"Father, glorify Thy name." (Jesus)
John 12:28
It is a rare quality among men these days; humility. But even so, we know it when we see it.
Take the example of Franklin, Mississippi. Some of you may have seen the recent special on 60 Minutes. It is a small, rural town and, up to a year and a half ago, many of the children had never seen a chess board. Most had never played a game of chess before in their lives. Then, Jeff Burlington from Memphis showed up. He taught chess to the school children. They loved it. They were very good at it. Now, Franklin, Mississippi has a state champion chess trophy for their trophy case and a new confidence in what they can accomplish in life.
It is an amazing transformation to witness, but there's even more going on that can't be seen.
Behind the scenes, we are told, there is an "anonymous benefector" that has hired Dr. Burlington to teach chess to these rural kids. I wonder about that individual...seeing all this happen...hearing the reports...rejoicing in the success and celebrating the excitement. And no one knows who it is! At least, no one who watches 60 Minutes.
Take the example of Franklin, Mississippi. Some of you may have seen the recent special on 60 Minutes. It is a small, rural town and, up to a year and a half ago, many of the children had never seen a chess board. Most had never played a game of chess before in their lives. Then, Jeff Burlington from Memphis showed up. He taught chess to the school children. They loved it. They were very good at it. Now, Franklin, Mississippi has a state champion chess trophy for their trophy case and a new confidence in what they can accomplish in life.
It is an amazing transformation to witness, but there's even more going on that can't be seen.
Behind the scenes, we are told, there is an "anonymous benefector" that has hired Dr. Burlington to teach chess to these rural kids. I wonder about that individual...seeing all this happen...hearing the reports...rejoicing in the success and celebrating the excitement. And no one knows who it is! At least, no one who watches 60 Minutes.
Maybe this mysterious benefactor is so fascinating because it is a such a rare quality these days among Christian men; humility. We see lots of hubris. We strut for attention. We hoard our toys and hide our treasure. And instead of celebrating the success of others, there is a desire to be more successful than they are.
But Jesus was different. He didn't pursue the accolades of His admirers. His miracles were never about Him. And, in the end, He desired that His greatest glory be given to His heavenly Father.
Therefore, the question for us, as Christian men, is not how many people notice us, or work for us, or recognize our work...but, how much of what we do can be a gift to others? To begin, maybe we should just stop; stop striving to impress our neighbors and start celebrating with them; stop seeking the applause of strangers and start glorifying the Father.
It couldn't hurt. Who knows, we too might change lives; maybe it's the lives of our spouses or our children. Maybe it's our very own Franklin. Maybe it's the world.
But Jesus was different. He didn't pursue the accolades of His admirers. His miracles were never about Him. And, in the end, He desired that His greatest glory be given to His heavenly Father.
Therefore, the question for us, as Christian men, is not how many people notice us, or work for us, or recognize our work...but, how much of what we do can be a gift to others? To begin, maybe we should just stop; stop striving to impress our neighbors and start celebrating with them; stop seeking the applause of strangers and start glorifying the Father.
It couldn't hurt. Who knows, we too might change lives; maybe it's the lives of our spouses or our children. Maybe it's our very own Franklin. Maybe it's the world.
Church Stopping. Less doing. More being
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