Here I was driving down a major road in Pittsburgh yesterday when I glanced at a building and saw a sign for a business - www.personofvalue.com or something similar. I had to check on my way back home to be sure I had read the sign correctly. The office was supposedly on the second floor, and it did appear that no one was home. Is it possible that someone actually makes money convincing people that they have value?
It does say something pretty significant about the search of hearts belonging to sons of Adam and daughters of Eve to find value and significance in life. It says something about why we who know where real value is should be "gossiping the Gospel" everywhere we go! That's the essence of the Gospel: The bad news is that we are all far worse than we can possibly imagine as sinners. The GOOD news is that the only One who could do something about our terrible plight took on our skin and moved into our neighborhood! He came as a baby in a small Judean town over 2,000 years ago. He stuck around for 33 years so He could live the perfect life - be the only Person of Value Who has ever lived - and die next to a well-traveled footpath outside Jerusalem. That's the best news of all: Jesus gave His righteous life in my place to give me value as an adopted daughter into God's own family! That's where real value is!
Somehow I doubt that's what is being touted in the storefront in the South Hills.
People everywhere know they are broken and "need fixed" ! The search is on for a restored heart - for fixing! Jesus came to do that very thing - to restore broken hearts in need of fixing and to give value that lasts forever!
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Friday, November 16, 2007
Grandchildren
No one ever told me how wonderful being a grandmother is. I discovered that awesome fact all by myself with a little help from my grandchildren, of course.
I have three grandchildren. My mother and dad have 21 “original “ grandchildren – and seven more gained through marriage to a grandchild. I might find 21 a little daunting even though they are spread out over 22 or more years (age wise), but three – now that’s a wonderful number!
Mine happen to be visiting at the moment. I was just musing as I cleaned up the breakfast mess how happy I am to be “young” enough to enjoy them. The mirror and my achy bones remind me that I am careening down the road to old age when I will be too old and crotchety to enjoy them like I do now. So I’m glad I can have them to love and enjoy just now …
Observing how they think is so interesting. Seeing how each one has his or her own unique personality is just plain fun.
But then there are the moments – squabbles over a toy, failure to obey, kicking the soccer ball in the house (which I just informed them their dad was never allowed to do either) and more. It’s in those moments when I see that they are just like me: they are sinners, too.
No matter how much I love them or want to wish their sinner hearts away or ignore the obvious – nothing changes the heart from the outside. Not even a grandmother’s love!
The only path to a restored heart for me or for them is to take the steps that lead to restoration:
See that I am broken and in need of being fixed (just like they are, too)
Know that I can do absolutely nothing to fix myself (nor can they)
Ask Jesus to make His “terrible trade” for me: exchanging my dirty, sinner’s heart and giving me His right-living and loving and acting heart (otherwise known as a restored heart)
And then, give up struggling to fix myself and wave the surrender flag to the King of Kings, Jesus
Then, when my heart is in the process of restoration (as is theirs) I can be a better grandmother and they can be better grandchildren because it all starts in the heart.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Curved or Linear and Intelligence
It was a news item over the weekend.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,310636,00.html
Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh have actually been spending time interviewing 16,000 or so women and girls in an effort to discover a correlation between curves and intelligence. They have now published a report in a professional journal with their conclusions.
I am the oldest of six children – four girls and two boys. All three of my sisters are beautiful and smart. We are all in different stages of life since we are spread out over seventeen years in our ages.
My youngest sister who has four very smart sons put me onto this news item today. One of her very intelligent sons found it. For some strange reason some scientists at the University of Pittsburgh have been studying the correlation between female body measurements and cognitive tests. . (One has to wonder if science is winding down on what needs to be known if it is reduced to such a project. One has to wonder where the initial concept came from in the first place.)
According to Fox News online, women with more curves (greater difference between hips and waist specifically) scored significantly higher on the intelligence tests. And the children of these women also scored significantly higher on the tests than others whose mothers have fewer curves. (The actual defining statistic used was women whose waists are smaller than their hips.)
