A story is told of a preacher who had resigned from his work with a certain congregation. After resigning, he was approached by an endearing older sister from that church who was saddened by his decision. This sister wept over the preacher’s decision to leave and commented “Things will never be the same without you.” The preacher tried to console her and responded, “Don’t worry, I’m confident that God will provide a new preacher, one even better than me.” Continuing to sob and wiping her tears she replied, “That’s what the last three preachers said, but they just keep getting worse.”
A story like this might remind us of an embarrassing memory of our own. These often arise as a result of pride. It is easy to overlook when our own pride surfaces and in particular through conversation. When someone disagrees with us or offers up an opinion other than the one we hold, our natural reaction is to defend ourselves and this often stems from pride. No one wants to appear wrong and some people will argue foolishly to defend their position – even when it’s wrong. Presenting ourselves as right seems more important than looking to be weak, foolish, or poorly informed.
Pride may also appear in other more subtle ways. Rather than admitting when our decisions or actions were wrong, we might try to excuse ourselves by shifting blame. We have a few words for this, “Saving face”. This kind of choice goes all the way back to the beginning. When called to account for eating the forbidden fruit, Adam claimed that it wasn’t his fault. He pointed to Eve and in doing so he also implied that God himself was at fault – Genesis 3:12 “The man replied, “The woman you gave to be with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate.”
And then, paying it forward, Eve in turn blamed the serpent – Genesis 3:13 “And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
We need to be on guard and aware of the way that pride can take over. In his book “The Truth About Us”, Brant Hansen makes the following assessment:
“93% of us genuinely believe we’re above average drivers. Perhaps you’ve seen studies that show we also think we’re smarter than average. And we’re friendlier too. Plus we’re more ambitious than average. You might think with all of this awesomeness, we might have an ego problem, but good news: we also rate ourselves as more modest than others! So, yes, we’re better at everything then everybody, but at least we’re humble about it.1”
I can’t emphasis enough how alert we must be in watching that pride does not take center stage in our lives. Not only do we need to be willing to admit when we are wrong, but we ought also to act with humility when we are proven to be right.
There are many sayings that warn, of the pitfalls of pride. Perhaps you’re familiar with one that goes something like this: “Once you are at the top, the only way left to go is down”.
Of course, the greatest warnings that we have come from God and are found in scripture. In Proverbs 6:16-17 pride appears at the top of a list of seven things that are detestable to God. The writer identifies them as – “arrogant eyes” or a “proud look”. Both Peter and James quote Proverbs 3:34, that: “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5; James 4:6). And Jesus explicitly warned that the proud will be humbled – Matt 23:12 “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
We would do well to remember the humility of Christ as Paul reminds us in Phil 2:5-11. Jesus chose to be born in poverty, raised in obscurity, and to serve others in humility. His humility included death on the cross, because that was the only choice leading to the salvation of the world. As those who have been saved, He calls us to follow His example, promising that those who have chosen to be last in this life will be first in the life to come.
May God help us recognize when pride tries to take over and may He help us to live humbly instead. It was humility that empowered Jesus to save the world. May God’s work in us and through us be perfected in a humility like His.
Waterloo ON
1Brant Hansen “The Truth About US”(Grand Rapids: Baker Books 2020) pg.11
When reading the parable of the lost sheep (Matt 18; Luke 15), we may see ourselves as the shepherd or as a sheep in the fold with ninety-nine others. We might even identify with that one lost sheep and remember a time when we needed to be rescued.
Yet how often have we pondered the search itself?
Searching for a lost sheep must have been both challenging and time-consuming. It was always risky. It meant leaving the safety of the open field to search remote and dangerous places. Climbing cliffs, crawling into dark caves, searching unknown places in the wilderness where predators roamed. But that is what a good shepherd did. He took whatever risks were necessary and went where he had to, to find his lost sheep.
To what lengths then are we willing to go, to reach the lost for God? Several scriptures remind us of just how important these ‘sheep’ (people) are to our heavenly Father.
Thus Paul wrote to Timothy that God wants all people to be saved.
“This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:3–4
Peter likewise wrote:
The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
Perhaps no passage communicates the love of God better than John 3:16 “
For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son”,
Jesus highlights this same thought when he follows the greatest commandment with a second – which is just like it: to “love your neighbor as yourself” Mark 12:31).
If God is number one in our lives, if we love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and if lost sheep are so important to God, then we ought to value people as highly as He does. We must love our neighbors as we love ourselves. That kind of love shows up when we are patient and compassionate with those who frustrate us. And when we not only accept those who live differently than us but go on to love our enemies, that is the love of God at work in us.
