Today, I am feeling reckless so I will abandon all dignity and composure and tell you the truth: I like attention. I like to be seen and applauded for whatever I happen to say or do. I am a shameless entertainer and I take extreme pleasure in self-promotion.
So it takes me by surprise when God provides me with opportunities to visibly serve. Why, I think, would God choose such an irrepresible performer like me to serve in a public manner? It would seem that sometimes He lets us shine for Him and this week He has given me plenty of opportunities; some are temporary and others are long-term. But it does make me wonder if there's a catch. Almost immediately I know the answer: of course there is.
It's humility. Like a pane of glass in the sunlight, the reflected image is more visible when the glass is purer and the light is brighter. Likewise humilty is essential for us to disappear and reflect the image of Jesus.
“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus . . .” (Philippians 2:3-5).
Glory
1 comment:
Oh, Glory! Bless you! Thank you for being honest about this! I soooo feel you! Do you know, I came out to Southern California to see how far I could get in the music business before dying (and I knew at the rate I was going it wouldn't be long)? I've been sharing a lot lately about those early days. My craving for attention has been insatiable for as long as I can remember!
And in the 12 years since those crazy days just before I came to Jesus, I have been quietly being prepared in the background for whatever it is He has for me. I haven't even done that much singing for the public ear or playing bass for the public eye. And I've known exactly from the get-go - ever since the day I was baptized with the Holy Spirit - what that's all about.
But I'm learning something. There is a spirit of humility that comes with the package when Jesus comes in to reside in us. It's a quiet thing, though. One must become very yielded in order to come in contact with it. I've only recently come to even know of the existence of this beautiful thing, but I've by no means mastered operating in it - much less fully operating in it.
Do you remember how Jesus was always telling people, "Sh! Don't tell anyone" after He would do an astounding miracle? For a while, every time I would read about Jairus' daughter who was raised from the dead and how Jesus told them to keep what happened under wraps, I was like, 'What??? How're you gonna keep something like that quiet?' But I'm learning, that's just the spirit of humility He was operating under. Most of us today, if we were used by God to raise the dead, we'd be broadcasting it everywhere. But I truly believe that if we come under the umbrella of that spirit of humility of the lowly Lamb of Galilee, it won't be long before we're seeing miracles like that in the church again.
In fact, my pastor shared about this very thing on today's Daily Bread. I've been posting them daily on my blogspot blog.
Love you!
Carol :)
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