Have you ever thought about what you would do if you were accused of a felony? While that's not the focus of today's post, it does bear thinking about, because anyone can be falsely accused in this America. I'll tell you what I'd do - - - I'd go out and get the best lawyer I could afford. If accused of a violent crime, I would not hire a real estate attorney. If accused of tax fraud, I would not hire a criminal defense attorney. I would want a specialist in the field in which I was charged/accused, not a generalist. Over the years, I've heard of "the accused" refusing legal representation, deciding to represent him- or herself in the court case. They think they know more than a trained, experienced attorney knows about winning a legal case. Almost always, the accused person loses.
Some of us have the unfortunate delusion that we "know everything". Have you known anyone like that? I have, and it is not a pretty sight. These people rarely listen to others, first of all, because they have already made up their minds about every situation. They are hostile to others' opinions, unless those opinions agree with their own. Civility is rarely present.
Yesterday, in the early afternoon, I watched a little of the last round of the Masters golf tournament. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon, and I didn't watch much.(Z-z-z-z...lol!) Anyway, Jordan Spieth was leading, and had been for a while. It looked pretty good for him to win the tournament as he headed into "the back nine". About 7 hours later, I ran across a news headline, declaring the Danny Willett had won. I was quite surprised! Apparently, so were many others. Spieth had not had a winning afternoon on "the links".
Now, his response could have been biting, condescending, angry, haughty, etc. But, according to the news account, it was certainly not. He reacted to the unexpected loss with grace, humility, gentility and yes, civility. Back in August, 2014, as a 20-year old, Spieth said this: "The way I want to live, the way I want to be perceived is as a Christian man, who happens to play golf."1 Two years later, yesterday, he got the opportunity to live that statement; and he scored a spiritual "hole-in-one". By his humility and grace in the face of defeat, He epitomized our verse for today: Romans 12:16 (NIV). Take a look - - -
Live in harmony with one another; do nor be haughty but associate with the lowly. Don't be conceited.
As Christians, we make our stand on the Word of God, and rightly so. We know the Truth, and He has set us free. Paul knew that our revelation, our God-given wisdom, our solid adherence to the gospel of Jesus Christ could possibly lead to conceit and isolationism. He knew he needed to warn us away from that type of arrogant behavior.
Ok, so obviously we should avoid "know-it-all syndrome", but what about the part of the verse that urges us to "associate with the lowly". Here is how some other versions translate that:
- enjoy the company of ordinary people (NLT)
- go out to those who are humble (Aramaic Bible in Plain English)
- be friendly to humble people (Jubilee Bible 2000)
What this says to me is that we should not isolate ourselves in our little cocoons of sameness. Yes, our closest friends and confidantes should be our brothers and sisters in Christ, absolutely! However, some take this truth too far and avoid engaging the culture - - - those with different beliefs - - - at all. Still others do engage a culture which runs contrary to the Word of God, but in so doing, they act like such baboons the world is repelled and repulsed by the gospel! As a Christ-follower, I am humbled by the example of my Christian brother, Jordan Spieth.
How do we, then, "associate with the lowly"? The answer is three-fold - - imitation, obedience and prayer. First of all, we should remember and study Jesus' example; imitate Him! - - - the same Jesus who associated with prostitutes, tax collectors (thieves, basically), noblemen, beggars, Pharisees and fishermen.
Here's an example: I had been praying about a way to witness to someone whose beliefs are extremely different (you might even say hostile) to my own. God has given me an idea. Now, it is up to me whether I choose to act on that or not, whether I am obedient or not. Sadly, I can tell you that there have been times I've refused to obey such Holy Spirit "nudges" in conjunction with other people. The gulf between me and those strangers seemed impossibly large. I confess this to my shame....
But, once I decide to obey, even before stepping out, it is very important to bathe the situation in prayer, to ask the Holy Spirit to fill me, to guide me, to open my eyes, to help me see and listen, to fill my mouth with the right words, and to make sure that He receives all the glory from that step of obedience.
Who are "the lowly" in your life? Will you seek them out? Will you bless them? Will you love them as Christ has loved you?
Lord, may we never forget that we, Your Beloved, were once "lost as coots", as the Southern saying goes. We are all redeemed by Your blood, not by our own merits. May we never see ourselves as "better" than the most broken, lost, deceived sinner in this world. When we start to look at some as "deserving" and others as not, we pervert the gospel of our Lord and Savior. May it never be so! Give us both opportunities and courage, Lord, to lovingly, prayerfully share the truth with those who are lost. In Jesus' name, amen.
Source:
1 https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=jordan%20spieth%20bio%20religion
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