonderful meal they were about to partake in. There’s a lot of courses – and they will take time over this as they remember God’s spectacular deliverance from slavery and bondage in Egypt. What a night to remember. Some of them must have looked at Jesus and thought about Him as a Savior who would set them free. |
Sarah GraceHi! I'm Sarah Grace, and I'm so glad you stopped by the Wings of Heaven blog! You can find short posts for easy reading or longer, more in-depth musings! I hope you're blessed! Archives
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