A Lesson in Humility

How does God speak to you?

I often find that it's through the same message popping up in several places.

I found this as the verse of the day the other day:

So then, my brothers and sisters, because of God's great mercy to us I appeal to you: offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer. Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God - what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect.

-Rom 12:1-2 

(emphasis mine)

I had just listened to a great sermon on humility (found here), all about Jesus's parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector going up to the temple. The Pharisee says "thank God I'm not like all these other people" and the tax collector is so ashamed he can't even look up to God. I've never said the Pharisee's words, but the pastor pointed out you don't have to say those exactly - if you segregate yourself from people in church by hanging out only with your friends, if you've ever looked at say someone dressed poorly or with tattoos, or say a "street person", or the local outspoken atheist walked into church and you felt uncomfortable and stayed away from them or had the attitude of "what are they doing here?" - you are like the pharisee.

(By the way, I'm not trying to pick on anyone here. They're only examples of types of people that bother some people).

Conversely, the people walking in also may separate themselves due to shame. Jesus has a message to both - I love you all. In fact, many of his parables carry messages to both groups of people - hope for the "bad" in society, and a warning to those too standoffish who consider themselves better than some people.

So, now, which are you more like - the Pharisee or the tax collector?

I find myself, when put that way, more like the Pharisee. I grew up with a strong rule system, and a strong teaching on good vs. evil. And so my tendency is to be comfortable within rules, and be quite uncomfortable with people who break them, and yes, consider myself slightly better for following the rules. Because that's what we're taught as children - following the rules is good. It was always easy, once I learned the rules, to follow them.

Getting back to the Bible passage, which I saw that same evening.

As Christians, we're supposed to be growing to be more like Christ. The New Testament has pretty radical teachings on morality that really explore loving your neighbor in a way we haven't even fully embraced today. But you can't be more like Christ (something we all want) and stubbornly cling to your same mindset as your identity. In other words, if you want a different end product, you have to be willing to change. And just like in a marriage, it's not always you want to change, or even think you need to change.

In other words, the Pharisee's real sin was not his thoughts (we all get uncomfortable sometimes), but his unwillingness to be changed.

So this week, ask yourself - how willing to be changed are you? How open are you to the idea that your whole mindset could be wrong?

One great test is when you hear ideas that are politically polar opposite of yours - do you immediately discount them as wrong or do you consider that they might be right? Do you feel any sort of antipathy or negative judgment about the person holding them? If you do, you are not open minded. Even if you're liberal, the traditionally "open-minded" party.

The flip side is that if you do let yourself become open minded, you can know the will of God. How powerful is that?!! Spouse and I always discus how you can practically  know God's will for you.

The first step is willing to be changed.