Pastor Quinn • October 3, 2021
A Life of Humility
Human beings are by nature self-centered. We put ourselves first. We want what we think is best for us. Our focus today is humility. That is so very hard, because it requires placing our personal wants and desires not only behind those of Christ, but behind those of virtually everyone else in our lives! And yet, that is exactly what Christ did for us.
In perfect humility, he put his self-interests behind ours. The only one who is worthy of nothing but praise and admiration allowed himself to become an object of scorn and ridicule, and he did it for us. His grace moves us to want to do the same. His Spirit empowers us to do the same.
A God-lived life is A Life of Humility.
Forgiveness does not come naturally to human beings. It is expected that humans will defend themselves, lash out when attacked, hold grudges, and bite back. So, when human beings hear that they are forgiven, they may even be suspicious or skeptical. Jesus tells a parable that contrasts the forgiveness of God with our own unforgiving sinful nature. God forgives our huge debt. Who can comprehend such unexpected mercy? Certainly not unmerciful servants, who refuse to forgive small debts. Have mercy on us, Lord, and teach us to forgive like you!
Forgiveness does not come naturally to human beings. It is expected that humans will defend themselves, lash out when attacked, hold grudges, and bite back. So, when human beings hear that they are forgiven, they may even be suspicious or skeptical. Jesus tells a parable that contrasts the forgiveness of God with our own unforgiving sinful nature. God forgives our huge debt. Who can comprehend such unexpected mercy? Certainly not unmerciful servants, who refuse to forgive small debts. Have mercy on us, Lord, and teach us to forgive like you!
Give a single bag of M&Ms to siblings in middle school and tell them to share. You will witness counting done with accounting-like precision. Each child will get an equal amount of candy because that is fair. That’s what’s expected! Human beings have an incredibly strong sense of fairness. That is why it can be so amazing when we see how God unexpectedly dispenses blessing and grace. The prophet Jonah was perplexed when he saw God’s mercy on a nation that was an enemy to Jonah’s people. Like Jonah, we need to stop expecting God to be fair. He does not give us what we deserve. Instead, in his grace, he shows us mercy. That’s amazing!
