This is nothing profound.
Gentle and Lowly – Dane Ortlund
“In the four gospel accounts given to us in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – eighty-nine chapters of biblical text- there's only one place where Jesus tells us about his own heart.
We learn much in the four Gospels about Christ’s teaching. We read of his birth, his ministry and his disciples. We are told of his travels and prayer habits. We find lengthy speeches and repeated objections by his hearers, prompting further teaching. We learn of the way he understood himself to fulfill the whole Old Testament. And we learn in all four accounts of his unjust arrest and shameful death and astonishing resurrection. Consider the thousands of pages that have been written by theologians over the past two thousand years on all these things.
But in only one place – perhaps the most wonderful words ever uttered by human lips – do we hear Jesus himself open up to us about his very heart;
‘Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30'
Gentle...and lowly.
This week our church family did our annual trip to Wi-Ne-Ma Christian camp by the beach, and we had such a fun time. On the drive home my younger sister Anna and her kids drove home with me and the kids (Jamison came for the first few days but had to head home early for work).
Anna and I were talking about how to live with a forward focus, and how to avoid getting caught up in the past. One of the counselling sessions I attended last October was about the upward call of Christians. Speaker Kevin DeYoung expounded on Titus 2:14 “Who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”
I know that “good works” are not my righteousness. Jesus is. But good works are evidence of Christ in me. It is not wrong to pursue the good works God has called me to as his follower. As Anna and I continued mulling on this call as the beacon for our focus and attention, I realized the why is equally as important. To pursue good works for the sake of recognition or self-glory would make me nothing less than a pharisee and a hypocrite. The why matters...
The book I have been reading that I quoted at the beginning of this post came back to my mind. As both the reason (the why) and my goal to model in my striving for Christlikeness. That I would be both gentle and lowly like my Savior, when doing good.
Philippians 3:12-14 “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
This post is not some grand new revelation.
It is not wisdom no one has thought of before.
And it is certainly not profound.
It is just me reminding myself of the truth I need to remember right now in this moment. Like the bumpers a child uses when bowling to make sure their ball stays out of the gutter, scripture resets my direction and keeps me from becoming ineffective.
My attention and focus would end up in the negative gutter of the past without the safety rails of God through his word reminding me of my upward call. To forget the past and what lies behind. My gentle and lowly king leads onward, and I strive to stay focused and follow.
Philippians 3 continues...
17 “Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.”
Keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example... earthly saints modeling the way. Surround yourself with people pointing you towards the upward call and cheer you on with other Christians modeling the way.