The mystery of the Bible should teach us, at one and the same time, our nothingness and our greatness, producing humility and animating hope.
~Henry Dundas Melville (1742-1811)
Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
~ Jesus, King of The Universe, in Luke 14
This one, beloved, is a non-negotiable in the math and principles of His Kingdom. Humility is the only true path to glorification.
But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
~ James 4:6-10
This is so backwards from our culture. We are told to work hard to get ahead, to persevere… to fight for what is rightfully ours. But even with the marketing and academic and military and industrial drums beating in our ears, we also somehow all know that all this telling is all false.
History has proved it, Jesus proved it, and we know it in our own lives. Once, by His Grace, that we have actually, finally died to the desires of self – the very best approach is to do one simple thing: STAY DOWN!
And then is where this gorgeous economy of the One who thought it all up comes into play. Once there is none of us to get in the way of the giving, He is able to pour tremendous blessing into our laps. He can finally do these things because they will not be tainted by the stain of our own desires.
This writer is watching things unfold in his Life that are exceedingly, abundantly above anything he could hope for – or even imagine – just a couple years ago.
How did it happen?
Well, first God had to resist this proud man to the point that he was almost dead. He – in His mercy – had to crush all the accoutrements of life out of my hands. Family, freedom, health, finances, stuff, cars, tools, houses and even almost the last shreds of my faith itself had to be ripped away from one of the most delusional men who ever seemed sane to himself.
Then He killed me. In a moment of absolute surrender to the will of God, i reckoned true the truth of Scripture that says a believer must first actually die to be made alive in Christ. The man that now breaths and types, and hopefully speaks to some of your hearts, is a man wholly other than the one he was before.
Then as this new creation began walking the road set before him by God, the only heartbeat that seemed to make any sense whatsoever was to live and breath and eat and sleep and walk for the Glory of the God Who had made him new.
And here is where the ginormous goodness of a very Good God comes into play. This new creation He has made us is one with Him in both death and resurrection. And as we live this new Life only for His glory, a breathtaking dynamic comes into play.
He shines the light of His glory and favor and presence onto us. He pours jaw-dropping portions of wonderful abundance into our laps. He quickens the processes of healing and restoration in ways that are nothing short of miraculous. And as He does it, though, He keeps us humble by showing us that there is absolutely no way we could have brought these thing about in our lives. No, not even by a mile.
Beloved. Don’t listen to the lie. Don’t listen to the lie that you will be somehow short-changed if you humble yourself in that one last area. Let it go. Remember the truth. We are dealing with a very Good God, Who both does not change and cannot lie.
Oh friends. This is very good news!
Before Thee in humility, with Thee in faith, in Thee in peace.
~Dag Hammarskjöld (1905-1961)
