Acknowledging the King

This Resurrection Sunday as I pondered the death and resurrection of my savior, I stand amazed at Jesus' resolve, his love for humanity, and his desire to fulfill the will of his Father. As we have heard the saying, "It wasn't the nails that kept him on the cross".

The temptation of Jesus was not finished after the wilderness experience. Although not explicitly stated in the Bible, we can assume that it was ongoing throughout his ministry. When Peter rebukes Jesus and says that he will not die, Jesus rebukes the satanic source of that statement. His greatest temptation came on the Mount of Olives. The most innate of human desire is to live, and in those moments Jesus submitted himself to the will of the Father, to the point that he shed sweat drops of blood.

As we witness the last moments of Jesus, we see that those temptations were the strongest when Jesus was at his weakest.

35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”

36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”

39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

On the cross, he is repeatedly questioned about his identity as the Son of God and Messiah, and tempted to abandon his mission and "Save Himself". The repetition of this phrase from three different groups of people makes it clear who the source of this temptation was: Satan. This was a last ditch effort to sabotage the mission of Jesus. How selfless is our Savior? He who had authority over legions of angels, he who had the power to save himself chose to willingly lay down his life for our sake. The ultimate act of humility: Regarding obedience to Father God more important than his very life.

Could we do likewise? In our weakest moment, when Satan throws his toughest temptations at us, could we bear the cross? If we fail to obey the father while not under any duress, how can we hope to stay true to the mission when our life is at stake?

Part 2 Coming Soon

(This post is inspired by a message spoken by Pr. Rueben Koshy at Living Waters Christian Church on April 9, 2023)

Antidote to Comparison

We have all heard the saying: "Comparison is the thief of joy". Comparing ourselves to other people will often times lead us into sadness, lead us to covet what others have and not be content with the blessings that we have. But what if you are the one that people are comparing themselves to? What if you were the kid that other parents said their kids should be like? What if for you, comparison is the source of pride?

I grew up as a Pastor's Kid (PK), I got good grades in school, got good score on my SAT, went to a good college, and graduated with a master's degree and went on to get a good job. At church, I did well in Sunday School competitions, went to cottage meetings, talked to the adults at church, served in various position and helped out wherever I could. I was the model child.

Often these thoughts lead me to a recurring flaw in my character: self-righteousness and pride.

When I'm the only youth attending a prayer meeting with other adults, often these are the thoughts that go through my head. "Why can't the other youth sacrifice their time to spend in the presence of God like I do? Why do they not pray and know the Bible like I do?" The logical conclusion of these thoughts, that are never verbalized is: "I'm better than the other people around me. I'm more spiritual. I have my life in order and am successful. I'm generally better than those around me."

Isaiah 2:12 says, "The Lord Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled). It is imperative that we fix our pride because it is a character trait that God hates.

The standard message to this has been: Don't compare yourself to others, compare yourself to Jesus. Although this is true, I have yet to consistently apply it. Here is a another perspective on it with some methods to apply it:

The source of your salvation

I must learn to combat self righteousness by remembering that the source of my salvation is not my good works. God says that our good works are like filthy rags in the light of God's holiness. The source of my salvation, and the source of my neighbors salvation is the same: The Blood of Jesus shed for my sins. Before each meeting, before each act of service, before each act of worship, I need to remind myself of the source of my salvation.

"Heavenly Father, these good works I am about to partake in bring me no closer to heaven and will lead to death if I rely on them to save me rather than on your sacrifice on the cross."

Repent Daily

The reason that pride sneaks into my life is that I am not comparing myself to God's standard of holiness. Self-Reflection and repentance has to become a daily habit. Every night or every morning, I must learn to reflect on the previous day. Were there moments where my speech was displeasing to God? Were my thoughts righteous in God's sight?

"Heavenly Father, I am the man with the plank in his eye. I am so quick to see the faults of others, while not reflecting on my own. Make me righteous in YOUR eyes rather than in mine."

Pray for Others

If the people my age, do not come to church what is the attitude of my heart? My immediate response is not to be heartbroken, instead the posture of my heart towards them is pity and disdain. "Thank God I am not like one of them." This is my inner thought, very similar to a certain pharisee praying in public. If I genuinely cared for their spiritual wellbeing, my response would be to pray and intercede for them to find their way back to God.

"Heavenly father, let me have a genuine concern for the state of my generation. Let my first response to the failures of my generation be to intercede for them."

Hold fast to God, not your blessings

Take account of the things that cause you pride. Reflect on what the Bible says about these things. Is it your looks? The bible says "beauty is fleeting". Is it your physical capabilities? The Bible says, "youth and the prime of life are fleeting". Is it your education or job? Your job is not guaranteed to you. Is it money? What is wealth without health?

"Heavenly father, let me remember that my blessings are your gift to me but they are not guaranteed. Let me like Job be able to say: The Lord gives and he takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord."

A Good Reputation

Stephen, the first Martyr, encapsulates many of the characteristics of a godly man. He is chosen for the simple task of distributing food to the Hellenist widows of the very young Church. He is chosen for a few important characteristics that all godly men should posses.

"Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty." - Acts 6:3

"And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit..." - Acts 6:5

A good reputation is earned and it is not given. It takes years of faithful service and exemplary character to earn something as valuable as this. Presumably, he would not be appointed to something that he himself was not willing to do, and therefore, we can assume that he wants to serve the widows. He wants to attend to the needs of the marginalized in society.

If you believe that you do not have a good reputation due to past mistakes, just know that Jesus can bring healing to your reputation. You might also be on the other side of the issue, you may have a good reputation amongst your community but only because you have hidden your mistakes very well.

The public's perspective of you is predicated on the little that they know of you. God on the other hand sees you for who you truly are. But, God's view of you is not predicated on your past self, your present self, or your future self. His view of you is predicated on the righteousness that Jesus has won for you through living a sinless life and obedience to the Father to the point of death. Consistent reliance on such a gracious God, and a pursuit of a holy life empowered by his Holy Spirit can help restore our reputation.

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold. - Proverbs 22:1

Reflection Questions

1. If someone had to describe you in one word what would it be?

   • What do you perceive is your reputation in your community? Among your friends? Among your family?

   • Are there any mistakes in your life that has damaged your reputation?

   • If you have not asked God for forgiveness for this, pray and ask God for forgiveness.

2. If you can mend this reputation take a deliberate decision to do so.

3. If you cannot mend this, ask God for grace to accept it. View it as an opportunity for God to demonstrate his transformative power through your life.

4. At the end of your life what do you want your reputation to be? As a man, as a husband, as a father?