Dear readers,
In the Middle ages the master of an estate in England lay dying. He called to him a servant whom he knew to be a devout Christian and he said: “ Jim, I am dying. I am not sure that I am going to Heaven. Can you tell me what I must do?”
The wise old servant knew the pride of his master, and he said: “Sir, if you want to be saved, you will have to go to the pigpen, get on your knees in the mud, and say, God be merciful to me a sinner”
The master said: “I could not possibly to do that. What would the neighbors and servants think?”
A week passed and he called his servant back and said: “ Jim what did you say I had to do to be saved?” The old servant replied: “Sir you will have to go to the pigpen” The master said: “I have been thinking it over, Jim, and I am ready to go”
The servant then said: “Master, you don´t really have to go to the pigpen. You just have to be willing”
I believe that we can apply this story not only to salvation, but to our everyday lives as well.
All through out the day, opportunities arise that require us to humble ourselves, then the little (not so little) thing in us called pride rises, and we are given a choice: do we accept the challenge, and scorn that awful pride in us? Or do we act in the flesh, and continue to see ourselves better than others? (even though we don't admit it!) Unfortunately, many times we simply choose to ignore it, and miss the opportunity.
Whenever I miss an opportunity like that, I feel so ashamed as I realize that our Lord Jesus himself was willing to die on the cross for us, what greater humiliation can there be? Let's try to return to Him a little of that love and ask Him to give us grace to be willing to "go to the pigpen" each day.
All through out the day, opportunities arise that require us to humble ourselves, then the little (not so little) thing in us called pride rises, and we are given a choice: do we accept the challenge, and scorn that awful pride in us? Or do we act in the flesh, and continue to see ourselves better than others? (even though we don't admit it!) Unfortunately, many times we simply choose to ignore it, and miss the opportunity.
Whenever I miss an opportunity like that, I feel so ashamed as I realize that our Lord Jesus himself was willing to die on the cross for us, what greater humiliation can there be? Let's try to return to Him a little of that love and ask Him to give us grace to be willing to "go to the pigpen" each day.
I know that it's hard, and that it even hurts to be humble sometimes, but let's remember that pride will cause us even more pain and grief!
So let's face this new day consious of our pride, with a heart desiring to change, and willing to beat the challenges that fall before us!
Remembering that: We will never see our need until we see ourselves as we really are.
God bless
I pray for this truth to be written in our hearts. Oh that we may truly long to be like Jesus who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he HUMBLED himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Phil 2)
ReplyDelete