I’m the Greatest!
Nope. Probably not.
If you have to let everyone know you’re the greatest – one thing quickly becomes absolutely certain – you’re not. Not even close.
Ever been around someone who constantly put themselves forward as _____________ (fill in the blank) of the year?
· Father
· Friend
· Athlete
· Godly example
· Speaker
· Husband
· Wife
· Christian
· Kid
· Parent
The list goes on and on, but I promise you, it shouldn’t. How many times did Jesus have to go over this for Christ followers to get it?
· The first shall be last (Matthew 20:16)
· If you want to be great—SERVE! (Hebrews 9:14, John 12:26, etc)
· Jesus Himself did not come to earth to be served! (Mark 10:45)
· We should not expect to be glorified by others. (Philippians 2:5-7)
· It’s loving to serve others (Gal. 5:13)
· When we serve others—we’re serving God! Col. 3:23-24)
Seems to be a hard lesson to get… at least it is for me. I constantly get down on myself when I look back and see obvious opportunities to show love for others by serving them in some way that I didn’t take. I wonder, “How in the world did I not notice it at the time?!”
And then I am reminded of how none of my boneheaded stubbornness or callous selfishness makes Jesus love me any less – I’m so thankful for that ‘S’ word so often placed in front of the word “love” in scripture. It’s a descriptor that separated the powerful Agape (God-powered) love from ordinary human efforts.
The word is, “Steadfast.”
If it weren’t for the steadfast nature of the love of God, I’m sure I would have over-stayed my welcome with God years ago.
But it is steadfast.
Through thick and thin, He keeps right on loving us. Though we repeat the same stubborn sins over and over again, His grace stays a step ahead (Romans 6). And yes, even while we are in the midst of sinning, He’s in the midst of loving.
Incredible!
And this past week as I prepared to share on the life of Peter, I saw this steadfast love at a whole new level.
Tomorrow I’ll share it with you.