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| Image credit: The Wall Street Journal |
Ever felt like a crumb or a flake? That time when your terror-of-a-boss tore you to shreds in front of your colleagues?
Or when you, trotting like a diva, fell headlong because your three-inch heel broke.
Humiliating! Embarrassing! Argh!
All you wanna do is cry, take cover and disappear from the face of the earth. Yet these are nothing compared to utterly humbling and life-altering experiences.
Like finding yourself in jail or homeless one day—and losing your family—when, just yesterday, you were wallowing in a sea of money and luxury. Remember Ponzi scheme artist Bernie Madoff? (my post prior to this)
Humbling situations. We need them! It’s the Almighty’s way of saving us from ourselves and our delusions.
Because you can't be diva-esque and remain untarnished by self-importance and narcissism (especially if you have millions of mad-about-you social media followers).
Nor can you be a wise manager if you become just like your terror boss, thus perpetuating antagonism and warmongering in your workplace.
And you can’t endlessly be amassing wealth at the expense of others. Something’s gotta give! Sometime. Somehow.
Luke 14:11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
So the earlier you descend from your high perch, the less painful and humiliating it should be.
One of the Bible's prime examples: Zaccheus. Tax collector. Corrupt. Wealthy.
A wee-sized man, he climbed a sycamore tree to get a glimpse of the Master who just blew into town. He was curious about this miracle worker who stirred the entire nation about the coming kingdom of God.
“Ah nice! Up here, He won’t even see me,” he must have thought.
Yet, Jesus, upon reaching that spot, looked up and said, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. Luke 19:5&6
That lone encounter with Jesus changed Zacchaeus’ life forever.
Verse 8—"Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount."
Verse 9—Jesus replied, "Today salvation has come to this house…”
This in spite of Zacchaeus being a low-life. He was saved in the nick of time!
What could have happened if he didn't come down from his high perch and Jesus didn’t tell him He’d stay in his house that day?
To this day, Jesus calls us:
“Come down. Humble yourself. Open your heart to my grace. I alone possess the key to turn your life heaven-ward—no matter how greedy or proud or narcissistic you’ve been.”
Verse 10—“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."
Fact is: all of us are lost. In big or small ways, we are all corrupt. Let’s start with your thoughts. Your conscience knows.
Sin has separated us from God. That’s why Jesus came.
The God who created us has the power and the authority alone to rescue us from our follies. No one or nothing else can.
Ephesians 2:8—“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”
Prayer: Examine my heart, God. Cleanse me of all my sins. I repent. Jesus, come into you into my “house”. Holy Spirit, make me your habitation. Lead me. Enable me to obey and not follow after my own desires. Jesus, be my Savior and my Lord. Amen.
