How Low Can You Go!

"Let us study the character of Christ so that our souls may be filled with love and admiration for his lowliness" Andrew Murray - Humility

At a recent retreat the leader introduced me to this quote by Andrew Murray. It made me sit up and take notice when I first heard it, it has since made me rethink much of how I approach Jesus, and how others might perceive me and Him. This, together with a sermon series by Andy Stanley called Brand: New, has shaken my world - personally and professionally.

The series by Andy Stanley has caused me to change my life verse from Luke 5:5 to Galatians 5:6. The last half of that verse says: The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. In it, Andy Stanley presents a solid, hard and severe critique of the church today. His critique is that the church seems to have lost it's way focusing more on intellectual agreement and rituals rather than loving God BY loving those around us.

I agree with him.

The easiest critique of "love" is that it seems over-simplified and weak in application. Andy's response to this left me thinking long and hard. His response is that it is far less complicated and far more demanding. It is easy - remember one thing - what does love require in a given situation. But it is far more demanding because what love required of Jesus is that he give up heaven and die for us. Die for me!

That brings me back to the quote by Andrew Murray. Jesus chose lowliness, servanthood, humility as the way to show his love. Andrew Murray challenged me that I should do the same. I've thought long and hard about that sentence and the last word. There are many words I might have put at the end of that sentence:

"Let us study the character of Christ so that our souls may be filled with love and admiration for his majesty"

"Let us study the character of Christ so that our souls may be filled with love and admiration for his glory"

"Let us study the character of Christ so that our souls may be filled with love and admiration for his power"

"Let us study the character of Christ so that our souls may be filled with love and admiration for his grace"

And more...but Murray spoke that sentence about lowliness, about service and humility.

Surely, those who call Jesus Lord are the ones who exemplify this same attitude - one of love and humility? Sadly no.  Far too often those who call Jesus Lord live with the attitude of judgment and superiority. Or, at the very least, they are seen as acting that way. Either way, the end result is the same. People are turned away from Jesus, instead of attracted to him. They reject Him because of His followers attitudes rather than accepting him because of their love. Of course, this is not entirely true and there are many who do this right! But far too often, far too regularly, those not in the Christian church see the Christian church as judgmental and negative.

What was a grassroots movement that was so pervasive in its love that it attracted thousands every day, has become something formulaic and repugnant to the very people it's trying to reach.

Sadly, I look at my own life and see that I have far too often lived with that same wrong attitude.

But it's time for a change...it's time for what Paul calls "the only thing" to take root in my life like never before. Consider that phrase for a moment...Paul says, the only thing...THE ONLY THING...that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

So...what does this mean for me personally and for the work I do in Spiritual Growth at Faith Community.

For me personally 

• A re-evaluation of how I speak, think, and act towards others. 
• A measurement of whether my love quotient at the end of the day has increased or decreased.
• An assessment of whether I left each person I've encountered in my day experiencing more love from me or less.

For the Spiritual Growth Ministry a simple question to the leaders of the small groups I oversee:

• Are you displaying the lowliness of Christ in your leadership?

And for the members of those groups:

• Are your groups communities of love?

These might be closed questions but they beg the follow up of how. How will you develop that lowliness as a leader? How will your group become a community of love? That is where the far less complicated command from Jesus to love one another becomes a far more demanding day to day lifestyle.

So I ask you a favor:

Pray for me and I'll pray for you - that LOVE shown in LOWLINESS becomes the experience of our day to day lives.

Safety

Safety is a major concern these days.

It's in the top three, if not the top question parents ask about new places they go to with their children. Beyond having fun or learning parents as, "Will my child be safe?"

Sadly, women have to ask this question far more than they should. It angers me to no end that women cannot move, work, walk or live in assumed safety.

With the current election climate and the recent comments by Donal Trump, safety for the country and world is a growing concern for me. I lived through the nuclear threats of the cold war as a child. I don't relish going back to those days of impending nuclear blast. I know that nuclear proliferation is a problem and that bio-terrorism is even a larger threat. That's why I want cool heads in leadership, not hot heads.

Safety is a major concern these days!