July 15, 2016
“The Credibility of Humility”
Are you credible? God is looking for credible people He can use in this Babylon-like culture. But, sadly, a “credibility gap” exists between many American Christians and the world around them. By “credibility gap,” I mean a lack of believability caused by Christians who preach one thing and practice another! It isn’t our Gospel message that lacks credibility – it’s us! Some believe credibility comes with knowledge or information; however, those who always have an answer, even if it’s right, don’t necessarily possess credibility. Credibility starts with humility. The plausible people in my life are those who live without pretense. Men and women who, like Daniel, live out the words of the Apostle Peter…God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. So what’s humility? That’s a crucial question because many of us labor under a misconception of humility. Humility isn’t the lack of self-esteem, or even ambition for that matter. It isn’t the lack of an opinion or personal preferences. Nor is humility the resignation of self to some kind of doormat status. According to Jesus’ example, humility is about serving others (Philippians 2) and respecting others no matter how different from us they may be. Sadly, that kind of humility is too often missing in my life as a follower of Jesus. So, in order to THRIVE in Babylon as followers of Jesus, we’ll focus on two questions this coming Sunday–
- What did Daniel know that we need to know?
- What did Daniel do that we need to do?
I hope to see you! pastor jamie