Tuesday, February 1, 2022
I’m not sure I’ve ever known anyone
who claimed to be super-spiritual. I have known several gossips who criticized
others (behind their back, of course) that they were such. The point about being super-spiritual
or holier-than-thou (a phrase from another era), is that
one who is truly so close to God that one gains the reputation of being something
of a spiritual giant, well, that kind of person would never claim
that status; humility would forbid it.
They would be denying attaining spiritual heights with pride. Consider God’s Word on the matter:
Humble yourselves before the
Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.
James 4:10
But those who exalt themselves will
be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Matthew 23:12
And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”
James 4:6
Avoiding the “crazy
label” is a matter of humility and truthfulness. People who show-off with
their so-called super-spirituality, or over-the-top-humility, are those who put-off
others enough to derail a church’s entire ministry. The apostle, Paul spoke of prophesying, or
speaking the truth about God and humans in a way that exalts the LORD, and
encourages people. We can shirk that
responsibility in more than one way:
1. We can favor the
appearance of super-spirituality, gaining the applause of
men…a rather empty sense of accomplishment
2. We can fade
into the woodwork in feigned humility, a lie (at best) of the greatness of the
Holy Spirit residing in your heart.
Either of those is not that to which
God called any of us. Rather, the body
of Christ is to be a working force, every member using his or her gifts
appropriately, respectfully, and humbly, so God gets the glory as unbelievers
are converted.
For You Today
Our goal as a church is never to
approach entertainment or satisfying someone’s opinion or preferences…or even
just keeping peace. It is to have the
mission of Christ effective in our lives, declaring with power that God is
truly among us.
You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have
a blessed day!
[1] Title and Other Images: Pixabay.com Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
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