What He Taught About Humility (Matt. 20:25-28)
In a 1995 survey, some athletes were asked the following question: If there was a drug you could take that would guarantee you'd receive a gold medal at the Olympics but that would kill you in five years, would you take it? More than 50 percent said yes. It is a commentary on the lure of fame and power on contemporary society. To be "in front of the camera," to hold millions drooling in the palm of our hand, that is the rage of the twenty-first century.
And that same general spirit can invade the church, if we do not remain constantly on guard. The lust for power over others (the drive to be in control, the hunger for the first place) has not diminished with the passing of the years.
Study the following passages in the context of this insatiable struggle for the top:
1 Pet. 5:1-4
The harsh events of history sometimes have sent proud dictators scrambling penniless among refugees, or cowering in solitary confinement, taking orders from third-class prison wardens. There even have been times when a monarch temporarily gives up the throne to make common lot with the marginalized members of society. But all these cases put together, voluntary or coerced, pale in comparison with the magnitude of the condescension we see in Christ. He was "in very nature God," Paul says; that is God of the universe we are talking about here! "But [He] made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." Descending further yet, "he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!" (Phil. 2:5-8, NIV).
No comments:
Post a Comment