"When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee commeth, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. " Luke 14:8-11
The Christian is to find exaltation by humility! Christ advised his hearers in this parable that when they went to a great dinner, not to go early and get the best place, but to go in modestly and take a humble seat; and then if it was proper for them to have the higher place, the host would honor them by public invitation to the better seat. It is by being, and not by seeming to be, that one really comes to be exalted.
Christ emptied Himself of all reputation, laid aside His glory and His riches, and came to the earth to be born among the lowly in the manger of an inn stable. But it was the way toward exaltation, for Paul says: "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father"
(Philippians 2:9-11).
Jesus' advice to His people was not to rush for the "best" place at a feast, but to humble theirselves at a lower seat. Today, people are just as eager to raise their social status, whether by being with the right people, dressing in the finest clothing, or even owning the right car. May I ask, WHO are we trying to impress here? Rather than aiming for prestige, why not look for a place you can serve? Now, if God wants you to serve on a wider scale, He will invite you to take a higher place! And always remember, we too, shall
come to our highest through sacrificing ourselves in humility for the blessing of others.
May your day be wonderfully blessed in the Lord Jesus.
Love in Christ Jesus, Sandy
We are not Highborn until we are born on High. |
