Luke 9:49-50
John spoke up, “Master, we saw a man using your name to expel demons and we stopped him because he wasn’t of our group.”
Jesus said, “Don’t stop him. If he’s not an enemy, he’s an ally.”
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
What if you were sick or injured and a person rushed to your aide and said, “I am a doctor (or a nurse).” This person was of a different race or ethnicity – or you knew from local “talk” that he/she practiced an alternative lifestyle or was a member of a different political party than yours. What if you had heard that this person was an atheist or practiced some religion other than Christianity? Would you wave him/her away and say, “No thanks, I’ll wait for a Christian who is the same race as me, has a husband/wife and 2.5 kids, and belongs to my political affiliation”? I don’t think so!
It seems to me that Jesus’ point in these verses is that we need to stop making “enemies” of everyone. We need to stop judging others based on whatever criteria we establish – and leave such conclusions to God. We must stop being so fearful of differences.
Few among us would even consider turning our back on a child – regardless of his/her size, shape, skin color, or even if the kid was having a royal outburst or temper tantrum. And the truth is that we are ALL God’s creations…and potentially His “Kingdom Kids” forever. I challenge you to start looking at others and picturing them as small children. Remind yourself that these people were once loved, hugged and nurtured by someone.
Timothy asks me often, “Am I still your baby?” I assure him that no matter how large he grows, he will ALWAYS be my “baby”. The person you fear is also someone’s “baby”. The terrorist with a gun is someone’s baby…the gay/transgender person whose lifestyle choices you cannot understand is someone’s baby…the person who claims that God does not exist – or the person who prays to a statue – is someone’s baby. Drug addicts, prostitutes, alcoholics, child molesters, thieves, rapists, liars, cheaters, the poor and needy, the homeless, and the affluent snobs are all someone’s baby. Jesus died for every one of them, and each has as much right to receive His salvation as you and I do.
We have made enemies where we should have been seeking allies. And today is a good day to start doing more of the latter. Where will you begin?
©2015 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label God's children. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God's children. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for April 3, 2014
Matthew 18:1-5
About this time the disciples came to Jesus and asked him who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus called a child over and had the child stand near him. Then he said:
I promise you this. If you don’t change and become like a child, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven. But if you are as humble as this child, you are the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And when you welcome one of these children because of me, you welcome me.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Author Beth Moore talks about her daughters in Feathers from My Nest…how one had a reputation for procrastination – particularly when it came to studying. From time to time, this daughter would “turn over a new leaf” – and make a visit to a local store to purchase another binder and clean notebook paper that signified the next “fresh start” was in action. Moore notes that there is nothing like a clean start… that adults must release children from the burden of past mistakes and allow them to learn and grow from their experiences so that they don’t carry them along as cumulative baggage. She acknowledges that children have to deal with their mistakes…but they must also be allowed to release them. And she notes that we are God’s children…and this is His way with all of us.
Stick with me here. Moore talks about how some adults want to shame children for their mistakes…how this shamed child sometimes seeks God out of a sense of guilt more than a profound desire to be in a relationship with Him. She reminds us that God sent Jesus to take our shame…and that He still does this for us, even today. Moore says of God…”Shame is never His game.”*
Does this describe you? Are you a “shamed child” (both literally and figuratively)? Do you serve God more from a place of guilt and obligation than one of yearning for His presence and care? Have you behaved toward others like a “shaming parent”? Have you judged them and remembered their mistakes? Have you shown the compassion, hope, and encouragement of a “fresh start” with God to those whom you encounter?
Given the opportunity, children seem to have an innate ability to move forward…to leave the past behind and start over each day – if not each hour or minute! But it doesn’t take long for adults to pollute this…to load the child with guilt and shame and a sense of cumulative mistakes and failures. We must be careful to allow children room to make blunders – and to grow and learn from them before they toss them to the curb.
We must also do this with others in our midst. Will we forever remember the mistakes of our friends and neighbors? Will we continue to judge others based on their past? Will we remind them of the actions of their youth – or even adulthood – that were reckless, insensitive…or maybe even illegal? Or will we encourage and nurture a “fresh start” in others…whether these persons have initiated one or still need a gentle nudge in order to do so?
Will we look at others and see them as God sees them...”children” whom He loves with all of His heart? Will we offer them the love, grace, mercy, compassion and encouragement they need in order to respectfully seek God’s guidance and the Kingdom of Heaven? I would assume that this is the treatment we desire in our own lives. Don’t you think it’s time we reciprocated?
