What personal kingdoms do we carefully protect? We were challenged with that question last night at church. We know the humble manger story about a king with no kingdom. We remember a mad Herod who killed thousands for fear this baby wanted his. It’s rare to find leaders who see beyond what they have to lose.
I found one recently. I noticed an unusually humble spirit in his emerging mega church. As I listened to his story I understood why. A few years back this innovative pastor saw the need to better connect with a changing culture and initiated a contemporary service. He continued to preach the traditional service while his youth pastor shared the message for the new one.
In a few short years the contemporary service had grown far larger. In most churches that would spell big trouble. I’ll never forget the senior pastor’s response when I asked how he was handling it. He simply said:
“At some point in life each of us must become a forerunner for someone else. We must decrease so others can increase.”
That’s inspiring. We know the real message of the season; we must decrease so Jesus can increase. My dad often said, “We must live simply so others can simply live. I’m challenged to be surrendered at that level, are you?
Hopefully, in this coming year we can find the grace to see beyond our kingdoms. I pray we can more fully discover the freedom in becoming a simple forerunner of Christ’s love to those that hurt.
Blessings to you and your families.
