Looking at all four Gospels to see what happened in an event is so profitable. This is directly after Jesus fed the five thousand.
"When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, 'This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!' Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself. When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea," - John 6:14-16 ESV
"Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea." - Matthew 14:22-25 ESV
Jesus did this massive miracle. Loaves and fish don't multiply on their own. He could have ridden that wave of popularity but instead, He chose to withdraw and walk on water.
As a man with degrees of ambition, you have to scratch your head at passages like this. I understand it. He didn't come to Earth to be King. He came to Earth to die on that cross. His whole life is about that. It was needed. He never stopped being a lion to be a lamb. He was and is always both. Still... Why not have an Earthly empire first and then die? My red-blooded mind races and searches to understand the plan of God. This plan that always has a cross stuck right in the middle of it.
If He had gone the other road this next part would never have happened.
"But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.' And Peter answered him, 'Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.' He said, 'Come.' So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, 'Lord, save me.' Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, 'O you of little faith, why did you doubt?' And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, 'Truly you are the Son of God.' " - Matthew 14:27-33 ESV
There is a point in time when a work starts moving that things can't be small like this. Jesus had many one-on-one times in His future.
I heard Tony Curtis in a rare interview where he talked about Marilyn Monroe and his career and He had an interesting take on it. He was convicted that it was the movie camera that made stars into stars. He saw himself and the others he worked with as genetically blessed nobodies who would have stayed nobodies but that movie camera did something because it showed only parts of things in a certain light.
Jesus isn't a movie star. He isn't a celebrity like we think of them.
"I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all." - Ephesians 1:16-23 ESV
Jesus is the fullness. He Is the King of Kings.
Can I set my ambition aside? Can you? I would like to say, 'Yes' but Paul was praying this way for a reason. This is a very specific focus. This is Christ-centered living and it is a life that allows for personal investment in others. We stay small so that Christ can be exalted. This is a calling that has hope. This is a life with a rich inheritance.
--
Showing posts with label Celebrity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Celebrity. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
Friday, April 17, 2015
Solitary Glory
I was thinking this morning of young Moses as a picture of fame and celebrity. If there were paparazzi back then they would have followed young Moses. He was fished out of the water of anonymity and found it to be a double edged sword.
"When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, 'This is one of the Hebrews' children.' ... And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, 'Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.' So the woman took the child and nursed him. When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, 'Because,' she said, 'I drew him out of the water.' " - Exodus 2:6, 9-10 ESV
With renown comes money and other things but people then need to use that money to create a breathing space to have a life. Renown can turn ugly quite quickly. People like to tear down the things that others have built up.
"One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, 'Why do you strike your companion?'
He answered, 'Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?'
Then Moses was afraid, and thought, 'Surely the thing is known.'
When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well." - Exodus 2:11-15 ESV
Moses was not burdened the way his people were burdened but he was burdened in his own way and his fame seemed to separate him in the crowd. I wonder if when he sat by that rock if it was the first time in his life that he had been alone.
"Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. The shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and saved them, and watered their flock. When they came home to their father Reuel, he said, 'How is it that you have come home so soon today?' They said, 'An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and watered the flock.' " - Exodus 2:16-19 ESV
"And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah. She gave birth to a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, 'I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.' " - Exodus 2:21-22 ESV
"Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, 'I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.'
When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, 'Moses, Moses!' And he said, 'Here I am.' " - Exodus 3:1-4 ESV
The burning bush is a representation of God's solitary glory. Fame and prying eyes had consumed Moses in his early life. Now He was anonymous but purposeless. God was content to be God in the middle of nowhere. God's glory does not consume Him. He is glorious when there are worshipers and when there is no one there who seems to notices.
Perhaps fame is not an issue for most of us.
Grace gives us the benefits of fame without the pitfalls. We are known as we should be known and God gets the glory just as He should.
I pray for people who have the bright lights shining on them. I'm not always happy for them either. That is a harder place to be than it looks. Famous people often don't know who their friends really are. It is a place that can burn a person up quickly.
"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior," - 1 Timothy 2:1-3 ESV
Perhaps we think praying for public people is just giving them even more attention. Why should they get more attention from us. But they are souls that need prayer. They are being pushed and pulled in crazy ways. They truly need prayer.
We hope that they would see their burning bush. Oh, How we all need to turn aside and observe that bush. It is where we leave the natural behind and witness an enduring eternal glory... a glory that changes us forever.
--
"When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, 'This is one of the Hebrews' children.' ... And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, 'Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.' So the woman took the child and nursed him. When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, 'Because,' she said, 'I drew him out of the water.' " - Exodus 2:6, 9-10 ESV
With renown comes money and other things but people then need to use that money to create a breathing space to have a life. Renown can turn ugly quite quickly. People like to tear down the things that others have built up.
"One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, 'Why do you strike your companion?'
He answered, 'Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?'
Then Moses was afraid, and thought, 'Surely the thing is known.'
When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well." - Exodus 2:11-15 ESV
Moses was not burdened the way his people were burdened but he was burdened in his own way and his fame seemed to separate him in the crowd. I wonder if when he sat by that rock if it was the first time in his life that he had been alone.
"Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. The shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and saved them, and watered their flock. When they came home to their father Reuel, he said, 'How is it that you have come home so soon today?' They said, 'An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and watered the flock.' " - Exodus 2:16-19 ESV
"And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah. She gave birth to a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, 'I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.' " - Exodus 2:21-22 ESV
"Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, 'I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.'
When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, 'Moses, Moses!' And he said, 'Here I am.' " - Exodus 3:1-4 ESV
The burning bush is a representation of God's solitary glory. Fame and prying eyes had consumed Moses in his early life. Now He was anonymous but purposeless. God was content to be God in the middle of nowhere. God's glory does not consume Him. He is glorious when there are worshipers and when there is no one there who seems to notices.
Perhaps fame is not an issue for most of us.
Grace gives us the benefits of fame without the pitfalls. We are known as we should be known and God gets the glory just as He should.
I pray for people who have the bright lights shining on them. I'm not always happy for them either. That is a harder place to be than it looks. Famous people often don't know who their friends really are. It is a place that can burn a person up quickly.
"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior," - 1 Timothy 2:1-3 ESV
Perhaps we think praying for public people is just giving them even more attention. Why should they get more attention from us. But they are souls that need prayer. They are being pushed and pulled in crazy ways. They truly need prayer.
We hope that they would see their burning bush. Oh, How we all need to turn aside and observe that bush. It is where we leave the natural behind and witness an enduring eternal glory... a glory that changes us forever.
--
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)