Now think about that for just a moment: bigger hips than waists. Except for pregnant women (who are supposed to be shaped that way), who in the world would ever want a bigger waist than hips? That is a serious call to diet when one’s waist measurement exceeds the size of one’s hips.
The report continues that the correlation between large thighs and hips is also linked to higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids. The report states that these omega-3 fatty acids contribute to brain growth during pregnancy. The report didn’t specify whose brain grows. One assumes the baby is whose brain grows but perhaps both mother and baby benefit intellectually from their bonded experience.
The report also states that “thinner or more linear-shaped women lack both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids around their waists and hips” so that they benefit from being more “linear” by living longer in their linear state but with more diminished intelligence than their curvier counterparts.
The report concludes: “Real women don’t just have curves. They are also smarter, live longer and give birth to smarter children.”
I have one very happy curvaceous baby sister today with four very intelligent sons! But the best news of all is: they all have restored hearts as well as superior intelligence. They know Jesus and walk with Him – every single one – and that’s the most intelligent choice of all!
It doesn’t take scientific research to determine the intelligence of choosing Jesus, it just takes faith and life lived in a relationship with Him. And that’s far more significant than curves or the absence thereof or even superior intelligence or less superior intelligence.
In the first century Paul of Tarsus wrote something like this (my paraphrase): When you know and love Jesus then neither having curves or not having curves – neither being of superior intellect or lacking in intelligence – is of any value. What matters is something far more interior (in the restored heart): faith expressed in love! (Galatians 5:6, paraphrase)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,310636,00.html
Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh have actually been spending time interviewing 16,000 or so women and girls in an effort to discover a correlation between curves and intelligence. They have now published a report in a professional journal with their conclusions.
I am the oldest of six children – four girls and two boys. All three of my sisters are beautiful and smart. We are all in different stages of life since we are spread out over seventeen years in our ages.
My youngest sister who has four very smart sons put me onto this news item today. One of her very intelligent sons found it. For some strange reason some scientists at the University of Pittsburgh have been studying the correlation between female body measurements and cognitive tests. . (One has to wonder if science is winding down on what needs to be known if it is reduced to such a project. One has to wonder where the initial concept came from in the first place.)
According to Fox News online, women with more curves (greater difference between hips and waist specifically) scored significantly higher on the intelligence tests. And the children of these women also scored significantly higher on the tests than others whose mothers have fewer curves. (The actual defining statistic used was women whose waists are smaller than their hips.)
Now think about that for just a moment: bigger hips than waists. Except for pregnant women (who are supposed to be shaped that way), who in the world would ever want a bigger waist than hips? That is a serious call to diet when one’s waist measurement exceeds the size of one’s hips.
The report continues that the correlation between large thighs and hips is also linked to higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids. The report states that these omega-3 fatty acids contribute to brain growth during pregnancy. The report didn’t specify whose brain grows. One assumes the baby is whose brain grows but perhaps both mother and baby benefit intellectually from their bonded experience.
The report also states that “thinner or more linear-shaped women lack both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids around their waists and hips” so that they benefit from being more “linear” by living longer in their linear state but with more diminished intelligence than their curvier counterparts.
The report concludes: “Real women don’t just have curves. They are also smarter, live longer and give birth to smarter children.”
I have one very happy curvaceous baby sister today with four very intelligent sons! But the best news of all is: they all have restored hearts as well as superior intelligence. They know Jesus and walk with Him – every single one – and that’s the most intelligent choice of all!
It doesn’t take scientific research to determine the intelligence of choosing Jesus, it just takes faith and life lived in a relationship with Him. And that’s far more significant than curves or the absence thereof or even superior intelligence or less superior intelligence.