©2014 Debbie Robus
*Feathers From My Nest ~©Beth Moore – B & H Publishing, Nashville, TN – All Rights Reserved.
About this time the disciples came to Jesus and asked him who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus called a child over and had the child stand near him. Then he said:
I promise you this. If you don’t change and become like a child, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven. But if you are as humble as this child, you are the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And when you welcome one of these children because of me, you welcome me.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Author Beth Moore talks about her daughters in Feathers from My Nest…how one had a reputation for procrastination – particularly when it came to studying. From time to time, this daughter would “turn over a new leaf” – and make a visit to a local store to purchase another binder and clean notebook paper that signified the next “fresh start” was in action. Moore notes that there is nothing like a clean start… that adults must release children from the burden of past mistakes and allow them to learn and grow from their experiences so that they don’t carry them along as cumulative baggage. She acknowledges that children have to deal with their mistakes…but they must also be allowed to release them. And she notes that we are God’s children…and this is His way with all of us.
Stick with me here. Moore talks about how some adults want to shame children for their mistakes…how this shamed child sometimes seeks God out of a sense of guilt more than a profound desire to be in a relationship with Him. She reminds us that God sent Jesus to take our shame…and that He still does this for us, even today. Moore says of God…”Shame is never His game.”*
Does this describe you? Are you a “shamed child” (both literally and figuratively)? Do you serve God more from a place of guilt and obligation than one of yearning for His presence and care? Have you behaved toward others like a “shaming parent”? Have you judged them and remembered their mistakes? Have you shown the compassion, hope, and encouragement of a “fresh start” with God to those whom you encounter?
Given the opportunity, children seem to have an innate ability to move forward…to leave the past behind and start over each day – if not each hour or minute! But it doesn’t take long for adults to pollute this…to load the child with guilt and shame and a sense of cumulative mistakes and failures. We must be careful to allow children room to make blunders – and to grow and learn from them before they toss them to the curb.
We must also do this with others in our midst. Will we forever remember the mistakes of our friends and neighbors? Will we continue to judge others based on their past? Will we remind them of the actions of their youth – or even adulthood – that were reckless, insensitive…or maybe even illegal? Or will we encourage and nurture a “fresh start” in others…whether these persons have initiated one or still need a gentle nudge in order to do so?
Will we look at others and see them as God sees them...”children” whom He loves with all of His heart? Will we offer them the love, grace, mercy, compassion and encouragement they need in order to respectfully seek God’s guidance and the Kingdom of Heaven? I would assume that this is the treatment we desire in our own lives. Don’t you think it’s time we reciprocated?
©2014 Debbie Robus
*Feathers From My Nest ~©Beth Moore – B & H Publishing, Nashville, TN – All Rights Reserved.
Daily Devotional for March 22, 2014
Ephesians 1:15-18
I have heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God’s people. So I never stop being grateful for you, as I mention you in my prayers. I ask the glorious Father and God of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you his Spirit. The Spirit will make you wise and let you understand what it means to know God. My prayer is that light will flood your hearts and that you will understand the hope that was given to you when God chose you. Then you will discover the glorious blessings that will be yours together with all of God’s people.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Timothy began to grow tired late one morning, and the litany began…”I’m thirsty! I’m hungry! I don’t want to lie down! I want this…I need that!” Greg said, “I don’t think he is any of those things…he knows he needs a nap, and these are diversions.” And he was right. As the protests grew louder and the tears came, I snuggled him with a cup of juice, and soon, he was calm…not quite asleep - but the food and other “demands” had been forgotten.
So often, we don’t really pay attention to what children are telling us. We grow impatient with them when they have outbursts instead of stopping to determine the true root of the problem. We stifle their and actions and miss the signals and messages they are trying to send us. And sadly, we devalue them by doing this. We do the same thing with “children of God” in our daily living.
In Kathryn Stockett’s The Help, Aibileen Clark (played by Viola Davis in the movie version), tells her little charge, Mae Mobley… “You is kind. You is good. You is important!” She reminds the chubby little girl of her value apart from the color of her skin and her family’s “standing” in the community. She wants this child to understand that she is valued on her own merits…that what she says, does and thinks matters! And this is the message I wish to convey to you today.
