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Humility
- The whole
picture we have of Jesus leaving the glory and royalty of His heavenly
home to come to earth to be born into a lowly, menial existence shows
us that there is an eternal reward. He stepped out of eternity where
the eternal glory and reward knowing it would be there when He returned.
Everything we do in this life must be viewed through the filter of eternity.
There are eternal rewards for obedience and eternal consequences for
disobedience and rebellion.
- The most important eternal lesson and perhaps the hardest learned is humility because it requires us to put aside everything for the sake and good of something or someone else knowing our reward is to come later. Paul knew this when he wrote in Rom. 12:3 that we are not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought and again in 12:10 when he said that we are to prefer others over ourselves. Many times humility is mistaken for weakness especially for those who like to act tough or think they have to "prove" something. Yet there is so much power and authority in humility.
- Look at the most obvious example of this: Mark 15:19 "They struck Him with a reed and spat on Him and bowing the knee they worshiped Him". "They" are the soldiers who tortured and mocked Jesus pretending to worship Him in a mocking way to humiliate Him. Jesus, knowing His eternal reward was not on this earth said nothing, but in humility chose to obey His Father's desire that He be a sacrifice for even those who were mocking Him.
- But, then in Revelation 21:15 "and He who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, gates and its walls." This was in John's vision of heaven, the eternal city. Notice that the same instrument (reed) that was used to humiliate and torture Jesus was now golden and was used to measure the eternal city. Measure here, represents counting the cost. He counted the cost of humility and now was setting the boundaries for eternity. And the reed that was used as a "measure" of His humility was now a golden reed (rod) of authority and power. He counted the cost and paid the price of obedience here on earth for a lasting reward in heaven.
- What is God calling you to lay down? Are you willing to pay the price now in order to have the eternal reward?
Sandee Wichkoski
swichkoski@kenmontcap.com - The most important eternal lesson and perhaps the hardest learned is humility because it requires us to put aside everything for the sake and good of something or someone else knowing our reward is to come later. Paul knew this when he wrote in Rom. 12:3 that we are not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought and again in 12:10 when he said that we are to prefer others over ourselves. Many times humility is mistaken for weakness especially for those who like to act tough or think they have to "prove" something. Yet there is so much power and authority in humility.