discouraged

I've been a bit discouraged lately. In the scriptures we find two contrasting attitudes displayed. Look at the following words:

"How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!
For you have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High." (from Isaiah 14)

These words are in stark contrast to Paul's description of Jesus:

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (from Philippians 2)

These words provide a stark contrast between two ways of living - one a self-gratifying, self-centered grasping for position and power. The other - a freely relinquished right to anything that might give us a sense of importance in order to harmonize with God's plan.

I have been in leadership in the church world in one way or another for the past 25 years or so. I have always marveled at the sacrifices that people will make in order to be part of something that appears successful. As long as I was leading people higher, they willingly followed, even at great personal cost to them. Unfortunately, while people will follow a leader that takes them higher, almost none will follow a leader who takes them lower into seeming insignificance at the invitation of the Father.

There is something wired into our psyche, maybe it's our sin nature, that inherently desires to ascend, to be important, to be like God. That something resists the way of the cross and the accompanying seeming insignificance that following Jesus requires.

Incidentally both passages of scripture give the contrasting results of each attitude. Reading on in Isaiah we find the following words:

Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol,
To the lowest depths of the Pit.

Likewise in Philippians we read:

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father

The only way to achieving the significance for which we were created is through the way of the cross. There are no shortcuts, no detour around the cross. Jesus' words drive this point home:

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

I am discouraged because I see much grasping, much self-exaltation in the church today. At times I wonder why God puts up with us, with our self-exaltation. I am discouraged because we fall so far short of abundant life. Our grasping for position, our desire for exaltation leads to strife and division. In our self-motivated efforts at ascension, we find ourself being being petty and small. Perhaps the thing that discourages me most is the fact that most of our posturing and grasping is done behind the facade of God. God help us!

more on i am...

I have been reflecting a good deal about what it means to know who God has created me to be, to hear His voice of affirmation. Last evening at a family gathering, my brother jokingly wondered if I was offended by something that happened before I arrived. In further conversation, we came to the conlusion that life is too short to be ruined by being offended by the actions of other people.

I have noticed a direct correlation between the frequency that a person is offended by others and by how well they know what God says about them. The more secure that one is in the "by the grace of God I am what I am", the less likely they are to be offended by people. Being insulted or hurt usually indicates an elevated sense of self-importance.

Today I had a short converstion with Heidi, our oldest daughter. She commented how free it is to be a "nobody". While she realizes that her life is significant, she is also fully aware that her significance comes, not from attempting to be important, but rather from being who God created her to be. She has no desire to be considered important by people in church. She refuses to become embroiled in the petty posturing that occurs among the staff at the school where she teaches kindergarten. In her words - I am free to be me.

When we are not aware of how the "by the grace of God I am that I am" practically applies to our life, we will attempt to create our own sense of validation. When something happens that violates our self-created sense of importance, we immediately feel hurt.

Following Jesus takes us to a place of death, to our cross. A dead body feels no pain; it will not respond to blows or stabs. Why? Because it is dead! In the same way, when we feel pain in the blows and stabs of people, it reveals that self has not completely died. We have not yet yielded completely to the will of the Father. We have not relinquished our self-identity to embrace His identity. It is impossible to even begin to understand the affirmation of the Father until we set ourselves on the road of the cross.