GraceCreates

By Jon Walker

Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23 (NIV)

It’s a classic riff in the handbook of comedy. A leader stands before a group and says, “I need a volunteer. There’s little chance of success and most likely you will die, but if you’re willing to do it, take one step forward.”

Everyone in the group looks around, then collectively they all take a step backward, except for one hapless bullwinkle who now appears as if he took a step forward. He’s become an involuntarily volunteer.

By its very nature, service-is-sacrifice must be voluntary. Jesus says no one took his life from him, rather he gave it up freely: “I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father” (John 10:18 NIV).

Jesus, as a voluntary volunteer, shows us how to pour ourselves “out for each other in acts of love,” doing “for others what they cannot do for themselves.”

Likewise, the first Christian martyr, Stephen, offered up his life voluntarily. We may not be asked to die for our faith, but Jesus does expect us to die daily in sacrificial service for one another (Luke 9:23).

In some ways, our daily dying may be more difficult than a one-time physical death because it may mean staying silent when every bone in our body wants to do otherwise.

In matters of service-is-sacrifice, are you among those who take a step backward, leaving someone else to involuntarily volunteer? The Jesus model of service-is-sacrifice suggests you step forward, offering to take the place of the involunteer.

Understand this, your freedom in Christ allows you to make a choice. If you decide to stay in sacrificial service, you’re no longer an involunteer because you’re volunteering to remain.

May God supply us with the courage to serve with sacrifice.

If you’d like to receive these devotionals regularly, you can sign-up at www.gracecreates.com/subscribe/. Jon Walker writes from www.gracecreates.com. He is a Zondervan author, and the former writer/editor of the Purpose Driven Life On-Line Devotionals. This devotional is copyrighted 2008 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.

By Jon Walker

[Jesus], being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. Philippians 2:6–7 (NIV)

Most of us approach humility in one of two ways:

• We act like humble looks. We consciously act the way we think humility looks. But, by doing that, we live with a fabricated humility.
• We assume we’re unworthy. We assume we’re insignificant, and we live like a Tom Petty-Refugee, as if we’re somehow second-class.

The biblical approach to humility means you understand exactly who you are, but more importantly you understand exactly whose you are and that God has placed you where he wants you for such a time as this. In this way, your humility is not attached to your self-esteem.

In other words, rather than trying to think less of yourself, think more of God.

When you agree with God’s view of you, a Jesus-formed humility emerges in you. Like a lowly baby in a manger, you’re no longer burdened by needing to know all the answers or needing be in control of everything. You are dependent on God and those God sends to help you.

This is the thing: you will succeed in your Jesus-life because of who God is, not because of who you are. He supports you, not because you pretend toward perfection, but because he knows you can’t succeed without him. In your humility he becomes your strength for any task before you. God created you, prepared you, and called you to share the good news for such a time as this.

If you’d like to receive these devotionals regularly, you can sign-up at www.gracecreates.com/subscribe/. Jon Walker writes from www.gracecreates.com. He is a Zondervan author, and the former writer/editor of the Purpose Driven Life On-Line Devotionals. This devotional is copyrighted 2008 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.