Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamps of the wicked are sin! ~Proverbs 21:4
In contrast: Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. ~Mark 10:42-45
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who, being in the very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore, God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. ~Philippians 2:3-11
We’re all familiar with the person who thinks much of him or herself. They sweep into a room. They seem to assume that all eyes are on them, watching their every move. They have this, “Do you know who I am?” attitude about them. They assume that the answer to the unspoken question from their attitude is, “Of course you do!” They expect special treatment because of who they are.
Yeah, we know the type. We may not know them personally, but we’ve seen it. They’re the ones who head up the cliques in high school or have all the good press written about them for an amazing play on the field or an amazing portrayal of a role on the screen. They seem to have what many of us want; recognition. Yet, there is something in us that is more attracted to that person when they set all that aside and stoop to do something humble for another.
We like hearing the stories of “GREAT” people who go out of their way to be “nice,” for “lowly,” “normal” beings. We make statements about them like, “It’s nice to know that they haven’t forgotten their roots,” or “It’s nice to see their human side.” It is interesting that, while their bravado is appealing, their humility touches our hearts more deeply and cements a bond emotionally that we don’t forget.
Jesus, however, is altogether different. With all the wisdom He displayed through His teachings and all the miracles He brought about, and all the compassion He demonstrated to so many sufferers who were His contemporaries, you would think that if anyone had a right to claim a position of status it would be Him. Yet, He never did. In contrast, His disciples were constantly arguing about who amongthemwas the greatest. Even during their last meal together on this earth, after Jesus had washed their feet and demonstrated servant leadership as none other, the disciples still continued arguing about who would be the greatest in the Kingdom.
Here they were, jostling for rank and position and the battle hadn’t even been fought yet! It makes us want to step into their story and shout at these men: “Do you know who He is?” How foolish we humans can be. “Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.” That is a challenge. It’s one thing to be willing to serve another for a moment, but to actually see yourself as a servant, always, and not see it as a degrading of yourself, but an honor because, in truth, you are serving Christ. For many, that is a whole new way of thinking.
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord, Christ, you are serving.” (Col. 3:23-24) “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children, and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Eph. 5:1-2) We are called to be imitators of Christ.
As you read back through the passage in Philippians above and see just how low Jesus was willing to go, what is serving a fellow human being in comparison? If all we do is truly done in service to Christ, then we can do it because we do know who He is and we serve because it is what He has asked of us.
“Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamps of the wicked are sin!” The Bible often refers to the eyes as the “Lamp,” of the body. Haughty eyes coupled with a proud heart, like the sin they represent, are only going to last in the seen world. They are focused on self, promoting self and only interested in serving self for this time alone.
When we become imitators of Christ, taking our eyes off ourselves and growing a desire to serve others, we are bringing a little of our future lives in heaven, down here to our fellow travelers on earth. We are giving them a glimpse of what not only life could be like here, but what it will be like in His Kingdom. It is bringing a little bit of His “Will on earth, as it is in heaven.” Isn’t that an awesome ministry to be a part of? “Do you know who He is?” How can any of us refuse?
Prayer: Father, Jesus, too! You are so loving and kind to stoop down and serve us so selflessly! You are truly great in a most heavenly way! Yes, I know who You really are! Holy Spirit in me, help me to imitate Christ and be a good servant. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Song: Servant Song
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