Jasmine's Place Issue No. 18 - May/June 2017 | Page 30

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/