Mornings with Jo
I’ve worked at traditions for about a week now and I’ve
already made new friends with the workers there. One of which is my friend Jo,
who I’ve mentioned in a previous post. Jo and I talk pretty regularly. When I show up
to work at 7am, I can count on him to show up about 15 minutes later. We
usually discuss the Bible and what God is teaching us. This morning, Jo told me
that he is reading a book called “What is the Bible all about?” that gives a commentary
on each book of the Bible. Jo also mentioned that he wants to be a better
husband so had been reading what God’s word says about that. I recommended Matt
Chandler’s the Mingling of Souls, which I’ve only read a couple chapters from
but have really enjoyed.
I tell Jo stories about my crazy friends and events
throughout the week that impact me. I was telling him this morning about how my
dad is a police officer and it turns out that Jo’s dad, who recently has
passed, was also a police officer. There is something so special about that
unity that we have in Christ. This man, who is twice my age, has a different
occupation, and is in a different place in life, still has so much in common
and so much to teach a young, college student, because of Christ.
This is Chuck Smith’s commentary on Job 31-34:
“and what
shall I answer him? Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not
one fashion us in the womb?”
Now Job is
speaking here of the fact that he had not really lorded over his servants, that
he had looked upon them as equals. "We were both, all of us, created in
the womb."
It's really
a tragedy when men begin to think themselves superior to others. Rather than
realizing that all of us have been created by God and in God's eyes there is no
ranking, there is no superiority.
That, of course, goes for male/female, it
goes for bond or free. We are all one in Christ Jesus. And yet, it seems that
man is always trying to exalt or elevate himself above others. Trying to put
himself in the position of higher. "I want others to bow to me. I want
others to do obeisance and the whole thing." And that's tragic that men
develop these rankings in which they seek then to promote and give honor and
flattery and all to each other.
Man, I can relate to this. It’s humbling to be reminded of my
state before Christ raised me. I had no righteousness, nothing to offer, and
was dead in my sin. When I initially read the commentary above about looking
upon people as equals, my thoughts immediately went to successful business
owners and people who do minimum wage jobs. Yes, there is quite a disparity
there. Being reminded that we are all fashioned by God is much needed. But as I
read that commentary once more, I thought of my status vs. Christ’s status. I
think it goes without telling that I am nowhere near the position of Christ.
Yet, unrightfully so, Christ has raised me from my low estate and clothed me in
his righteousness.
Ephesians
2:6 says, “Even when we were dead in our transgressions, God made us alive
together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him,
and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the
ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness
toward us in Christ Jesus.…”
When we were as unequal as it gets, Christ came down to the
level of a bunch of hopeless sinners and chose to do life with us and then die
on a cross because we couldn’t save ourselves… If this doesn’t bring you to
your knees, you are missing the whole point of the gospel.
I think this group of verses from Philippians titled “Imitating Christ’s Humility”
appropriately ties together those verses from Job to how we are called to take
action:
“Therefore, if you have any encouragement from
being united with Christ, if any comfort from his, if any common sharing in the
Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being
like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do
nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value
others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to
the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the
same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being
in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to
his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of
a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross!
Therefore,
God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every
name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth
and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to
the glory of God the Father.”
Philippians 2:1-11
I think “humbling ourselves to death on a cross” can look
like a lot of different things… It might look like taking care of a friend who
is vomiting on the floor because they’ve had too much to drink… or stopping to
talk with a friend who is in need of Gospel love… or even fiercely and selflessly
loving someone who you know won’t love you back.
I know the Gospel is changing me. It is rewiring me to be
countercultural and is making thoughts that are counterintuitive more automatic
and natural.
Lord, thank you for this reminder of the Gospel. I pray that
my actions today would reflect the changes that my heart has undergone because
of your great sacrifice through Jesus Christ.
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