DOWN. :)

heard the coolest analogy a few weeks ago and it‘s still sticking with me. so here it is: linemen in football (the big guys who tackle the other guys) do their job the best when they stay low to the ground and keep their feet planted. in the same way, we as Believers are most effective when we stay low and take our place in humility and service. that’s when we do our job as Jesus People the best. this whole concept really hit home for me, and it totally clicked. maybe it’s cause i’m a volleyball player. well…i guess that depends on your deffinition of “play”. :D *but* i was on my volleyball team in high school, and had a lot of fun. :) but anyways…when i was playing volleyball, my coaches always told us to “get down”, “stay light on your feet”, “stay on your toes” or “stay low”. especially if you were playing the back row. you needed to be ready for anything. and if you need to take a dive for the ball and dig it, you’re already half way there. and the best teams were always the best at this.

a tragedy has happened within the Body. somehow as Believers, we think we can effectively immitate Christ while staying away from crowds that are weired, awkward or a “bad influence“. we think that the icky jobs are for other “lesser-than” people. we let others deal with the unlovely. we don’t need to give more than enough to appease our conscience. and the list goes on and on.

just like i had to in volleyball, we as believers are most effective when stay humble - get low. when the enemy comes attacking us with pride, we can hold our ground much better if were already down. when we are humble, and remember who we are in Christ, we are able to stand our ground so much better. not only that, but we do our jobs as believers better. if we already have an attitude of humility and service towards others than we’re much more willing to jump in, get messy and do the less glamorus jobs. going out of our way to love somebody who slights us or treats us badly isn’t as big of a deal. there’s not really any room for pride. we can’t come up with any excusses to *not* love people. no person, action, or job is below us. we aren’t better than anybody. because we see ourselves as equals or even as less-than others - no matter what society tells us.


as believers, we have to keep our feet planted on the ground and remember who we are in Christ and what our job is. people don’t need Christians telling them how horrible what they‘ve done is, how wrong they are or how stupid they’re being. what they need is people who will go to them in humility and tell them “absolutely nothing can separate you from the Love of Christ, so who am i to not love you? who am i to not forgive? who am i to think that those jobs are below me? who am i to not extend grace - over and over again?” THAT is what people need to hear. no, we can’t and shouldn’t comprimise the Word. we need to call sin what it is, Jesus Himself did that too. But like Christ, we are to go before people in humility, dignity and respect and extend Love and Grace. and the day the Church gets a grasp on this and starts living this, we’ll be unstoppable. because that’s when we’re most effective and that’s how lives get changed for eternity. we have to dive in, get messy, get used, get low and let ourselves be poured out and filled up all over again by God. and that my friends, is what it’s all about.

♪♫baby are you down down, down, down, down?!♪♫ :D