Regardless of the family into which you were born…your race…skin color…appearance…sexual orientation…socio-economic position…political leaning…or even your past…you are precious to God. If you have asked Jesus to forgive your sins and received the Holy Spirit into your heart, you have the capacity for wisdom and the ability to understand what it means to truly know God. If you are a born-again child of God, you carry His light in your heart and are filled with His hope. In God’s eyes…“You is kind. You is good. You is important!” And as your fellow “sister in Christ,” you are all of those things to me - and I am grateful for you.
It is our privilege to pray for fellow believers…members of our “Christian family”. It is important that we let others know that they are important to us…that their joys, sorrows, triumphs and defeats matter - greatly! As Christian disciples, we must always build up other Christians…we must always encourage them and offer heartfelt compassion for their feelings. In this manner, we fortify the Kingdom of God by strengthening and boosting the spirits of one another. We must be kind and loving toward non-believers, too. But for today, I am concentrating on our Christian “family”, because so often we tend to take each other for granted…to look beyond fellow believers and concentrate only on the “unsaved”.
Today, I encourage you to stop and pay attention to your family members…those in your physical family as well as your spiritual “siblings”. Are you treating them with the same value that God gives them? Do you pay attention when they speak? Do you really “get” what they are trying to share with you? Do they know that you care for them…that your prayers on their behalf are frequent and heartfelt? Do they feel like you believe them to be kind…good…important?
In essence, it boils down to this question…”Are you a good ‘relative’ in God’s ‘family’?” Isn’t it time you made the necessary changes to become an effective supporter and encourager to others? Could your discipleship use a little “spit and polish”? You is kind. You is good. You is important...to God – and to me. Do your “family” members know that you feel this way about them? Shouldn’t they?
©2014 Debbie Robus
I have heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God’s people. So I never stop being grateful for you, as I mention you in my prayers. I ask the glorious Father and God of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you his Spirit. The Spirit will make you wise and let you understand what it means to know God. My prayer is that light will flood your hearts and that you will understand the hope that was given to you when God chose you. Then you will discover the glorious blessings that will be yours together with all of God’s people.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Timothy began to grow tired late one morning, and the litany began…”I’m thirsty! I’m hungry! I don’t want to lie down! I want this…I need that!” Greg said, “I don’t think he is any of those things…he knows he needs a nap, and these are diversions.” And he was right. As the protests grew louder and the tears came, I snuggled him with a cup of juice, and soon, he was calm…not quite asleep - but the food and other “demands” had been forgotten.
So often, we don’t really pay attention to what children are telling us. We grow impatient with them when they have outbursts instead of stopping to determine the true root of the problem. We stifle their and actions and miss the signals and messages they are trying to send us. And sadly, we devalue them by doing this. We do the same thing with “children of God” in our daily living.
In Kathryn Stockett’s The Help, Aibileen Clark (played by Viola Davis in the movie version), tells her little charge, Mae Mobley… “You is kind. You is good. You is important!” She reminds the chubby little girl of her value apart from the color of her skin and her family’s “standing” in the community. She wants this child to understand that she is valued on her own merits…that what she says, does and thinks matters! And this is the message I wish to convey to you today.
Regardless of the family into which you were born…your race…skin color…appearance…sexual orientation…socio-economic position…political leaning…or even your past…you are precious to God. If you have asked Jesus to forgive your sins and received the Holy Spirit into your heart, you have the capacity for wisdom and the ability to understand what it means to truly know God. If you are a born-again child of God, you carry His light in your heart and are filled with His hope. In God’s eyes…“You is kind. You is good. You is important!” And as your fellow “sister in Christ,” you are all of those things to me - and I am grateful for you.
It is our privilege to pray for fellow believers…members of our “Christian family”. It is important that we let others know that they are important to us…that their joys, sorrows, triumphs and defeats matter - greatly! As Christian disciples, we must always build up other Christians…we must always encourage them and offer heartfelt compassion for their feelings. In this manner, we fortify the Kingdom of God by strengthening and boosting the spirits of one another. We must be kind and loving toward non-believers, too. But for today, I am concentrating on our Christian “family”, because so often we tend to take each other for granted…to look beyond fellow believers and concentrate only on the “unsaved”.
