I had a lot of conversations with people lately, and read a lot of articles and blog posts, about this topic of humility. In trying to figure out what it means, what it looks like, I’ve been struck by just how easy it is to forget that humility is more than just an idea, more than just a topic we talk about- it’s a calling. Humility is defined this way: an attitude of lowliness an obedience to God, grounded in the recognition of one’s status before God, fully acknowledging absolute dependence upon God. That’s a mouthful. But when you break it down, true humility is seeing through God’s eye, not our own. It’s understanding that God is greater than I am, and that others are just as valuable to God as I am, no matter who they are or what they’ve done! That’s what we see in the way Jesus lived and died (Philippians 2:6-11).
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On Sunday, we looked at this horrible, disgusting C-word: Commitment. At least, we’ve come to understand it as a bad word. We joke about commitment. We undermine commitment. Plainly stated, we don’t like commitment. Why? The kind of commitment that God speaks of throughout Scripture is hard! We don’t naturally like doing what Scripture tells us we need to be committed to God. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and Proverbs 3:5-10 both teach us that commitment means giving everything- our whole heart, mind, and soul- to God. “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found; was blind, but now I see.” These opening lines to this beautiful, and arguably the most recognizable Christian hymn, touch me every single time we sing them. God’s grace, His unmerited favor, His crazy love for me, is so amazing, so terrifying, that you can’t help but wonder why. Why does God love me so much? Why did God chose to fix what I had broken, to repair the relationship with Him that I didn’t even know I wanted? “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!” Revelation 3:15-16 Lukewarm Christians… we’ve all seen ‘em. I bet you could even name a few right now. Those are the people who say they are Christians, maybe even go to church occasionally...
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AuthorCori Conran is the pastor of The United Methodist Church of Coopersville, a wife, a mother, and an avid amateur at lots of things. Archives
December 2021
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