My Book of Reflections - Chapter 11 (Selflessness As A Virtue)

Every Christian knows that the world is in a broken state due to sin. The effects of this can be seen everywhere around the world. People are starving, people are dying, and diseases without cures are evils that lie within the world. Within this dark shadow lays virtue, however, given by God to His people. These virtues are signs that bring hope, because they foster belief that the world isn’t wholeheartedly evil and that good still lives. While it is possibly unfair to rank these virtues in order of the greatest one, I say that the greatest virtue that anyone could possibly have is a selfless heart.

             

There is a beauty in having the selfless servant heart. Jesus Himself shows and speaks about being the last and serving others the way He showed His people. Serving really gives a certain joy to one’s heart. There is something special about being the one to put a smile on someone else’s face. It is the simple joy of putting someone else first and carrying one’s own cross that I believe Jesus was getting at.

             

Selflessness also provides a path to achieving great things in the world with God’s hand. I look towards organizations like World Vision and Compassion International. These companies were made off of a vision of a person who had the heart and the mindset to change things. Mother Theresa is another great example of how selflessness can lead to worldly change. These people are not limited by their fame either. I think of people like Becksvoort, Tamminga, and all of the unsung heroes of Christianity who ventured forwards into places where Christ was never even heard of. These men and women touched so many lives through just being selfless. In a society that tells people that they need more stuff, that they need to look a certain way and that these things need to happen this way, it is utterly foreign to the world to have a selfless attitude. I believe that it is Satan’s way of leading people away from things that are good and godly.

           

 I realize that selflessness is only one virtue and that the many other virtues have tremendous amounts of worth as well. However, Paul does say in the Bible that the greatest of is love, and that without love people can do nothing. Jesus tells the Pharisee that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord and to love your neighbors. Selflessness is a defining characteristic of godly love, and thus is the greatest virtue that one could have.

Suit Up!

(Many of you will recognize that line from the show "How I Met Your Mother." To be honest, I am also a big fan of the show and love watching it.)

I have this habit of dressing up when I go to church. Yes, I do "suit up!" The reasoning behind the suit to church is because for me personally, it's a symbol of respect for the House of God. My logic is that if I'm going to go "meet" God in His house, I should dress up out of respect for Him and give Him my best, even though a lot of times, my best isn't really all that great. I don't have a problem with people who think otherwise, it's just the way I see things.

Recently, a pastor at a church put this thought in my mind that has been bouncing around. Why do some believers feel like they have to figuratively put on a suit, shave, clean themselves up, and have their lives together in order to approach God? Why does it feel like in order to even just attend church, we have to be able to say that life is "all good" and that God's been blessing us so much (even though that is true all of the time, even in the storms)?

Yet in the Gospel, there are so many instances when Jesus would go to people and minister to them when their life was absolutely wrecked. Think of the demon-possessed man in Luke 8; how messed up he looked to the rest of society! He was filthy and dirty and none wanted to approach him because he was so obviously in a mess! Yet Jesus approached him, rebukes the demon and the man is healed and he immediately gives his testimony, of what Jesus has done for him!

And the leper in Luke 5 is another beautiful example. Back in those days, having leprosy was considered very unclean. Lepers had to shout "Unclean!" over and over as they walked through streets so that people could purposefully avoid them by walking all the way around them! They were complete outcasts because touching a leper would make you unclean as well! And yet when the leper in Luke 5 sees Jesus, the Son of God, walking towards him, he falls on his face (how the NKJV translates it) and says "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean (NKJV)!

Now, you have to keep in mind that Jesus was not walking by Himself. He has His disciples with Him, and the disciples were well aware of the social stigmas and traditions of that society. I can imagine that they saw the leper and heard him shouting "Unclean!" and moved to the side of the street to avoid him while their Rabbi walked straight at him! Imagine the horror on their faces as they saw their Rabbi interacting with this "unclean" leper! And remember, the goal of the talmidim (the disciples) is not just to know what the teacher knows, but to be what the Rabbi is. That means they were supposed to be up close and personal with this leper as well!

Jesus then does what ancient Jewish society would say is unthinkable. "Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed” (Luke 5:13 NKJV). Notice that Jesus touched the leper! According to Jewish custom, that made Jesus ceremonially unclean! But the story goes on to tell how the holiness and power of God the Son vanquished the uncleanliness and made the man clean.

My friends, the point is that when approaching Jesus there's no reason to try to put away the shame and guilt, to try to clean up your sins. God sees them anyway and He forgives you for them! All you have to do is go to Him and have faith. It doesn't matter how messed up your life seemingly is. He will accept you anyways, for you have been created in His image and He loves you.

How To Walk

Many times as a Christian I was told that I have to follow my Rabbi, be covered in His dust, and to learn from Him. However, there are times when I feel like my Rabbi has stepped aside and watches me rather than lead the way. In those situations, I am quite lost.

However, the joy of a father does not come from carrying his child. The joy comes from watching his child walk without his aid.

When Jesus stood out on the water in front of His disciples and called Peter to Him, He didn't say, "Oh Peter, let me go out there so I can give you a nice piggyback ride and a high five for saying the right thing." No, He stood some distance away from the boat and called Peter to walk on the stormy waters. He watched Peter walking on water! I can't imagine what joy our LORD must have felt when Peter was walking on that water, even though He knew that Peter would be distracted by the winds and the waves and would sink.

It is of utmost importance to be covered in Jesus' dust as we follow Him. But when He calls us off the boat into the stormy seas, let us not be afraid of walking. Let us instead stride out doing what our Rabbi does, as a talmid would do so. Let us not be afraid, even though we may fail, for Jesus rushed immediately to Peter's aid when Peter was sinking. He is out there. Let us walk and do what He has made us to do.