Today, I encourage you to stop and pay attention to your family members…those in your physical family as well as your spiritual “siblings”. Are you treating them with the same value that God gives them? Do you pay attention when they speak? Do you really “get” what they are trying to share with you? Do they know that you care for them…that your prayers on their behalf are frequent and heartfelt? Do they feel like you believe them to be kind…good…important?
In essence, it boils down to this question…”Are you a good ‘relative’ in God’s ‘family’?” Isn’t it time you made the necessary changes to become an effective supporter and encourager to others? Could your discipleship use a little “spit and polish”? You is kind. You is good. You is important...to God – and to me. Do your “family” members know that you feel this way about them? Shouldn’t they?
©2014 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for November 3, 2013
Leviticus 19:32
I command you to show respect for older people and to obey me with fear and trembling.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
When I was a teenager, our neighbor, Mr. Good, recruited me to go with him and his wife one evening each week to our local nursing home to conduct a worship service. I played the piano for the residents to sing hymns, and then Mr. Good “preached.” I have to tell you, he was pretty boring as a speaker. But those people didn’t care, because he spent all manner of time with them before and after the service… and that was what they really wanted and needed. I am sure that Tuesday night was the highlight of the week for many of them! I visited with some of the residents, but mostly with my Aunt Faye, who was a resident there. A double-amputee as a result of diabetes, Aunt Faye looked forward to my visits, and I always enjoyed spending time with her. I cannot recall anything we discussed… and I probably dreaded going a lot of nights… but I always felt better after I had been.
In the 40 years since, I have spent a lot of time going to nursing homes and visiting with elderly people. I helped care for my mother’s parents as they aged and entered a nursing home… and I was the guardian for my grandmother for more than a decade. Additionally, Greg has delivered Meals on Wheels for a number of years now… and he and I delivered the meals together back in the late 1980s. I can tell you that we have seen a lot of lonely older folks… people whose faces light up with joy and delight at just the two-or-three-minute encounter they have with someone who delivers a hot meal each weekday – or a hug or handshake and a “hello” as we passed through the lobby or dining hall at a residential facility. I’ve seen people in nursing homes and the Assisted Living Facility who were, for all practical purposes, dumped there… people who never get a visit from a family member… people who have no one to care about them except the staff members. As one man put it one day when I knelt down to hug him and ask about his day said… “It just got a whole lot better now!”
When my grandmother was living at the Assisted Living Facility, I looked at some of the residents who shared this facility with her and how they never seemed to have anyone to see after their needs… to advocate for them with the medical staff and others…those who never seemed to get a card, call or visit. I reminded myself often that these people were God’s children just as much as my Mam-ma Polly, whose apartment entrance resembled something of a “revolving door” as people seemed to be continually coming and going, calling, leaving cards, food, flowers and more. I wondered how – and why – she appeared to be so blessed, while others seemed to have so little. And the only conclusion I could come to was that SHE had been a blessing to many when she was able and active… and she had instilled this sense of respect in me and my family, so that we saw after her in a similar manner.
If you stop and think about it, I bet you know several older folks who could use a little of your time and attention. Perhaps you have a neighbor, an aunt, uncle, grandparent… or even a parent… who isn’t quite as independent these days. This person might never ask you for help… for fear of being a bother. Or maybe they pester you all the time to do things for them, visit them, and more. Either way, we are called to show our respect and care for the elderly. In this way, we obey God and show our respect for Him… and for them. God doesn’t care less about people as they age and decline… and neither should we!
Respect and care for the elderly should be part of our Christian living. If we love God, and “fear” (respect) Him, we will take care of His sheep… ALL of them… even those who are elderly or infirm. Who needs to hear from you today? I can assure you that while you are honoring God and blessing someone with your respect and attention, YOU will receive the bigger blessing. This should not be your reason for reaching out… but it’s a pretty nice perk of your discipleship! Look around and see who needs your time and attention. Make a difference in the life of an elderly person… honor and respect God in the process… and get ready to be truly blessed as a result!
©2013 Debbie Robus
I command you to show respect for older people and to obey me with fear and trembling.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
When I was a teenager, our neighbor, Mr. Good, recruited me to go with him and his wife one evening each week to our local nursing home to conduct a worship service. I played the piano for the residents to sing hymns, and then Mr. Good “preached.” I have to tell you, he was pretty boring as a speaker. But those people didn’t care, because he spent all manner of time with them before and after the service… and that was what they really wanted and needed. I am sure that Tuesday night was the highlight of the week for many of them! I visited with some of the residents, but mostly with my Aunt Faye, who was a resident there. A double-amputee as a result of diabetes, Aunt Faye looked forward to my visits, and I always enjoyed spending time with her. I cannot recall anything we discussed… and I probably dreaded going a lot of nights… but I always felt better after I had been.
