Sunday, July 29, 2018

Humble Yourself

Humble yourself 

We live in a day and age where people think they are so entitled.  God calls us to humility.  I spent 13 years working at a call center and the mentality of entitlement came through from customers in odd ways.  There were people who demanded credit for things.  I worked on prepaid calling cards for Sprint and people would call wanting their minutes back.  They would claim the call didn’t go through but yet the phone records showed they were connected for well over a minute and a half.  I had people ask to be reimbursed for being on hold.  When I worked for Fidelity I had some who would call each weekend when their debit card underwent maintenance and demand we pay for their meals they had to use another card for.  I could list so many examples.  There are things people are trying to demand from the government that they themselves are supposed to work for.  

Jesus gives us a better way in Luke 14:7-14.  

“When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, he gave them this advice:  ‘When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor.  What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited?  The host will come and say ‘Give this person your seat.’  Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table!  Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table.  Then when the host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!  Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests.  For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’  Then he turned to his host.  ‘When you put on a luncheon or a banquet don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors.  For they will be able to invite you back, and that will be your only reward.  Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame and blind.  Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.”

Don’t act entitled.  Treat others as better than yourself and be humble.  I’ve used this as an illustration before but where I work doing security we used to have assigned parking and I could demand it if wanted to make a big deal of it but I’m fine with letting other people park there because I’m just the lowly security guard.  One thing about humbling yourself that you have to learn quickly in marriage is to put your spouse’s needs above your own.  You have to learn that fast when dating because otherwise it will be a short relationship.  Remember we all put our pants on one leg at a time.  We also tip over very easy when trying to put underwear on.  You laugh but just when you seem to get arrogant think about that it will make you rethink things.  My friend Kathy told me something years ago that will fix your perspective.  “I am not, but I know I Am”.   For those who may not get it.  In Genesis, God reveals himself as I Am.  When questioned he says I Am the God, of Abraham, Issac and Jacob.  See you and I we’re not the important part, God is. 

James 4:6 “God opposes the proud, but favors the humble.”

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