Let God Exalt

"'For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,

and he who humbles himself will be exalted.'

Then Jesus said to his host,

'When you give a luncheon or dinner,

do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives,

or your rich neighbors;

if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.

But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, 

the crippled, the lame, the blind,

and you will be blessed.

Although they cannot repay you,

you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.'"

Luke 14:11-14

As I rounded the corner, suddenly she loomed up in front of me, her beauty and majesty taking up my entire field of vision.  "I've missed Mt Rainier."  I sighed to my husband as I took in all 14,410 ft of her snow-covered splendor.  I grew up at the foot of this dormant volcano, seeing her spectacular beauty every day of my life.  Despite her magnificence, I took her presence for granted, not realizing how astonishing was her sight until I moved to the other side of the country where mountains are covered in trees and much less remarkable.

Just as God makes evident the majesty of His creation without ever needing the help of the created to toot her own horn, so I should let God be the one to do any exalting that needs to be done in my life.  The world tells me to let others know of my accomplishments, to be proud of who I am, to expect the best out of life and to give with the intention of receiving something in return, even if its just the good feeling that comes with helping others.

God's kingdom, however, operates under a different set of parameters.  His way teaches things that run counter to my fleshly way of thinking, as well as to what the world teaches.  Living life His way, however, is the only way to please Him.

The Proud

He was at the pinnacle of his career.  His empire spread to the far reaches of the known earth and everyone feared his name.  His building projects were infamous and innovative.  He spear-headed a venture to build a ten-mile wall to surround his city.  This fortification boasted enough room for two houses to stand face to face on top with enough space in between to drive a 4-horse chariot.  No one else could accomplish that but him, the mighty Nebuchadnezzar.

One day as he was walking among his famed hanging gardens on top of his palace, his chest puffed with pride as he surveyed his great city.  "Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?" (Daniel 4:30)

Immediately, God set to work humbling the man, just as He promised He would do in a dream that so distressed Nebuchadnezzar a year before. Unfortunately, the king didn't take Daniel's advice to turn from his sinful and wicked ways, but continued living as he always had for the twelve months to come.

God has a way of humbling a man, as the once proud king said at the end of his 7-year time of insanity.  (Daniel 4:31-34)   For Nebuchadnezzar, it took a time acting like an animal and behaving in a way that would earn him a one-way-ticket to the insane asylum in this day and age.  What does it take for me?  

Perhaps God will need to take away my health to show me that a vigorous, well-working body comes from Him.  Maybe He'll place me in a position where I'm all alone as my family abandons me for greener pastures, teaching me that He is the only source who can fill my needs.  It could be that He will show me Who's really in charge by removing His favor from me as I watch my world crumble around me.

Whatever the method, God knows how to humble a man, or a woman for that matter. (Daniel 4:37) The question is, how will I respond?  Oswald Chambers describes the humbling process like this.  "You have had the vision, but you are not there yet by any means.  It is when we are in the valley,  where we prove whether we will be the choice ones, that most of us turn back.  We are not quite prepared for the blows which must come if we are going to be turned into the shape of the vision. The battering always come in commonplace ways and through commonplace people."

In order to please God I will need to let Him use whatever means necessary to humble me.

The Humble

They were certain of their own righteousness.  As they looked confidently up to heaven, they prayed in a loud and mighty voice, talking to God as if they had a right to stand at His feet.  'I am so thankful, Heavenly Father, that I am not like others who struggle with sins of all kinds.  I don't lie, cheat, steal, covet or kill.  I do what You ask me to do, tithing on a regular basis and never straying from your path.  I have reached a level of which many dream but never attain: I fast not once, but two times every week.  Thank you for making me so very good, Heavenly Father."

Meanwhile, in the back of the sanctuary stood a woman dressed in seductive clothing.  Many sneered at her, whispering to each other, "How dare she come here dressed like that."  She kept her eyes down, not daring to look up at the cross, feeling the weight of her sins.  As she crumpled to the ground in shame, her heart cried out to God.  "Help me, Father.  I know I don't deserve a thing, I've done so many bad things.  I need you, Jesus, please save me." (Luke 18:9-14)

Which of the two described above went home right with God?  The one who thought he already was good enough, or the one who acknowledged her depravity?  Jesus said the woman was the one who humbled herself before God and would thus be exalted by Him.

It reminds me of a college class in clay modeling that my daughters took as a part of their Illustration degree.  Before they could begin creating the form they had in their mind, they needed to get the clay to the consistency needed to make it malleable.  This involved wetting the clay and working it with their hands in order to warm it up.  If the clay became too dry, though, they had to let it sit in a bucket of water for a few days to re-hydrate it, otherwise it would be rigid, inflexible and unworkable.

This is like my heart.  If I already think I have things pretty well under control, my attitude is not compliant.  Before God can form me into the shape He has created me to take, I will need to become a malleable lump of clay, willing to let Him mold me.

In order to please God I will need to be humble enough to let Him transform my life for His glory.

Unpaid

When my daughters were in Middle School, I required them to perform community service as part of their homeschool curriculum.  They volunteered at the local library, shelving books, preparing new books for circulation, stamping cards and helping with special events.  Since they received no pay for this work, it helped them to learn that they didn't need a selfish motivation in order to do good things.  

Once they reached High School, then, it was not a surprise that they willingly helped run a free afterschool program from our home.  Their experience working without pay paved the way for a lifetime of willing service in God's kingdom.

There are many reasons I choose to do the things I do.  It could be that I feel guilty for some past or present sins and think I need to make up for that by doing extra good things in order to balance out the scale. There are times when I may feel bad about myself and helping others gives my feeling of well-being a boost.  Other times I could feel an obligation to volunteer in a ministry because that's what I know Christians are supposed to do.

These all seem like good reasons to my human, common-sense way of thinking.  Unfortunately, to God it looks like my heart is in the wrong place.  Whatever I do, my heart must lead out of a desire to obey God and please Him.  When I put myself into the equation, even to the tiniest degree, I'm tainting my motivation with selfish desires.

Instead, I want to make it my desire to store up for myself treasures in heaven by putting His kingdom first and placing my own desire for recognition, good feelings or brownie points to the side.  I guess Jesus said it best when He said, "Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it.  It might be good theater, but the God who made you won't be applauding. . .Just do it--quietly and unobtrusively.  That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out."  (Matthew 6:1,4 MSG)

When my attitude is all about glorying God and obeying His calling on my life, I won't have time to worry about how it makes me look.  Instead, I'll be focused on how it makes my Father feel.

In order to please God I will need to be willing to work for nothing in order to later gain everything.

I find it natural and easy to walk in pride, trying to gain recognition for my work and to only do what gives me something in return.  As a member of God's kingdom, however, there is another way.  His way calls me to allow His humbling hand to mold me, His righteous mouth to do the praising, and my reward to come from Him when in eternity I stand in His presence.  As my attitude become more like that of Christ, His ways will start to become my ways.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I will place myself in my loving Father's hands for refining.

When do I desire to toot my own horn instead of letting God do it in His time and a place of His choosing?

How do I seek payment now for what I'm doing for God?