In the 40 years since, I have spent a lot of time going to nursing homes and visiting with elderly people. I helped care for my mother’s parents as they aged and entered a nursing home… and I was the guardian for my grandmother for more than a decade. Additionally, Greg has delivered Meals on Wheels for a number of years now… and he and I delivered the meals together back in the late 1980s. I can tell you that we have seen a lot of lonely older folks… people whose faces light up with joy and delight at just the two-or-three-minute encounter they have with someone who delivers a hot meal each weekday – or a hug or handshake and a “hello” as we passed through the lobby or dining hall at a residential facility. I’ve seen people in nursing homes and the Assisted Living Facility who were, for all practical purposes, dumped there… people who never get a visit from a family member… people who have no one to care about them except the staff members. As one man put it one day when I knelt down to hug him and ask about his day said… “It just got a whole lot better now!”
When my grandmother was living at the Assisted Living Facility, I looked at some of the residents who shared this facility with her and how they never seemed to have anyone to see after their needs… to advocate for them with the medical staff and others…those who never seemed to get a card, call or visit. I reminded myself often that these people were God’s children just as much as my Mam-ma Polly, whose apartment entrance resembled something of a “revolving door” as people seemed to be continually coming and going, calling, leaving cards, food, flowers and more. I wondered how – and why – she appeared to be so blessed, while others seemed to have so little. And the only conclusion I could come to was that SHE had been a blessing to many when she was able and active… and she had instilled this sense of respect in me and my family, so that we saw after her in a similar manner.
If you stop and think about it, I bet you know several older folks who could use a little of your time and attention. Perhaps you have a neighbor, an aunt, uncle, grandparent… or even a parent… who isn’t quite as independent these days. This person might never ask you for help… for fear of being a bother. Or maybe they pester you all the time to do things for them, visit them, and more. Either way, we are called to show our respect and care for the elderly. In this way, we obey God and show our respect for Him… and for them. God doesn’t care less about people as they age and decline… and neither should we!
Respect and care for the elderly should be part of our Christian living. If we love God, and “fear” (respect) Him, we will take care of His sheep… ALL of them… even those who are elderly or infirm. Who needs to hear from you today? I can assure you that while you are honoring God and blessing someone with your respect and attention, YOU will receive the bigger blessing. This should not be your reason for reaching out… but it’s a pretty nice perk of your discipleship! Look around and see who needs your time and attention. Make a difference in the life of an elderly person… honor and respect God in the process… and get ready to be truly blessed as a result!
©2013 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for February 8, 2011
Matthew 23:8-12
But none of you should be called a teacher. You have only one teacher, and all of you are like brothers and sisters. Don't call anyone on earth your father. All of you have the same Father in heaven. None of you should be called the leader. The Messiah is your only leader. Whoever is the greatest should be the servant of the others. If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honored.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
In recent weeks, two women in their late eighties passed away. One lived in Iowa… the other in Arkansas. Both were mothers, wives, and grandmothers. Both were businesswomen… one of them worked for years alongside her husband in a dry cleaning business. The other was a housekeeper for several clients – and still helped her grand-daughters with ironing and dusting duties in recent months. One died at home. The other died in a skilled care nursing facility.
One woman was surrounded by children and grandchildren who visited often. The other scarcely saw her two children, who both lived on opposite ends of the country. Her only visitors were nieces and an occasional fellow church member.
The lady with the big family was eulogized and remembered at a funeral service attended by a huge contingent of family and friends. There was a visitation, a memorial service, a private burial service for family members… and even a community meal for those who attended the services. The other lady received a private burial attended by three nieces and a nephew, her pastors, and a couple who were her former neighbors and fellow church members.
Both of these ladies were Christians. Both were God’s children, saved by the blood of Jesus. Just because one of them had more attention from family and friends did not mean she was a better person… or more deserving. It did not make her more important in God’s eyes or give her a “better seat at the heavenly banquet table.” We all deserve respect… to be treated with love and dignity - even in our death. But even this doesn’t change our status with God.
