‘Humility brings honour.’ Proverbs 29:23
The story’s told of a young
pastor who was widely known to be a gifted preacher. But as his congregation
swelled - so did his head! One Sunday after he’d delivered his latest
masterpiece, a church member shook his hand and said, ‘You are, without a
doubt, one of the greatest preachers of our generation.’ It was all the young
minister could do to squeeze his head into the car as he slid behind the
steering wheel. And as he and his wife drove home he told her what his
parishioner had said. She didn’t respond, so after fishing for affirmation he
said, ‘I wonder just how many “great preachers” there are in this generation?’
She replied, ‘One fewer than you think, dear!’ Try to imagine Jesus kneeling
with a towel and a basin to wash the dirt from your feet. In those days of
unpaved streets, it was a common courtesy. When you visited someone’s home
they’d wash your feet as a way of saying, ‘I welcome and honour you.’ When
Jesus’ disciples protested, He said to them, ‘I have given you an example to
follow: do as I have done to you…That is the path of blessing’ (John 13:15-17
TLB).
Someone once asked Leonard Bernstein, the brilliant New York Philharmonic
conductor, what the most difficult position in the orchestra was. He replied,
‘Second fiddle.’ Everybody wants to sit in the first chair. But in God’s
kingdom we’re called to consider others first and ourselves second. When we do,
God promises to honour us.
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