In the first century Paul of Tarsus wrote something like this (my paraphrase): When you know and love Jesus then neither having curves or not having curves – neither being of superior intellect or lacking in intelligence – is of any value. What matters is something far more interior (in the restored heart): faith expressed in love! (Galatians 5:6, paraphrase)
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Rules, Boundaries, Exits
My first memory of needing to find an exit comes from early childhood. I went to a birthday party. After I got there I discovered that the activity of choice for the party was something my family did not participate in. (It wasn’t a morally or ethically wrong activity just not one my family chose as an activity.)
Being only about six I hadn't yet picked up all those prickly feelings about being accepted by my peers. I was much more concerned with following my parents' guidelines for life. So I wasn't at the party long. I called my parents to come get me.
Those were the days when kids were safe almost anywhere and parents had far fewer worries. Those were the times when parents didn't have to be almost paranoid in order to protect their children.
Just a few weeks ago we were visiting our grandchildren. On October 31 we took the neighborhood walk with them to collect candy at various houses. We only went to the houses where people they knew lived. AND when we got home with the candy no one was allowed to eat anything until Dad checked through the pile. I was a child in far different times.
I remember other times in life when my parents would tell me "No" as a protection against going somewhere I didn't belong and would need an exit if I went. Sometimes they encouraged me to use their "No" as a reason to let me off the hook. That, too, was an exit of sorts.
I sometimes tried the old, "... but everyone else is ... " There was a very standard response to that particular protest. It was "… but you are not everyone else."
Fences (rules) are intended for protection. We don't need exits if we don't go places we don't belong.
When my oldest son was a toddler we lived on a very busy highway. Someone had to stay right at his heels the entire time he was outside for his protection as we had no fence.
One Sunday afternoon we were all taking a nap (supposedly). All of a sudden I was startled awake by honking horns. I bolted up, ran down the hall and saw that our front door was standing open. I looked further to the road and saw cars stopped. I hurried out into the yard and saw an elderly woman chasing my toddler down the center line of the highway.
There were cows in the pasture directly across the street. He was "going to see the moos." He had no clue of danger. He was focused on "the moos." He needed someone to dog his steps for his own protection.
Consequently we put safer locks on our doors and eventually a fence in the back yard. That fence was very freeing. He could go anywhere inside that fence without anyone needing to dog his heels. He could play happily and safely inside the fence. The fence marked the safe boundary.
Rules, boundaries, exits – all good and necessary for safety - too bad these words have all become negatives. It is a sign of a fundamental shift in our values as a culture and a symbol of how warped our thinking has become.
We all need rules. We need boundaries. We need exit strategies.
Being only about six I hadn't yet picked up all those prickly feelings about being accepted by my peers. I was much more concerned with following my parents' guidelines for life. So I wasn't at the party long. I called my parents to come get me.
Those were the days when kids were safe almost anywhere and parents had far fewer worries. Those were the times when parents didn't have to be almost paranoid in order to protect their children.
Just a few weeks ago we were visiting our grandchildren. On October 31 we took the neighborhood walk with them to collect candy at various houses. We only went to the houses where people they knew lived. AND when we got home with the candy no one was allowed to eat anything until Dad checked through the pile. I was a child in far different times.
I remember other times in life when my parents would tell me "No" as a protection against going somewhere I didn't belong and would need an exit if I went. Sometimes they encouraged me to use their "No" as a reason to let me off the hook. That, too, was an exit of sorts.
I sometimes tried the old, "... but everyone else is ... " There was a very standard response to that particular protest. It was "… but you are not everyone else."
Fences (rules) are intended for protection. We don't need exits if we don't go places we don't belong.
When my oldest son was a toddler we lived on a very busy highway. Someone had to stay right at his heels the entire time he was outside for his protection as we had no fence.
One Sunday afternoon we were all taking a nap (supposedly). All of a sudden I was startled awake by honking horns. I bolted up, ran down the hall and saw that our front door was standing open. I looked further to the road and saw cars stopped. I hurried out into the yard and saw an elderly woman chasing my toddler down the center line of the highway.
