April 16, 2016 Taking, As Jesus Did, This Sinful World As It Is
Saturday April 16, 2016
The Serenity Prayer reminds us that God is with us, God is in control, and God will help us sort out what we should take care of and what we should leave with Him. That last bit is the hard part, isn’t it? How do we sort out what’s our part and what’s God’s part?
We’re so used to thinking we know what we need and then doing whatever it takes to achieve that. Our way often doesn’t work but we still seem wired to that way of thinking and operating. We particularly don’t like to leave things with God when a situation contains injustice and things being done are just wrong. Our opposition flares up when someone involved in the situation seems to be “getting away with” something we can’t get away with. How then do we live these difficult lines of the Serenity prayer that say “taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it”?
You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names. (Philippians 2:5-9 NLT)
We will experience true and lasting serenity only when we follow Jesus’ example. He knew who He was – loved and cherished by God, with a unique purpose. Do we know that about ourselves? Jesus lived the will of His Father in humility, service, and obedience, even when those who should have honoured Him scorned him and had Him nailed to a cross. His world was full of sinful people who acted in sinful ways. Jesus didn’t react with demands. Jesus came close to the people, healed and blessed them, and told them of the Father’s great love for them. Will we take our world, as Jesus did, not as we would have it? Will we make our world a better place by living in humble service to those who still suffer, telling them about Jesus and the Father’s great love for them? This is the way of true serenity.
©2016 Partners in Hope
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