Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Dignity

Christians in general seem to have an obsession with the erroneous assumption that they must “maintain their composure at all costs.” Do you see evidence of this happening in the life and ministry of Jesus? Here's some examples from the Gospels where people "lost their composure or ditched their dignity” to receive something from Jesus:

In Matthew 15:22-28, a Canaanite woman pursues Jesus, crying out loudly for deliverance for her demon-possessed daughter ...

In Mark 2:1-12, four men carry their paralytic friend to Jesus and when they couldn't reach Him, they made an opening in the roof and lowered their friend to Jesus ...

In Mark 10:46-52, a blind man, Bartimaeus, shouted out for Jesus to have mercy on Him, even as others were trying to silence him ...

In Luke 19:1-10, Zacchaeus climbed a tree to get a glimpse of Jesus and ended up dining with Him that very day ...

Today's prayer: "Oh Lord, help me lose my dignity and composure for You. May I cry out for You and not be silenced by my own foolish pride or fear of man."