There were cows in the pasture directly across the street. He was "going to see the moos." He had no clue of danger. He was focused on "the moos." He needed someone to dog his steps for his own protection.
Consequently we put safer locks on our doors and eventually a fence in the back yard. That fence was very freeing. He could go anywhere inside that fence without anyone needing to dog his heels. He could play happily and safely inside the fence. The fence marked the safe boundary.
Rules, boundaries, exits – all good and necessary for safety - too bad these words have all become negatives. It is a sign of a fundamental shift in our values as a culture and a symbol of how warped our thinking has become.
We all need rules. We need boundaries. We need exit strategies.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
No Way Out - No Exit
Last week the Pittsburgh Tribune Review carried a startling story on the front page. It was about a deer that jumped a fence to get into the Pittsburgh Zoo. After wandering around for awhile apparently, the deer jumped another fence into the polar bear pool. The entire saga was caught on video by surveillance cameras.
Deer are everywhere in western Pennsylvania. We live above a very busy US highway surrounded by residential areas and regularly deer stroll through our yard in groups. Deer eat my flowers. They love tulips in the spring. They eat the shrubs and trees in winter and spring - right in my yard mere feet from our house. In fact, if I encounter deer in the yard up close, they stand and look at me as if I were the intruder.
I have offered a number of bow hunters access to the balcony off our living room for their own personal deluxe hunting "stand" in a gesture of "humanitarian" protection for my plants, bushes and trees. So far there are no takers.
Back to the zoo story: After jumping over 20 feet into the polar bear pool, the deer swam several laps with the bears close behind. Then the deer climbed out followed by two huge furry bears. According to news reports the bears never touched the deer. The deer injured itself jumping the fences sustaining significant injury so had to be euthanized by zoo personnel. The bears did no harm and were unharmed apparently. Soon they were swimming in their pool again with no interference from an "alien" creature.
Another deer story: recently I was driving along a Pittsburgh street with cars in front of me and cars coming toward me. All of a sudden - somehow dodging the cars - a deer streaked straight across the road running at full tilt, up the bank beside the road and on to parts unknown. This time no harm was done except for raising at least one driver's cardio-vascular rhythm. But that is not usually the case. Deer are routinely killed and injured on the streets and highways of western Pennsylvania. Cars, passengers and drivers also sustain damage in these encounters.
Deer don't belong in closely populated residential areas. Deer are in grave danger crossing busy highways. Deer don't belong on streets and highways. Deer are the "alien" intruder.
Then I mused on environments where I am also an "alien" intruder - places I don't belong and shouldn't go and where there is great danger to life and limb. In my life I have found myself in various such dangerous situations. (We all have.) Sometimes (like the deer at the zoo) I have been totally oblivious and unaware. Sometimes I have known I needed to get out but not known how. Sometimes I am in the situation in the first place because I chose to jump in. In every case the end result is that I need an "exit strategy."
Actually that's why Jesus came to earth in the first place. He is God's provision for that way out of every harmful, dangerous circumstance in life. Jesus knows we are trapped in a life of sin and doomed to eternal death with no way out, no exit. He is the only Exit! John 1:14 says, "He became flesh and dwelt among us ... " He put on our skin and moved into our neighborhood (our world). It was a trade down for Him to provide a trade up for me (and you) !
My unrestored heart gets me in lots of predicaments. As my heart continues to be restored by God's grace (provided in the trade Jesus made: "He Who knew no sin became sin for us." 2 Corinthians 5:21), I may still get into predicaments. The good news is that there is an Exit and His name is Jesus!
Deer are everywhere in western Pennsylvania. We live above a very busy US highway surrounded by residential areas and regularly deer stroll through our yard in groups. Deer eat my flowers. They love tulips in the spring. They eat the shrubs and trees in winter and spring - right in my yard mere feet from our house. In fact, if I encounter deer in the yard up close, they stand and look at me as if I were the intruder.
