Chapter Four

Throughout Chapter Four, I jotted down key words or phrases and was reminded that, as Paul said to the Corinthians, "the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18)." Those who are poor in spirit and meek are blessed. We find rest in the Son of God who is meek and lowly of heart. The glory of the heavenly kingdom is found in humility. To be the greatest, one must be a servant. Those who exalt themselves will be abased. How contrary these things are to what the world and even our own pride tells us!

Christ displayed a perfect picture of a servant to us. He humbled himself, became a man, and submitted to His heavenly father. Murray describes the attributes of a worthy servant: one who considers his master's interests first, devotes himself to learning about and caring for his master, and delights in his master's prosperity and happiness. As I think about the personal application as well as the application as a CC director, I find myself asking some questions:

Do I make decisions considering my husband's interests first?  Do I devote myself to learning about and caring for his heart? Do I delight in his happiness, and maybe more accurately his joyfulness, distinguishing contentment and spiritual joy from situational delight?

Do I put my children's interests first? Do I consider their joy and learn and care for them in a way that puts them before myself? Or am I quickly distracted and find that less important things or my agenda for the day keeps me from serving them?

As a tutor, am I acting in such a way that honors the families whom I serve? Do I learn about the children in my class and care for them and delight in their prosperity? Or do I let frustrations or personality differences prevent me from truly serving them?

Ultimately, as a servant of Christ, am I considering the things that are of utmost importance to Him as I make decisions in all areas of my life? Do I devote myself to learning about and honoring Him? Do I delight in delighting Him or do I sin without concern for my Master's happiness?

There are a lot of deep, difficult questions with answers that require repentance. I am thankful, as I was reminded this Sunday after our confession of sin, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death."

My husband's favorite literary example of humility is Les Miserables.  I have been gradually been reading it, though am currently stalled (and distracted by my to-do lists!). However, in thinking through the character of Jean ValJean, he is really a great example of someone, because of the love he was shown, became a true servant. He demonstrates this as mayor and then more particularly in his care for Cosette. His decisions and actions put her interests first, he cares for her and even puts his life on the line and faces Javert who wants to throw him back in prison all to save the man she loves. I have seen the movie, love the musical and perhaps maybe I ought to make time to crack that book open again!