3 posts tagged “kingdom”
CNN founder Ted Turner once remarked, "If I only had a little humility, I would be perfect." Reminds me of the country song, "Oh Lord, its hard to be humble when you're perfect in every way!"
Humility, according to Turner, is merely an add-on, an extra to an already full coat of medals and ribbons. What really matters, the chief virtue, is not humility, but self-aggrandizement.
To be fair, Turner likely was speaking tongue-in-cheek. After all, we all know that "business is business." Still, Turner has spoken out against characteristically Christian virtues before.
What is "characteristically Christian" about humility? It is the view that weakness is the path to power.
What the Kingdom of God does is turn the idea of "humility as extra" on its head. Instead, humility goes to the front of the line of virtues. The Kingdom of God puts humility first because humility puts God first. Humility is an "extra" for us when we put ourselves first, and ourselves become idols before God.
Turner isn't alone in his idolatry; it is part of the human condition. We can learn from his mistake, and "seek first His Kingdom." Then, everything else, all the medals, all the glory, all the gain--these will be added to us, and eternal life.
Part of what Jesus wants for us in this world is to follow Him. Radical, I know. Following Him means having something called a Kingdom Mindset. Translation: He is in charge; He sets the parameters. He is King.
Unfortunately, we "mere mortals" are too often tempted to follow our own ways, our own programs, our own stuff, our own "kingdoms," whatever they may be. So, our good intentions often wind up thwarting Jesus' Kingdom Movements among us.
Of course, Jesus is no ordinary King. He is sovereign. So we don't thwart him in any traditional sense. But, when our ways oppose His ways, we run the risk of missing His blessing on our endeavors.
What are some ways that our religion, our rules, our protocols, and our structures can get in the way? Here is a partial list:
- Demand conformity of methodology
- Punish out-of-the box thinking
- Get tied to property and buildings
- Be threatened by giftedness that’s not like you
- Refuse to exercise discipline for the right things
- Be risk adverse under the guise of stewarding your people
These are part of a list from an article called, "How to Kill a Movement." I liked this article because it challenges me on the way things should be done.
The ones I've listed above are a few of my favorites. By that, I don't mean I like them, necessarily, but I think they are important. This is a painful list for someone coming from my protestant tradition--Presbyterianism--but that's just why it matters, I think. You can read the rest of the list here.
This little book (it is only sixty pages) has some powerful, if mystical, challenges to the contemporary mode of living out the Christian faith. Vanier writes with the simplicity of Brother Lawrence, and the conviction of Rich Mullins. It is a Catholic book in the sense that it moves in that style of devotional literature.
But it is also catholic inasmuch as it calls for a level of counter-cultural devotion that is lacking among many Protestants in our generation, myself included.
What I like most about the book, however, is the insight into the connection between the Gospel and poverty. Vanier writes:
"People may come to our communities because they want to serve the poor; they will only stay once they have discovered that they themselves are the poor. And then they discover something extraordinary: that Jesus came to bring the good news to the poor, not to those who serve the poor! I think we can only truly experience the presence of God, meet Jesus, receive the good news, in and through our own poverty, because the kingdom of God belongs to the poor, the poor in spirit, the poor who are crying out for love." (p. 20)
Poverty and Gospel Riches go hand in hand. I thank God for this little work and commend it to my friends and readers.