I know that today, both of these dear ladies are sitting at God’s table, feasting on all of the riches of heaven. No distinction is made, and it doesn’t matter how big their funeral was or even how many people “saw after” them in their earthly life or what kind of work they did. And this should be the message for us. If you feel in any way insignificant or lowly… if someone has made you feel badly about yourself or treated you in an inferior manner… know that this is not how God sees you! In His eyes, no one is better than you. No celebrity is richer, no politician is smarter, no athlete brings Him more pride. YOU are equal to any other child of God. YOU are entitled to the same salvation, love, grace and mercy. Jesus Christ died for YOU just as equally as He did anyone else on the planet.
If you are putting yourself ahead of anyone else… in any way, shape or form, this is also a message for you to consider. Before you start to look down your nose at anyone else – or elevate your own stature… ESPECIALLY when it comes to service to God and your life as a Christian… read this passage again and think twice about what you are doing and saying.
God’s love for us is HUGE… so vast we cannot comprehend it… and far more inclusive than we often care to realize. Many of us need to take a long, hard look at our lives and how we are living for Christ… and see where we need to humble ourselves before Him. Many of us need to recognize how much He values us… how important we are in His eyes. The balance between self-worth and humility is a delicate one… but maintaining it makes all the difference. Are you in balance today? Do you need to move to one side or the other? Ask God to show you where you need to stand… and get busy making the needed adjustments to put you in perfect balance.
©2011 Debbie Robus
But none of you should be called a teacher. You have only one teacher, and all of you are like brothers and sisters. Don't call anyone on earth your father. All of you have the same Father in heaven. None of you should be called the leader. The Messiah is your only leader. Whoever is the greatest should be the servant of the others. If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honored.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
In recent weeks, two women in their late eighties passed away. One lived in Iowa… the other in Arkansas. Both were mothers, wives, and grandmothers. Both were businesswomen… one of them worked for years alongside her husband in a dry cleaning business. The other was a housekeeper for several clients – and still helped her grand-daughters with ironing and dusting duties in recent months. One died at home. The other died in a skilled care nursing facility.
One woman was surrounded by children and grandchildren who visited often. The other scarcely saw her two children, who both lived on opposite ends of the country. Her only visitors were nieces and an occasional fellow church member.
The lady with the big family was eulogized and remembered at a funeral service attended by a huge contingent of family and friends. There was a visitation, a memorial service, a private burial service for family members… and even a community meal for those who attended the services. The other lady received a private burial attended by three nieces and a nephew, her pastors, and a couple who were her former neighbors and fellow church members.
Both of these ladies were Christians. Both were God’s children, saved by the blood of Jesus. Just because one of them had more attention from family and friends did not mean she was a better person… or more deserving. It did not make her more important in God’s eyes or give her a “better seat at the heavenly banquet table.” We all deserve respect… to be treated with love and dignity - even in our death. But even this doesn’t change our status with God.
I know that today, both of these dear ladies are sitting at God’s table, feasting on all of the riches of heaven. No distinction is made, and it doesn’t matter how big their funeral was or even how many people “saw after” them in their earthly life or what kind of work they did. And this should be the message for us. If you feel in any way insignificant or lowly… if someone has made you feel badly about yourself or treated you in an inferior manner… know that this is not how God sees you! In His eyes, no one is better than you. No celebrity is richer, no politician is smarter, no athlete brings Him more pride. YOU are equal to any other child of God. YOU are entitled to the same salvation, love, grace and mercy. Jesus Christ died for YOU just as equally as He did anyone else on the planet.
If you are putting yourself ahead of anyone else… in any way, shape or form, this is also a message for you to consider. Before you start to look down your nose at anyone else – or elevate your own stature… ESPECIALLY when it comes to service to God and your life as a Christian… read this passage again and think twice about what you are doing and saying.
God’s love for us is HUGE… so vast we cannot comprehend it… and far more inclusive than we often care to realize. Many of us need to take a long, hard look at our lives and how we are living for Christ… and see where we need to humble ourselves before Him. Many of us need to recognize how much He values us… how important we are in His eyes. The balance between self-worth and humility is a delicate one… but maintaining it makes all the difference. Are you in balance today? Do you need to move to one side or the other? Ask God to show you where you need to stand… and get busy making the needed adjustments to put you in perfect balance.
©2011 Debbie Robus
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