Once you think you've got it, you’ve
lost it. Of course that refers to humility. AS difficult a concept as it may be
to grasp, the Lord Jesus calls us to be humble, to adopt that posture of
humility. Many of Paul's letters also address the issue, and never in scripture
are we called to be prideful or vain, except when Paul says it's alright to
boast in Christ. So what do we do with
this concept of humility. How do we apply it in our lives? How do we become
less so that Jesus can become more?
May I make a suggestion?
Go get a copy of The Blessing of Humility by Jerry
Bridges: Walk within Your Calling (Nav
Press, 2016).
For years Jerry Bridges has inspired
the Christian community with books like The
Pursuit of Holiness, Trusting God,
The Discipline of Grace, and one of
my favorites: Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate. And now, his writing life has come to an
end, but not before he finished The
Blessing of Humility.
This is a wonderful study of the
Beatitudes (found in Matthew 5). The
introduction opens with these words: "the character trait of humility is the
second-most frequently taught trait in the New Testaments, second only to
love". Bridges adds that "all
other character traits, in one way or another, are built upon love and humility."
And so it's fitting that this very humble man, he practiced a life of love and humility
chose to write about humility as the last book he would have the chance to
write.
Obviously the Beatitudes, the
"bless-ed be's, are about much more than just humility, but Bridges shows
how each group of people about whom Jesus was speaking were also called to
humility. I enjoy reading and studying the Beatitudes, and have never seen them
so eloquently yet simply explained. As
he starts though, he reminds his readers of 2 things. First, as Christians we
are all called to the traits described in the beatitudes, and second, that this
side of Paradise we're not going to get it perfect.
Each
chapter can be read in a few minutes, or savored for hours. And in the various
chapters, we find the answers to the question: Who are the (poor in spirit), (those who mourn), (the
meek) etc. One of my favorites is the
chapter on those who mourn. Bridges points out that this is an area where he feels
inadequate. And as he explains that the mourners are those who are grieving
over their own sin, I too felt the strings of inadequacy. Humility requires an awareness
of our own sin, and the desire and ability to do something about it, to mourn
deeply over how we have offended God by our sinfulness.
Each
chapter contains AHA moments, the personal anecdotes leave no room for doubt
that Bridges knows about which he writes, and the scriptural references show
once again how the best way to interpret scripture is by using scripture. God's
Word does not contradict itself.
At the
end of the book is a chapter-by-chapter 'discussion guide' which I found useful
for going even deeper into the thoughts and ideas presented in this book.
Tyndale House
Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.
5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment