“The Way Up is Down”
Luke 14:1-14
“For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” – Luke 14:11
Up is down in the Kingdom of God; but it is God’s way for the disciple of Christ. In the Kingdom humility is key, and it is contrary to the world’s way. In this world of self-pride, it is a challenge to walk in humility. Why? Because, let’s face it, we love to love ourselves. “Self” comes natural; no one has to teach us this. I have never heard anyone say, “I’m having a hard time thinking about myself today.” The challenge is thinking of others.
If I were to take a picture of our congregation this morning and post it on our website, who do you think would be the first person you look for when you open our website? The truth is obvious; we are all guilty of “self” to some degree because it comes natural.
But that is why we must be “born again” of the Spirit of God. Because it is only in that supernatural work of rebirth that we can begin to cultivate a God-centered and others-centered life. That is the right-side-up Kingdom-life that we are called to as disciples of Christ.
God’s Kingdom is vastly different from the world’s. And it is a test for the Christian. While we live in this world, but we are no longer of this world. The Bible says that the follower of Christ is a new creation. The former things are gone, and all things are made new. It is this newness of our spirit, infused with the Holy Spirit, that is the humbling catalyst.
Humility is the foreign way in the world, it is, however, the natural way in God’s Kingdom. “If I then, your Lord and Teacher have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” [Jn 13:14]
The way up is down in God’s Kingdom. As that great lyric goes, “Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
May we be conscious of this word, a warning actually, “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
May we be quick to the humble place and slow to the exalted one in this life of faith. May it always be the Lord Who does the lifting.
