A word that is on my mind as the new year begins is "humility." I was recently given a book by C.J. Mahaney on the topic, which my pride insists was not a subtle hint. Then I heard a pastor repent in front of his congregation, having read this same book, for failing to exhibit humility. This got my attention!
You would think that the church might be a good place to cultivate humility. Hopefully in some ways it is. However, in evangelical America, is humility valued any more than in corporate America?
A fellow pastor drew my attention to an irony in contemporary church life. On the one hand, serving the poor is receiving increased attention: in our denomination we speak frequently about "ministries of justice and mercy." And this is good! It is a reminder of Jesus' call to serve others and not base our "greatness" on outward success but on humbly serving others.
Yet in other areas we still operate with a value system very similar to Wall Street: swelling numbers, polished performances, etc., are considered indicators of success. As indicators of the Spirit's work, these are indeed good things; after all, God desires the gospel to spread and He moves us toward excellence in our endeavors. But when these instead reveal external rather than internal priorities, such pursuits can actually move us away from humility and "true greatness."
How careful we have to be! And how humble.
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