Luke 14:7-11
When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 'When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, "Give this man your seat." Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, "Friend, move up to a better place." Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.'
The parable that the Lord taught here tells us not to pretend to be humble, but rather to have genuine humility. It's easy for us to be humble when we encounter things that we are not familiar with, but it's hard to be humble if we are dealing with things that we think we understand well. Paul said that we must be humble in all things when serving the Lord. Be humble in all things is an attitude, for we must be willing to depend on God and be corrected by God in all things. In the church, when we collaborate in ministry, the most difficult thing is that many have never been disciplined by God during the process of their rebirth. Everyone has their own nature and temperament, and they are easily hurt when conflicts happen. As we serve God, may God help us to see that the most important thing is not what to do, but it's to let our natural lives be broken by God.
Jacob in the Bible best represents the natural life. All his life he wanted to hold on to the blessings of the world with his own strength and intelligence. When he encountered God in Jabbok, he still wanted to grab God with his own strength, but God made his natural strength collapse by a simple touch on his thigh. He had to surrender his pride and dignity before God. Chinese church leader Watchman Nee told the brothers and sisters who wanted to enter ministry: One day, you will encounter God, and you will experience what happens when God touches your thigh. If a person wants to serve God with his natural life, the ministry will not be effective. He needs to be disciplined and broken by God during the process of serving. A jade vessel of fragrant ointment needs to be broken in order for the fragrance to fill the room. In the same way, our natural life needs to be dealt with by the Lord in order for blessings to come out from our life.
Once you are willing to be broken, the humble life of the Lord will be manifested in your life. Are you willing? Let God come and work on you now, and let Him accomplish His will in your life!
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