honor, and those who despise me
shall be lightly esteemed.” (1 Samuel
2:30)
“But God chose what is foolish in the
world to shame the wise; God chose
what is weak in the world to shame
the strong; God chose what is low
and despised in the world, even
things that are not, to bring to
nothing things that are, so that no
human being might boast in the
presence of God.” (1 Corinthians
1:27–29)
“For the LORD sees not as man sees:
man looks on the outward
appearance, but the LORD looks on
the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
Because I know Jesus, rather than
wasting my energy trying to be
impressive, I want to spend my life
seeing and savoring him. I want to
abandon the need to rank highly
among men, and choose instead to
fear him and hope in his steadfast
love. I don’t have to fight to be
heard, strive to be noticed, or work
for position.
I don’t have to ask a new contact to
coffee to see how she can help my
career; I can ask her for coffee
because she’s a human being made
in the image of God, and freely
delight in our exchange regardless of
how helpful she is to me vocationally.
When someone is interested (or
30
JASMINE'S PLACE
In Luke 16, Jesus tells his disciples a
disinterested) in me because of
parable that concludes with the
things the world esteems, I can
instruction “you cannot serve God
remember Jesus doesn’t look at me
and money” (Luke 16:13), and the
or value me that way.
Pharisees, “who were lovers of
money” (Luke 16:14), ridicule him in
Loving Jesus frees me to take such
response.
pleasure in knowing him and the
thousands of ways he reveals himself
He to introduces
them to of
a the world no
me. The rankings
revolutionary
value
system,
longer matter.
What,
after one
all, are
where
being
humanly
rich - or to him?
human
positions
compared
powerful or popular or successful - is
not Who
what
most,
and presence
they
is matters
impressive
in the
of
laugh.
“You who
are those
justify
the One
made who
all things?
yourselves before men, but God
knows
your the
hearts,”
he responds
to
Knowing
sovereign
God means
them.
“For what is
exalted to
among
knowing
it means
be
men
is an abomination
the sight
unimpressed
by what in society
says of is
God”
(Luke
16:15).
worth
pursuing.
There is we’re
nothing
and about
no one who
more
Whether
talking
valuable
than
Him.
has the bigger bank account or
whose baby started sleeping through
First published in
the http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/you-are-
night first, when we look at the
things
that are exalted Permission
among men
worth-what-you-value.
received
author and
publisher
to republish.
as from
measures
of our
worth,
we are
behaving like the Pharisees.
There is nothing and no
one more valuable than
Him.
We are exalting what God doesn’t
exalt. We are valuing what he
doesn’t call valuable. Instead of
anchoring our identities on him and
the fact that he, the God of the
universe, loves us, we are seeking to
justify ourselves before men. But
God knows our hearts.
What God Esteems
In contrast to our shrewd ambition
on earth, our desire to
rank highly
Photo by Marijo Phelps
with resumes,
readerships,
or skills,
http://myincrediblelord.blogspot.co.uk/