During the past several months I’ve come to realize something.
Somewhere down the path I made the mistake of connecting my “faithfulness” to “fruitfulness”.
But then I was reminded of the life of Jesus.
Jesus lived less than forty years; he didn’t travel outside his own country; the people who knew him during his life scarcely understood him; and when he died, only a few of his followers remained faithful. In every respect, his life was a failure. Success had left him, popularity had dwindled, and all his power was gone. Still, few lives have been so fruitful; few lives have affected the thinking and feeling of other people so deeply; few have so profoundly shaped future cultures; few have influenced so radically the patterns of human relationships. Jesus himself referred constantly to the fruitfulness of his life that would only become manifest after his death… Henri Nouwen, “Our Greatest Gift, a Meditation on Dying and Caring” 1994. page 39.
I’m just called to be “faithful” and to truly be “fruitful” ……”I” have to die!
2 responses so far ↓
Donna Earnhardt // October 15, 2009 at 2:11 pm |
Nice quote. I tend to disagree with part of the quote, though. “In every respect, his life was a failure.”
I disagree b/c every thing Jesus did was a complete victory not a failure. In his birth? victory. He fulfilled the prophecy. In his life?- victory. He healed physically and spiritually, raised folks from the dead. In his obedience? victory. He obeyed his Father even unto death. IN his death AND Resurrection? Complete Victory!
I realize that by the world’s standards, obedience is a “bad” word. But as you said…we have to be willing to die to ourselves and live in HIM. Our pride has to die. Our “me, me, me” attitude has to die. We must be willing to be judged by God’s standards – not the worlds. If we do, we’ll find our identity in Him. And wow…what a great place to find ourselves!
NIce post indeed!
crossroadstalk // October 15, 2009 at 2:17 pm |
Donna,
Great insight!
I always love reading other people’s perspective on something….it really opens my eyes and expands my thinking.
Thanks again
Randy