Redemption
How Jesus Changed the World: Part 2
Happy week after Christmas. Hope you had a wonderful holiday of worship, reflection, celebration, and special time with family and friends.
It was all made possible through the coming of Jesus–and in this, the third part of our trilogy–we finish our brief discussion on his amazing impact on the planet.
Here are eight more areas where the life of Jesus changed the world. Read More
The Greatest Week in History: A Lesson in Humility
Pride is one of the ugliest things in the universe. It’s what led to the fall of Lucifer from heaven, and allied with the invective of murder, was the motive behind the Brussels massacre this week.
On the presidential election front, both front runners of the Democrat and Republican parties regularly demonstrate the attitude of pride in either name-calling childishness or not telling the truth.
Would you agree there’s an abundance of pride in our world today?
This Holy Week–the greatest week in history–let’s look the opposite direction for inspiration from the life of Jesus Christ and others that follow him. He never displayed arrogance, never acted nastily, or ever told a lie.
Let’s learn a lesson in humility.
I must confess that the Boehme family and even my ethnic heritage (German) is susceptible to the sin of pride. Early on I realized that pride was one of my “easily besetting sins” (Hebrews 12:2), and if I wanted to grow in God, I needed to let him expose and crucify it in my life.
To some extent, He has been victorious in that process of sanctification.
Still, I must constantly be on guard against pride rearing its ugly head. I have found that learning from and being filled with Jesus is my only hope of character salvation.
So this Easter week–the greatest week of all time–when Jesus Christ arrived in Jerusalem to die for the sins of mankind (for our corporate pride) and then rise from the dead (He is Risen!), it might be beneficial to take a crash course in one of the Godhead’s most incredible qualities.
Humility.
Here’s my take on how humility, meekness, or a humble heart shows itself in a human life.
Characteristics of Humility
A servant’s attitude
Because humility is a lowliness of heart and mind, it shows a willingness to serve and lift up others. Jesus said in Mark 10: 43-44: “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.” Humility is the antithesis of narcissism. It always seeks to serve, not dominate.
A non-defensive or reactionary heart
Humble people are relaxed in who they are. Defensiveness is almost always a mark of pride showing a lack of relaxation in the truth. When Jesus was confronted by Pontius Pilate and Herod he didn’t defend himself. He didn’t have to. He knew who he was.
A quiet, teachable spirit
1 Peter 3: 4 tells us that real beauty “should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” When you have that type of heart, you are able to receive reproof: “Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you; rebuke the wise and they will love you” (Proverbs 9:8). Humble people are teachable and easy to be around. Remember the boy Jesus, anxious to learn from the teachers in the Temple?
Self-less interest and speech
Humble people don’t think about themselves, they put others first. We taught our young kids the rightness of J. O.Y. Jesus first, Yourself last, and Others in between (J.O.Y.) Humble people don’t talk about themselves because they don’t think about themselves. They are others-centered. Philippians 2: 3, 4 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” That’s the attitude of Christ Jesus (2:5).
Submissiveness
A humble person sees their own short-comings and welcomes the strengths of others. Ephesians 5:21 tells us to “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Having a submissive attitude toward other people is an incredible mark of strength. A humble person can relax on their “level” of authority knowing that “authority is given by God on the basis of humility” (Loren Cunningham).
Not interested in power
Humble people are not drawn to power–which is dangerous stuff. They desire to help and bless the lives of others–in fact, give up all power and lay their lives down for the sake of others (Philippians 2:5-11). Imagine what power Jesus gave up in heaven to be born in a dirty stable, live a peasant life, and be tortured and die via crucifixion. Humble folks love helping others–not pomp and circumstance that flatters the ego.
Love for people and interest in blessing them
Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:1-3 – “to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” When we are humble, we will make people feel comfortable and safe–not flaunt them with our gifts or stare them down with our eyes. Humility looks up–not down.
Obedience
Jesus obeyed his Heavenly Father in everything out of a humble heart. Then he told his disciples,
“So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty'” ( Luke 17:10). Humility always does what’s right. It is opposite of the spirit of anarchy or demanding rights. Humble people love to obey.
A thankful and grateful spirit
A humble person understands he or she is a sinner, deserves nothing, and deeply appreciates God’s grace. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 encourages us to “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Jesus never sinned, but his life was filled with thanksgiving and praise. That’s the constant attitude of the humble follower of His.
