The winner of Jennifer Lee’s book, Love Idol, from my giveaway last week is…………….JOLENE! Congratulations!
April! The month of spring flowers, Easter dresses, and Holy Week. I love the month of April because it reminds me of the fresh start enjoyed by the earth, and by you and me as believers in Jesus. Today, April 7th would have been my Daddy’s 78th birthday. For 9 years, Daddy has celebrated his birthday with Jesus, and I know there is no place he would rather be.
Welcome to our first April Heart Notes. Our April FREE printable is below, and I am especially fond of this one because it has such pretty pastel colors. Each of the verses I have chosen for April encourages me to think about Jesus in some way. Humility, living the crucified life, mercy, and boldness are each attributes of Christ that we are called to appropriate in our lives. I hope you will download and print the flyer, and place it in a location where you will see it often this month.
The verse I have chosen for today, at first blush, may not seem appropriate to the Easter season. I believe it is, and I hope to convince you of that in just a bit.
Never has there lived a more humble man than Jesus Christ. Think about it. He is God. He rightfully belongs in heaven. He participated in creation. As God, He deserves our worship. The creatures around the throne worship Christ continually as He sits at the right hand of God in heaven. He is majesty, awesomeness, and holiness.
Yet, He condescended to leave heaven and pitch His tent among us; sinful, prideful, disobedient mankind. He chose to set aside His heavenly person, and inhabit a human body with all the associated limitations. He chose to walk the dusty roads of earth, accompanied by men full of doubt about who He was. He knelt down and washed the feet of those men…their dirty, dusty, smelly feet. He allowed Himself to be beaten nearly to death, and then hanged on a cross. He endured mocking, beating, shame, and reproach from those He created. And He did all this willingly.
If He humbled Himself, then shouldn’t we, also?
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)
As we journey toward Calvary and the cross, what would it look like for you and me to humble ourselves before Jesus? Do we really even want to? Our hearts, our nation, and our world, are in such sad, sorry shapes that it seems hopeless. Yet, it is not. God promises to hear from heaven and act, if we will do our part.
This week, I want to toss out a challenge to all of us.
GO LOW!
At least once this week, and perhaps once each day, go low. Assume a posture of humility before God, both physically and in your heart. Spend some time confessing your sin, and the sin of your people/nation. I will not presume to name your sin, for you know what it is. I’m far too busy naming my own before God. Ask God to forgive us and heal our land.
The way UP is DOWN. GO LOW, my friends. I’ll be right there with you, with my knees and forehead pressed into the carpet.