I have offered a number of bow hunters access to the balcony off our living room for their own personal deluxe hunting "stand" in a gesture of "humanitarian" protection for my plants, bushes and trees. So far there are no takers.
Back to the zoo story: After jumping over 20 feet into the polar bear pool, the deer swam several laps with the bears close behind. Then the deer climbed out followed by two huge furry bears. According to news reports the bears never touched the deer. The deer injured itself jumping the fences sustaining significant injury so had to be euthanized by zoo personnel. The bears did no harm and were unharmed apparently. Soon they were swimming in their pool again with no interference from an "alien" creature.
Another deer story: recently I was driving along a Pittsburgh street with cars in front of me and cars coming toward me. All of a sudden - somehow dodging the cars - a deer streaked straight across the road running at full tilt, up the bank beside the road and on to parts unknown. This time no harm was done except for raising at least one driver's cardio-vascular rhythm. But that is not usually the case. Deer are routinely killed and injured on the streets and highways of western Pennsylvania. Cars, passengers and drivers also sustain damage in these encounters.
Deer don't belong in closely populated residential areas. Deer are in grave danger crossing busy highways. Deer don't belong on streets and highways. Deer are the "alien" intruder.
Then I mused on environments where I am also an "alien" intruder - places I don't belong and shouldn't go and where there is great danger to life and limb. In my life I have found myself in various such dangerous situations. (We all have.) Sometimes (like the deer at the zoo) I have been totally oblivious and unaware. Sometimes I have known I needed to get out but not known how. Sometimes I am in the situation in the first place because I chose to jump in. In every case the end result is that I need an "exit strategy."
Actually that's why Jesus came to earth in the first place. He is God's provision for that way out of every harmful, dangerous circumstance in life. Jesus knows we are trapped in a life of sin and doomed to eternal death with no way out, no exit. He is the only Exit! John 1:14 says, "He became flesh and dwelt among us ... " He put on our skin and moved into our neighborhood (our world). It was a trade down for Him to provide a trade up for me (and you) !
My unrestored heart gets me in lots of predicaments. As my heart continues to be restored by God's grace (provided in the trade Jesus made: "He Who knew no sin became sin for us." 2 Corinthians 5:21), I may still get into predicaments. The good news is that there is an Exit and His name is Jesus!
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Dear Warrior: Thank you!
Today is Veterans Day. It is the day designated to honor the brave men and women who have served our country in both war and peace defending our country's honor and Constitution, protecting our freedoms and preserving our nation's sovereignty.
To our shame we have not always given honor to our warriors. Many veterans have suffered abuse when they returned from war not because they have done anything wrong but because political winds blow against that particular conflict and cause. The current Iraq War is no different. The politicians and the media have turned this conflict into a platform for their own agenda.
Politics, rhetoric, debate and differences in opinion have no place when they cast a shadow over our brave warriors who stand for freedom against great odds and in the face of great danger. Nor do they (politics, rhetoric, etc.) have any justification when rhetoric or politics deny our brave warriors the very protection and tools they need to do their job.
Our warriors - living and dead - are the heroes of our freedom! We will remain the land of the free only as long as we are willing to stand and to support others who stand as warriors against all foes. We will continue to be the home of the brave only by demonstrating our courage to stand tall for right against terror and evil.
God bless America's heroes - living and dead - for their dedication, diligence and sacrifice for freedom!
To our shame we have not always given honor to our warriors. Many veterans have suffered abuse when they returned from war not because they have done anything wrong but because political winds blow against that particular conflict and cause. The current Iraq War is no different. The politicians and the media have turned this conflict into a platform for their own agenda.
Politics, rhetoric, debate and differences in opinion have no place when they cast a shadow over our brave warriors who stand for freedom against great odds and in the face of great danger. Nor do they (politics, rhetoric, etc.) have any justification when rhetoric or politics deny our brave warriors the very protection and tools they need to do their job.
