Skip to main content

Christ at the Center

Ephesians 5:21
“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
Christ calls us to submit to one another out of respect for Him, but often times we ignore this because, well, why should we have to submit to those level with us? Submitting to those around us not only helps with making rational group decisions, but it also can help solve conflict in a more hearty manner. Being recently placed in our teams, every one of us will soon learn to humble ourselves in a way that will help us grow individually as well as with each other. It is not easy to work with people which whom have severely different personalities, as we have already begun to experience. Although our personalities may differ, one aspect of our lives must always remain the same and that is Christ at the center. If we lose Christ at the center, we will lose the ability to submit ourselves to one another and falling apart will become inevitable. However, with Christ as our focus, we are able to practice love, and with Christ’s love we are able to see one another through His eyes rather than our own. As 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” Where there is Christ, there is love, and love is powerful. Love allows hardened hearts to become softened, condemnation to become exhortation and to see vision in discipline. He calls us to love one another the way He has loved us so that we may be successful in glorifying Him, regardless of the task. Loving one another requires submission and it is not always easy to submit ourselves to our peers, but we must be willing to adapt to what each of us brings to the table, even if it means putting our ideas aside so that others may input theirs.

Application
This week, I will humble myself in asking the others in my team their ideas before inputting my own. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Overwhelming Conflict

Psalms 91:2 “I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.””  This past Sunday, team Uganda had the privilege to lead the two church services. From worship to the sermon, the Lord was present. Having never sung in front of really anyone to being on the worship team and having not one, but two solos, was rather frightening. In addition to having a spirit of fear, the morning of, I was faced with a myriad of conflict as a glob of toothpaste dropped slyly onto the shirt I was planning on wearing, I did not have a necklace to match the shirt I then had to put on, and I ran out of time for curling my hair and ironing my skirt. I knew the enemy was seeking to do whatever he could to focus my eyes on myself rather than on what the Lord was attempting to do in and through me for that day, but I was already defeated and left wondering how a day that had begun so terribly could have a positive outcome. I needed a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spir...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Transformation

Mark 7:17 “There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the thins which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.” As I was reading my devotional this morning, it touched on something that I had said early on in my time here in Uganda: “You can’t run from sin because you can’t run from you.” Sin truly does live in my heart and it is only when I run to Jesus, who is the only One who can deliver me from myself, that my heart can be radically transformed. I can and have attempted in my own strength to change my heart, but this has only led to condemnation and failure. The Lord never asked me to fix myself, He has asked me to do nothing other than cry out to Him at street level so that He can fix me in my most broken state. That is how He wants me: battered, bruised, and broken because this is when I am honest; this is when I want nothing more than for the Father to fix what I have ruined, again. But, when I attempt to change what only the L...
Post a Comment
Read more

Slaves for Christ

Romans 6:16 “Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey - whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?”  Slaves. Most people cringe at this word because they do not want to be owned by something or someone. However, what most people are not aware of is that they are slaves to their sin, which has complete and total ownership of everything that they are. But, where there is fault, there is always redemption. Jesus Christ brought hope to the hopeless so that they might be free, free indeed, from the chains that they are unable to break free from on their own. To be a slave for Jesus is to be a servant and I would much rather be a servant for the Lord than be under the ownership of the things of this world. Before coming to IGNITE, my fire flared vibrantly for everything other than God. I made it to church every Wednesday and every other Sunday - I worked ev...
Post a Comment
Read more