God's ways...not our ways...

“For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”Luke 14:11

There are two ways to attain high esteem. One is the world's method: Take every opportunity to promote yourself before others; seize occasions for recognition and manipulate your way into the center of attention. The other way is God's way: Humble yourself. Rather than striving for recognition and influential positions, seek to put others first. Cultivate humility, for it does not come naturally. One of the many paradoxes of the Christian life is that when God sees your genuine humility, He exalts you. - Blackaby

This reading is a difficult one in our world to accept.  We see, hear and experience the worldview of to be a successful anything you must do this or that.  Everyone must be a leader to be considered successful. That you should seek this or that accolade.  Quite the opposite of what God says.

As Blackaby went on to remind his readers, Jesus told of a man who sat himself high up at a position of honor at a banquet, only to be humiliated because the one giving the banquet had him move farther away to give his seat to another.

The world wants to give everyone a trophy.  Paul wrote the truth, run your race in such a way as to win the prize. Not your prize for participating.

It's a rough time in some ways for me right now.  I am indeed struggling in some areas concerning recognition.  I had come up with ideas to improve things at work and am not permitted to participate in their development.  I am left but to watch others work them out.  I am not against people being recognized, but more so, I understand what God's saying about not seeking it.  It can easily make people think more highly of themselves than they ought to.

I was also reading in Corinthians today too.  Paul was instructing those in Corinth about life. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified."

It's easy to 'go with the flow'.  To listen to the voices that talk of easier paths to success.  But those paths likely are not THE path that God sets before us.

We don't deserve anything.  We do not deserve that house, that car, that career.  We deserve Hell, but because of the Grace of God we who put our faith and trust in Jesus won't see it.

It's not easy watching things that I came up with in someone else's hands to be crafted in a way that is different from what I think it should be, the way I envisioned it to be.

But then again humanity went a way that was contrary to how God said it should be too.

What I am to do is obey God.  I may never see the recognition that the world says is my due.  But that isn't important.  What is important is that at the end of my time on this Earth is to hear "Well done" from my Savior. 

If I am to be lifted up before others, it will be God's doing.  If God says now isn't the time, then I am to trust Him in that. 

God's ways are not our ways. His thoughts are higher than ours. 

I just need to keep moving forward. Do what He has set before me.  Wherever it may be, to be found in obedience to my God.  Be it here or somewhere down the road.  My life is not my own, I was bought with a price. It's for me to honor God in all I do.