Our warriors - living and dead - are the heroes of our freedom! We will remain the land of the free only as long as we are willing to stand and to support others who stand as warriors against all foes. We will continue to be the home of the brave only by demonstrating our courage to stand tall for right against terror and evil.
God bless America's heroes - living and dead - for their dedication, diligence and sacrifice for freedom!
Me First?
Once upon a time long ago and far away there were two look-alike boys (twins). They always wanted the same thing at the same time. They especially seemed to want whatever the other one had or was playing with. Thus they got into many fights!
Finally their parents decided that they would always have the same toys - no more variety unless both had one. If one had a truck, the other did too. If one had a ball, the other did too. And so it went, but they still fought over what each had. They wanted the other boy's toy instead of their own.
You see, the problem was that each one always wanted to be first and have the best and usually have whatever the other one was playing with. So they still got into many fights resulting in many, many broken toys.
One day their father decreed that each of his boys would have his own color. Everything that son had must be either red or blue as the color was assigned. But the problem would never be solved by assigning colors. The problem was in each boy's heart!
Finally, enough was enough! So all the toys were cleared from their room. Each boy was seated at opposite ends of the room facing a wall, and they were left alone. As time went by, each boy started thinking about how he had acted. Eventually they began to talk. One said, "I was wrong to take your toy truck. I should have played with my own." The other said, "If I had a ball, I would ask you to play catch with me."
And as time went by, they moved their chairs right next to each other so they could talk better. After a long while, their father and mother opened the door and left a big basket in the middle of the room. The basket contained all the blue toys and all the red toys jumbled together, and the mother and father quietly closed the door again.
Then after a longer time the mother and father returned and opened the door. What an amazing sight they saw! The boys had connected all the parts of their train track and hooked up a VERY long train - red car, blue car, red car, blue car and so on. They were pushing the train back and forth to each other around the track.
When Mom and Dad got over their surprise, Dad said, "See, boys, when you try to keep everything for yourself and grab things away from your brother and always want only your own way - you have two times the trouble and absolutely no fun!" And the two look-alike boys knew Dad was right so they played happily ever after and never grabbed each other's toys again - well, almost never! The boys learned the “me first lesson!"
Does “Mr. Me First” live in your heart? Do you ever want to push ahead of someone else in line? Do you ever interrupt when someone else is talking? Do you ever grab a toy away from someone else? Well, any of those things and many more are things “Mr. Me First” does.
I’m sorry to say that “Mr. Me First” sometimes lives in my heart. I sometimes want to be front and center. I sometimes want my way over someone else’s. I sometimes interrupt when someone else is talking. Do you?
They didn’t just think about being “me first.” They started fighting with words about which one of them was “first” – the most important. They must have had their fight “off camera” where Jesus couldn’t hear. Perhaps that means they knew what they were fighting about was wrong.
The Bible says that Jesus knew what they were thinking. Jesus knows what we are thinking, too. We can’t fool Jesus, and they didn’t fool Jesus either.
Jesus found a little child nearby. Jesus put his arm around the kid and told His main men (something like this), “Here is the deal, guys. See this kid. He is a very special person! In fact, he just might be more special than any one of you. Get this - when you value other people – even little kids - then you start leaning to love and value Me (Jesus.)”
Then Jesus went on, “And anyone who treats me special and loves me will also love My Father in heaven (God the Father).”
Then Jesus said the most important thing of all. He said (something like this), “If you want to be #1 then you have to be willing to be at the back of the line. You must think of other people before you think of yourself. You need to let people go ahead in line, be first, be #1. You need to learn to be willing to come along behind.” That's what Jesus told His main men. That's what JEses wants us to do, too.
Remember: Jesus wants to be #1 all the time! He is the ONLY ONE who really has the right to be "Mr. First" ! When Jesus is the "Mr. First" who lives in my heart, then I will love others and think of them. Jesus will be first in my heart and then other people will come next before me. That's the order of priority in a restored heart: Jesus first, others second, myself last.
