Greetings Children of God,
In Romans Ch. 5 St Paul reminds us that God’s love is poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that teaches us about Jesus. Because of that love he says that suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character and character produces a hope that will be fulfilled.
We are in a time of the whole world suffering as one. Because of God’s love we will endure this time of challenge. God’s love for us is experienced in the midst of suffering. That’s the message of the cross. As we experience God in the midst of human suffering we find that God is molding and shaping our respective characters and giving us hope.
Our theme for our Wednesdays in Lent has focused on humility and integrity as the foundational virtues of character. Embraced by our loving God in our time of suffering, we endure each day with a renewed sense of humility in his presence and a deep desire to live life with integrity. God is at work in us developing character and giving hope.
Here is Wednesday’s message:
Wednesday’s Message
March 25, 2020
LESSONS IN HUMILITY AND INTEGRITY
JAMES AND JOHN SEEK HONOR
Mark 10:35-45
Pride is a harmful and stubborn thing. It is harmful to one’s character and negatively affects the way you treat God and others. It is stubborn; revealing itself as a difficult attitude to elude.
The Gospels portray the public ministry of Jesus as a journey to the cross. Three times during his journey Jesus told his disciples what was going to happen to him in Jerusalem. He emphasized that he would be rejected, arrested, beaten and crucified, and on the third day rise again. The response of the disciples to this remarkable information shows just how stubborn pride can be. Their response also discloses the power pride has to disrupt relationships.
On one occasion Peter was the guilty party. He strenuously objected to the information Jesus was sharing. Jesus told him that his mind was set on human things rather than divine things. His mind was revealing pride rather than humility.
On a second occasion, after Jesus told the twelve what the future held for him, the disciples were arguing about who was the greatest within their group. Clearly, they were in the midst of a power struggle. Jesus told them that their concept of greatness was all wrong; being great meant being last of all and servant of all. That is a hard lesson for human beings to learn as is evidenced by the fact that the disciples’ continued to bicker about the pecking order of authority and power within their ranks even after Jesus cautioned them that it was wrong to do so.
For a third time Jesus shared about his looming death and resurrection and that is when James and John approached Jesus with their request for places of honor when Jesus would enter into his glory. To sit at his left and right hand would put them ahead of all the other disciples. They would have the power and authority and be the bosses over the others. Once again, they had succumbed to pride. They wanted to be first. Their minds were set on human things not divine things. They were being selfish.
The prideful request of James and John caused an uproar within the ranks. Relationships were strained. And once again Jesus addressed the matter of pride, integrity and character with them. He made clear to them that what he desires and demands is that his disciples possess the heart and mind of a servant. Greatness is found in serving, not in being served. Setting one’s mind on divine things means exercising power for the building up of others, not in bending them to your will. Jesus taught them this lesson one last time when he died on the cross.
Jesus said, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” In giving his life, Jesus has served us with forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God our Father. He has revealed the wonder of God’s unconditional love for us. He has served us with his ongoing presence, power and peace. He has served us with life and salvation.
Jesus put himself last in order that we could be first. That’s the work of a true servant; a person of impeccable character. His death on the cross was an act devoid of pride. It was undertaken in deep humility. “He humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:8
The scriptures urge us to have the mind of Christ. To be of like mind with him is to have the heart of a servant and to live selflessly. To have his mind is to possess an outstanding character which is applied in daily living to the building up of others and the community in which we live. Amen.
Together or apart, we are one in the Lord, and let us be together in prayer for one another, for our neighbors and for the whole of God’s good creation.
Peace and blessings,
Pastor Bill