A tender conscience toward sin
It is understanding we have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory that humbles the heart and keeps it in a posture of hating and rejecting sin. David displays a humble conscience in Psalm 51 and declares that “the sacrifices of God (what He likes) is a broken and contrite spirit.” Great definition of humility. James Madison said that “Conscience is the most sacred of all property” because it keeps us humble and on track with God.
No desire for applause or publicity
William MacDonald reminds us that Jesus was “psychologically impervious to the popular prise of himself–it did not inflate him–and to negative criticism of himself–it did not deflate him.” He humbly knew what His Heavenly Father thought about at all times. When you’re focused on God, you don’t hear the blather. Humility deadens the ear to self and reputation.
Honesty and Transparency
Jesus told us humble people are willing to be known for who they really are. He said in Luke 18:13, “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’” Pride covers up and erects walls. Humility allows in the sunlight with joy.
Courteous and respectful
Note all the rioting and ill manners that are common in our nation today. They reveal nothing but self-centered pride–not humble love. 1 Corinthians 13:5 says that real love “does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs (Romans 13:1-7)” A mark of a humble person is great manners and personal self-control–perfectly seen in the life of Jesus Christ.
Child-like heart
The people of Jesus’ day (and ours) had it backwards. Adult-like cynicism is bad. Child-like sincerity is good. Jesus put a child on his lap and declared, “Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3, 4). Humble folks who focus on God and others are not skeptics.
Natural and real
A humble person doesn’t try to be humble—they just are—from the heart. Humility, in its basic essence, is living in reality, not being more than you are, which is pride, or being less than you are, which is self pity. Both sides of the coin of self is pride. When we are humble, there is a naturalness to our attitudes and actions that encourages those around us.
Self-sacrifice
It was self-sacrificing humility that took Jesus Christ to Calvary some two thousand years ago. Humility not only prefers others, it is willing to lay down its life for them out of love.
I hope you get the point. Pride is full of self. Humility is full of God and other’s concerns. Our world desperately needs to learn from Holy Week that the way to change the world is not through power, pride, anger, and revolution.
It’s through a changed heart who learns from Jesus.
Matthew 11:28-30:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
This week we commemorate the greatest week in history. Happy Easter as you love and emulate the humble, servant King.
In Memory of Maria
Two days ago, my bladder awakened me at 3:50 am. Stumbling into the darkened bathroom, I did my duty and returned to bed, encouraged that I still had a few hours to sleep.
As I dozed off, suddenly a large BOOM thundered through the neighborhood, rattling the windows, and causing me to bolt up wide awake.
What in the world was that? I’d never heard such a thunderous noise in the nearly thirty years we’d lived on Arlington Place. Must have been a sonic boom made by an airplane overhead.
Still befuddled, I dozed back to sleep.
A few hours later I found out. My friend and personal banker, Maria McDonald and her husband Bill, were found dead in a home that had been obliterated by a horrific blast just a mile away from us.
Today I write in memory of Maria.
There are many bad things taking place in the world that modern communications remind us of daily. People are being slaughtered and are fleeing the Middle East by the hundreds of thousands. We are in the midst of a hard-fought and ever-changing election campaign that will determine the next president of the United States.
But when you lose a friend, the world stands still. You think about life, death, and the reality of eternity. Suddenly human love and affection takes center stage over all the international headlines.
Losing Maria has done that for me.
Here’s what happened.
Bill and Maria McDonald (70 and 65 respectively) lived a mile from our home (as the crow flies) in Port Orchard, Washington–a small town of about 13,000 people located in the center of Puget Sound. In a community of this size, you know many people–even though 60,000 folks are scattered among the trees and the metropolis of Seattle is just across the water.
Two days ago Bill and Marie’s triple-wide mobile home, situated on two and a half areas behind Mullenix Elementary School, simply exploded–leaving most of the debris, according to a first responder, “no bigger than match sticks.” (At this point, the source of the explosion is unknown.)
Though there is heavily forested land between our home and theirs, we felt the blast hit our house causing the windows to shake. Shirley’s parents, who live seven miles away, heard the sonic boom and got out of bed to see what was happening. People in Renton, Washington–forty miles away across the water–heard the explosion.
Now we know why.
The McDonalds’ two and a half acres look like a war zone. Neighbors’ windows were shattered and pictures fell off walls. At the elementary school, 1000 feet through the dense trees, windows were broken by the impact. Recovery crews are finding bits of the house and even family pictures up in trees and on power lines a quarter mile away.
The home is gone–as if destroyed by a tornado.
The blast was so unusual that it made the national news and certainly dominated the local coverage. If you’d like to see an early report on what happened, you can watch it here on the local KOMO News broadcast.