Finally their parents decided that they would always have the same toys - no more variety unless both had one. If one had a truck, the other did too. If one had a ball, the other did too. And so it went, but they still fought over what each had. They wanted the other boy's toy instead of their own.
You see, the problem was that each one always wanted to be first and have the best and usually have whatever the other one was playing with. So they still got into many fights resulting in many, many broken toys.
One day their father decreed that each of his boys would have his own color. Everything that son had must be either red or blue as the color was assigned. But the problem would never be solved by assigning colors. The problem was in each boy's heart!
Finally, enough was enough! So all the toys were cleared from their room. Each boy was seated at opposite ends of the room facing a wall, and they were left alone. As time went by, each boy started thinking about how he had acted. Eventually they began to talk. One said, "I was wrong to take your toy truck. I should have played with my own." The other said, "If I had a ball, I would ask you to play catch with me."
And as time went by, they moved their chairs right next to each other so they could talk better. After a long while, their father and mother opened the door and left a big basket in the middle of the room. The basket contained all the blue toys and all the red toys jumbled together, and the mother and father quietly closed the door again.
Then after a longer time the mother and father returned and opened the door. What an amazing sight they saw! The boys had connected all the parts of their train track and hooked up a VERY long train - red car, blue car, red car, blue car and so on. They were pushing the train back and forth to each other around the track.
When Mom and Dad got over their surprise, Dad said, "See, boys, when you try to keep everything for yourself and grab things away from your brother and always want only your own way - you have two times the trouble and absolutely no fun!" And the two look-alike boys knew Dad was right so they played happily ever after and never grabbed each other's toys again - well, almost never! The boys learned the “me first lesson!"
Does “Mr. Me First” live in your heart? Do you ever want to push ahead of someone else in line? Do you ever interrupt when someone else is talking? Do you ever grab a toy away from someone else? Well, any of those things and many more are things “Mr. Me First” does.
I’m sorry to say that “Mr. Me First” sometimes lives in my heart. I sometimes want to be front and center. I sometimes want my way over someone else’s. I sometimes interrupt when someone else is talking. Do you?
This "me first syndrome" is pandemic in our culture. We all want "my space" to be the most important space. We want "my way" all the time."
In Luke 9:46 – 50 Jesus’ main men show that “Mr. Me First” lives in their hearts. Here’s what happened: They all wanted to be first. They all wanted to be the most important main man to Jesus. They wanted “me first” !They didn’t just think about being “me first.” They started fighting with words about which one of them was “first” – the most important. They must have had their fight “off camera” where Jesus couldn’t hear. Perhaps that means they knew what they were fighting about was wrong.
The Bible says that Jesus knew what they were thinking. Jesus knows what we are thinking, too. We can’t fool Jesus, and they didn’t fool Jesus either.
Jesus found a little child nearby. Jesus put his arm around the kid and told His main men (something like this), “Here is the deal, guys. See this kid. He is a very special person! In fact, he just might be more special than any one of you. Get this - when you value other people – even little kids - then you start leaning to love and value Me (Jesus.)”
Then Jesus went on, “And anyone who treats me special and loves me will also love My Father in heaven (God the Father).”
Then Jesus said the most important thing of all. He said (something like this), “If you want to be #1 then you have to be willing to be at the back of the line. You must think of other people before you think of yourself. You need to let people go ahead in line, be first, be #1. You need to learn to be willing to come along behind.” That's what Jesus told His main men. That's what JEses wants us to do, too.
Remember: Jesus wants to be #1 all the time! He is the ONLY ONE who really has the right to be "Mr. First" ! When Jesus is the "Mr. First" who lives in my heart, then I will love others and think of them. Jesus will be first in my heart and then other people will come next before me. That's the order of priority in a restored heart: Jesus first, others second, myself last.
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