What a pain it must have been for the shepherd to discover that a sheep had wandered away. No more relaxing on the hillside. No more daydreaming. No more comfortable strolls in the field while watching the flock. The shepherd had to spring into action and put comfort out of his mind.
As Jesus gave up the comforts of Heaven to come to earth and minister to us, we in turn ought to strike the balance in our lives to spend time and energy on our mission.
We spend plenty of time advancing our careers, investing in schooling, or pursuing health and wellness. Hobbies, sports, recreation and vacation time all add up. What if we counted up all the hours, days, weeks, months, years, that we have spent on ourselves and compared that to the time which we spend on the Lord’s work? What would that look like? What if we got up off the couch, turned off the TV, quit surfing the net or gaming and turned our eyes toward the ‘lost’? We might discover that some of the Lord’s sheep have gone missing.
Searching for lost sheep takes time. It takes effort and devotion. It is intentional. It goes about the business of seeking the lost with an awareness of dangers all around. To find the sheep and restore them to the Lord, those who seek must understand the ones who have wandered away consider what it will take to bring them back to God.
Having counted the cost, let’s invest in the search!
Where would we be had someone not come looking for us? Where would we all be had Jesus the good shepherd not laid down His life for the sheep? Praise be to God that He was not too busy or distracted! Praise God that even sinners were worth His time!
When people complained that Jesus had gone to be the guest of Zacchaeus, “a man who was a sinner”, Jesus said that: “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:9-10
Jesus came to save sinners. He now calls us to do the same!
Waterloo ON
I’d like to invite you to dive into the word Makrothumia. The word sounds foreign, like a word out of a Star Trek movie but it’s actually a Greek word. Makrothumia means long-suffering or patience.
The apostle Paul identified patience as one of the qualities, or fruits of the Spirit that Christians should possess and develop (Gal 5:22-23). In describing the Agape love of God, patience is the first word used (1Cor 13:4 “Love is patient, love is kind…”) and when writing to the church at Colossae, Paul reminds his readers that they should cloth themselves with patience.
“12Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Col. 3:12
Immersing, or clothing ourselves in patience is not an easy task. Sadly, instead of wearing patience as clothing, we instead find our patience wearing thin.
In troubling times like these, we certainly need to practice patience. Lack of patience has led some to blame God for their troubles and without understanding, some believers have walked away from the faith. Others short on patience, have withdrawn from society having found people frustrating to deal with.
Parents find their patience tested by the constant need for attention, approval, and care that their children require. Yet, perhaps the greatest test of patience comes to those who are married. Spouses communicating daily but not always seeing eye to eye can at times find their patience stretched thin.
In-laws, co-workers, employers, neighbours, and friends can all test our patience to the limit. In his infinite wisdom, God invites all these people to come together as one family known as the Church. Love compels us to work and worship together in peace and unity. This can only be possible if patience is practised and remembered. If there was ever an opportunity to demonstrate God’s power in loving patience then the church is it. Unfortunately, history demonstrates that when patience and love are not present, the church loses sight of their mission. Without patience, division, dysfunction, and destruction can rule.
There’s no greater example of patience than that of Jesus. Reflecting on the gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), it’s hard not to notice how patient Jesus was with people. Jesus displayed patience when Nicodemus came to Him at night. Nicodemus wanted to meet at a time convenient for him and not necessarily for Jesus. Again, when the crowds followed Jesus (some wanting only food or healing), they were relentless in their pursuit. Even as Jesus tried to get away for a time of rest with His apostles (Mark 6:31-34) the crowds pressed ahead. Through this and the many other interactions Jesus had with them, He demonstrated immense patience.
At our hands Jesus was betrayed, disowned, accused and abused, rejected and crucified, yet he persisted with patience. Jesus was incredibly patient from start to finish. Even when some of His own disciples turned against Him he was committed. Through mockery, insult, betrayal, and denial, He again demonstrated his patience as hung on the cross, praying:
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34
Jesus wants us to follow His example by demonstrating the power of Patience.
Perhaps more than anyone else, the Apostle Paul treasured the patience of God. He had been an enemy of the gospel, yet through patience God granted him a new lease on life. Later in life Paul understood the depths of that loving patience and he wrote to Timothy about it:
“… I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.” (I Tim 1:16)
Paul describes the patience of Jesus using the word hapas, which is translated “immense, immeasurable, and perfect”. Jesus’ patience is immense, immeasurable, and perfect, but what about mine? What word might my Lord choose to describe my patience? Am I patient enough? Patience does not just happen! It does not grow overnight and it does not develop without great effort.
Every day we are invited to work on this gift; every day we represent Jesus and continue His mission during our time on this earth. What better time to extend the patience of God that the world might know Him and may God’s power in patience go with us into the world!
Waterloo, Ontario
