"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Two weeks ago, the sermon title was "Descending Into Greatness". I knew it would be good before I heard it. I also knew it would be convicting. Our youth pastor gave a very thought provoking and challenging sermon. I think it is at the core of what true Christianity is all about. The Bible says that in order to be great in His kingdom, we need to die to ourselves. That is so contrary to everything our culture tells us. It is so contrary to what we really want to do. The things that we often aspire to are money, fame, power, comfort, pleasure and self-fulfillment. These things will make us look good and feel good but it is mostly about what is good for ME.
Philippians 2 makes it clear that to deny ourselves is the only way to become great in God's eyes. God asks us to lose so that we can gain. It is a path that leads to real joy. This quote about the discipline of losing is from the book "Descending Into Greatness" written by BIll Hybels. (It is a great little book which I would highly recommend!)
"Such a call does not paint a picture of men and women drained and empty, devoid of personality and energy. God's call to lose for His sake doesn't mean we deny the legitimate needs of our human frame or the desires and passions He has placed within us. Jesus took care of Himself physically and emotionally, and He challenged His followers to embrace their uniqueness and pursue the dreams God had given them. But losing does not mean that we allow God to determine what needs are legitimate. Losing means to yield our desires and passions to His guidance; to invite Him to chip away the rough edges of our personalities; to use our gifts without seeking applause; and to allow Him to conform our dreams to His will.
Those of us who truly want to be devoted followers of Jesus Christ must learn the lessons of Philippians 2. Few other passages communicate more clearly who Jesus is, and therefore, who we are called to be. It is through submitting to the challenge of this passage that we can learn the day-by-day discipline of descending into God's greatness--which is the highest calling in life."
Wow! I think these are great words and I totally believe it. So, why is it so hard for me to do? You would think that after 45+ years of practicing, I would have figured it out. Thankfully, God is still working on me and reminding me of passages like Philippians 2. Maybe I need to ramp up the practicing a bit! This adoption has certainly been an incredible spiritual journey and I have had to rely on God more than ever.
Many people tell us that our new kids are so lucky to be in our family. But I think that WE are the lucky ones! These three little people have already blessed us in so many ways and helped us to grow in our faith in ways we never would have imagined. Adopting them has helped us to look at our priorities, get out of our comfort zone and maybe even take one step closer to descending into greatness.
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