Jesus wept. (John 11:35) Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn . (Romans 12:15) But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, (Matthew 5:44) My Bible platform chose a passage I’ve written about more than once in the past ten years. If they continue in the passage tomorrow (as they probably will), I may return to them, but today’s verse came to mind as an alternative. It’s not a verse I think is really explored much, so, why not? To put the verse in context, Jesus had received word that his friend, Lazarus, was sick. We don’t know how far Jesus was from Bethany, but instead of packing up and hurrying there, He had announced that this sickness wasn’t “unto death” and the ministry team had remained where they were. Sometime later, Jesus had said that Lazarous had fallen asleep and He was going there to wake him. When ...
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (James 4:10) Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less. (Rick Warren, The Purpose-Driven Life ) Once again, definitions are essential. Some people tend to think that being humble is wallowing in self-degradation. We are nothing. We have nothing . We have done and can do nothing. Too bad the people around us aren’t worthy of our better effort. Humility is often another opportunity for Exhibit Me to be put on the examination table. Have I been humble? Let me look at myself to find out. The second quote above has been attributed to C. S. Lewis, but when I looked it up to get the words right this morning, I discovered he didn’t say it. Rick Warren did. Again, however, did I think of myself less? Exhibit Me comes out again. As I contemplate this, I find myself smirking. At least if I’m crafting, cleaning, cooking, g...