Honoring Christ with Humility

At this time of year, we have a lot going on spiritually. Some people look at the coming spring as a time of renewal, focusing on nature as a source of inspiration. People of the Muslim faith participate in Ramadan, seeking God through prayer, fasting, reflection and community. People of the Jewish faith celebrate with Passover, which includes abstaining from leavened foods and celebrating over a special meal. As followers of Christ, each denomination has their own way of honoring his sacrifice as Easter approaches. Would anyone like to share what their church does at this time? 

 Does anyone wonder what it was like for Christ to preach during his time on earth as a man, to such a wide audience, of different cultures, a message that even most of the people of his own faith were doubtful about? Is it really much different now? 

As people with mood disorders, it is often a challenge for us to deal with conflict, possibly reacting with anxiety, depression, or even anger when someone believes differently than we do. But as we dwell on Christ, we know this is not the example he set for us. While we may not be able to control those emotions, we can honor him best by remembering that he died for the people who rejected him. He provided a way for all, even the people who condemned and tortured him. He was open to discussion with any person, slaves, women, lepers, people of different faiths, even the tax collectors, and forgave the sins of all who asked. He did not look for enemies, ways to condemn others, but for commonalities between him and others, places to start conversation based on understanding their struggles. 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3: 16-17 

I think a good way for us to honor the coming of Easter is to dwell on these well known, very powerful verses. If we approach these verses with humility, asking God to show us where we need to change our perspectives to better line up with his son’s glorious example, he will show us the way. A good clue of where we might need healing and growth are the very things we tend to judge others for. Not just about the judging, but what we condemn others for. Often it's a window into the weaknesses of our own character God is waiting for us to be willing to submit to his healing. Would anyone like to share something they judge others for harshly? 

For an example, I struggle with having compassion for people who don’t treat their pets with kindness. Not to say that people should be irresponsible with their pets but pointing out the benefits to confessing that some of that anger is because I have been negligent in the past. I am not the perfect pet owner, and it is easier for me to judge others than confess my own weaknesses and perhaps open a path to a healthy conversation about how we all fall short of Christ’s examples of mercy, patience, kindness, and empathy. Let us follow his example of humility. 

Humble King 

Oh kneel me down again 

Here at Your feet 

Show me how much You love humility 

Oh Spirit be the star that leads me to 

The humble heart of love I see in You  

You are the God of the broken 

The friend of the weak 

You wash the feet of the weary 

Embrace the ones in need

I want to be like You, Jesus

To have this heart in me 

You are the God of the humble 

You are the humble King