I heard about who had died when I visited my mom that afternoon. She’d gone to the bank earlier that day where Maria worked. It was closed but cameramen were present. They broke the news that Maria and her husband had been killed in the vicious blast.
My mother was one of the first to be interviewed on camera about the death of Maria.
I met Maria McDonald decades ago ago when she started working for Kitsap Bank. This well-known local institution has been our family bank since 1950 when my young doctor father walked through the front door and shook hands–the only terms necessary for getting a loan in those days–with bank president Frank Langer.
Ever since, Kitsap Bank (with numerous locations around west Puget Sound) served as the Boehme family bank.
Maria, from a Guamanian background, started working at Kitsap Bank twenty-two years ago. She was a gentle, kind soul, who was known for her business acumen, sense of humor, service at St. Gabriel’s Catholic Church, and her great cooking. She had recently helped organize a Lenten soup supper at the church.
Husband Bill was also active at St. Gabes, an Air Force veteran from the Viet Nam War, worked with the Knights of Columbus and owned a satellite communications consulting firm.
Bill and Maria have five children and twelve grandchildren.
At a memorial mass held yesterday, both were fondly remembered for their faith and love.
Jarrod Roth said for many:
“There’s something about them that sets them apart from many others in a special way. It’s the way they connected with people. In a loving way, in a self-less way, uplifting way, it was a very humble way of living their lives. In a way it made them larger than life…They’ve touched all of us. They’re gone but not forgotten.”
I never met Bill, but certainly agree about Maria.
As our personal banker, Maria managed all of our YWAM and personal accounts. I always enjoyed coming into the Kitsap branch near our home and seeing Maria perched on her chair in the right corner of the building. Her smile always invited me to come over to work out some kind of problem.
One of those problems drew us close five years ago.
I was traveling and speaking in Puerto Rico in 2011 when Shirley called to tell me that our home had been robbed. It took place in broad daylight and involved some “professionals.” During the only hour of the day when no one was at home, the thieves entered our house and quickly searched through every room on two floors–probably in less that ten minutes.
Our compound of buildings also houses two Youth With A Mission offices.
The police later told us that they were looking for three things: 1) Money (including checkbooks), 2) Jewelry (to pawn), and 3) Fire arms (for you know what).
In ten minutes of ransacking, they took four check books in desk drawers and Shirley’s engagement ring. She felt extremely violated when she came home later that day and found numerous drawers open and her jewelry box plundered.
She urgently called me to ask what to do.
I told her to call Maria and put a stop on everything. When I came home, it took weeks to undue the damage that ultimately cost us $1000 in bad checks. The engagement ring never turned up though I looked through every pawn shop in the area. The thieves were eventually caught and went to jail.
We did learn from the police department how to hide and scatter valuables in your home. If, there’s a next time, the robbers will waste their time.
But back to Maria, our personal banker.
She was the one who lovingly walked us through that ordeal. She not only did the work of cancelling old and creating new accounts, but she also shared her heart and soul with us.
She too had been robbed. So had her daughter. Almost like a grief counselor, she walked us through the process of dealing with our loss with her strong faith, caring personality, and warm smile and comfort.
Every person should have a personal banker like Maria.
That’s why when I heard she’d been killed in the explosion, I nearly cried as if she was a member of the family. In small communities, some friendships are like that. You might not know people socially or intimately, but the friendship is deep and meaningful.
Friendship, on all levels, is a gift from God (Proverbs 17:17).
I learned after the blast that Maria was just two months from retiring from the bank. She and her husband looked forward and planned to travel and enjoy their large family.
All that vanished in an instant.
There are some important lessons here.
First, you can work all your life to attain a goal or an imagined future, and that plan can change in a heart-beat. Thus the importance of placing your life in God’s hands, seizing every day for what it is, and knowing that eternal life for the redeemed is your ultimate destination (Psalm 90:12).
Secondly, life really boils down to two things. Be a good steward of the things God has given you (Titus 1:7-9). You will not have them forever, but God wants us to use them for His glory for our brief time on earth. Even more importantly, serve the people around you (1 Corinthians 9:19). They are your greatest treasure and possess infinite value.
Stewardship and serving are twin pillars of a wise life.
And finally, make sure to befriend and share Jesus with those with whom you have daily contact (2 Timothy 4:2). They include the clerk in the store, your lawyer, your CPA, the neighbors on your block, and your friends at church and at play.
Talk about God’s kingdom. Point them to Jesus. Love and encourage them.
I write these words to remind myself to press on.
In memory of Maria.