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Thursday, February 23, 2017

Least is the Greatest



A Christian begins his new life filled with love for his Savior. His hearts burns with passion over what God has done later to experience that his inability to surrender control chokes out His relationship with the Lord. The inability to surrender to God's will and purpose stems from self and pride. You can’t have life in Jesus Christ without surrender. Your life belongs to Him. Your surrender was bought with the greatest price. What He calls you to do and share with others does not belong to you. Your calling—your ministry—your work is His. Surrender it with humility. Christ is your best example of a surrendered life. He lived the greatest humility.

 “Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion” (Philippians 2:5-8, MSG). God became human for our sake. Living a selfless obedient life he died a selfless obedient death. He regarded himself as being no greater than anyone else, and gave His life for you and me. He had a servant's heart. We are called to have a servant’s heart and to serve with His humility of heart.

True humility is a powerful tool when it is lived without being realized. It is revealed in attitude and action from a yielded heart. Humility reveals that surrender has taken place. There is no “me”. There is only His love. “If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ,” Paul wrote, “if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care—then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand” (Philippians 2:1-4, MSG). Love with His love. Forgive with His forgiveness. Don’t demand your own way. Become less, Paul writes, so that He can be more.

Each day is an opportunity to surrender to Him. Each opportunity to live His selfless love is ministry. Your life—your work—what you share or do all belongs to Him. It is only by His mercy and grace that you have found new life. Don’t ever forget that His power in your life is His gift that cost Him His life. And His power is only at its greatest when all of self is completely surrendered to Him. The least is greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.

(Copyright 2017 Lynn Hampton Lacher)

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