Saturday, June 6, 2009

Living for Him

"Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it." (Luke 9:24)

Are you in a situation where you must put up with misunderstanding and loss of esteem? Do you get little or no credit for the work you do?

The proper response is the willing attitude of "dying" daily that continually characterized our Lord. He was willing to be misunderstood and maligned, to take an obscure place, to give up those things that made Him look good in other people's eyes. He met His detractors with kindness and meekness, reacting not in strength, but in weakness.

And if we die with Him, God's gift to us is "the life of Jesus" the most attractive life that ever was lived. His beauty will gradually grow in us and become our beauty as well.

The portrait you draw of Jesus by your humble, tranquil presence in the face of grievous wrong is worth a spate of words.

(Taken from the book "Out of the Ordinary" by David Roper pgs. 96-97)

3 comments:

outdoor.mom said...

this is a great reminder!! Thanks :-) Even if nobody else sees us, God does and He promotes those who are faithful.

sherry said...

I'm thinking on this...

jAne at tickleberry farm

Becky said...

To Jane: the last sentence of this post gets me. I am not always humble nor tranquil when I get after my sons, but since they have become teens with fully active mouths, this sentence makes sense to me.