Numero Ono

The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. – Matthew 23:11-12

This past Christmas, my husband got a package of trinkets from his company: pens, coffee mugs, a blanket, etc… emblazoned with the company logo.  It also contained a “selfie stick.”  If you don’t already know, a selfie stick is a lightweight telescoping pole that allows you to hold your phone about three feet away from you, press a button, and take wide angle pictures: more people and more scenery… with you in the center. Who knew?

I chuckled a bit thinking of me or Dan trying to use it.  We have a hard time just finding the camera function on the phone.  My daughter and her friends, though, would have it mastered in a few minutes, almost like a third arm.

I think it’s safe to say that the “selfie” photograph is symbolic of a culture that encourages putting ourselves at the center.  Every day, we are encouraged to get what’s ours, be our own boss, and be an army of one, because we deserve to be successful.

But God sends us exactly the opposite message through His word and by Jesus’ example.  God reveals the truth in Matthew 23, that He will exalt the humble.  In Philippians 2:1-4 we are called to imitate Jesus’ humility by being like minded, loving, and humbly valuing others’ interests more than our own.

How often do you get up in the morning and are motivated to walk humbly throughout your day?  How do you think others would respond if you purposely left pride at home and became a humble servant to them?  How would it make you feel about yourself?

Rick Warren has a thought provoking definition of humility. “Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.”  Isn’t that an awesome message for our culture today?

In preparation to teach my Bible Study ladies last week on the benefits of following Jesus’ ways of humility, I made up a game that, ironically, was a twist on one originally designed to focus on #1: UNO.  

I changed the rules to better match up with God’s economy of humility.  Instead of trying to win yourself, your goal was to make someone else win.  So, for example, when you’d play a “Draw 4” card, YOU would take the extra cards instead of them, thereby hurting your chances to win. That meant we were playing differently than we’d ever played before.  (And for the really competitive, it was hilariously difficult.)

But in the end, the room was filled with laughter, competitiveness, and true joy in seeing someone else win.  We had exchanged our culture’s economy for that of God, and we felt GREAT!

The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World!

Thank You for Being a Part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Movement