“He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts”.
Luke 1:51
As one serves, it is always the empty cup that captures the attention of filler to get filled up. Cups that are already filled to various levels with something else get neglected. Among all, empty cup receive the honour finally.
For God, it doesn’t matter that one is man or woman, virgin or married, Pharisee or Publican, statused high or statused low. But it does matter for Him that one is empty and not filled, i.e, one has the humble servant state heart and not the proud heart.
Mary received the honour of being called ‘blessed woman’ in all the generations to come. God rewarded her *humble hands maiden state *(Luke 1:48). ‘Being young’ or ‘being virgin’ or ‘being woman’ or ‘being betrothed to a man’, nothing hindered. She got her cup filled.
Jesus also received the honour from Father through ‘humble servant state’ of Him.(Philippians 2:7-11). Every man of God as well receive only so!
What would be the process to attain ‘humble servant state’ ? We learn it from Paul !
Paul suffered all losses (emptied) of his confidence in flesh, self righteousness to win saviour God Christ (Philippians 3:8).
Also, longing honour from God, he rejected getting secured and obtaining name in the community he belonged to. He got his cup filled.
(NB: securities and names are nothing but Proud Towers of Babel, which Paul rejected).
How about us ?
Once I was attending troop church , a brother who once an addict, was giving message. He spoke with almost tears, “Lord I know how much I’m unworthy to even touch this Bible, I’m a sinner. I used to stay out of Church. But you considered me as a man, gave me opportunity to hold Bible, to speak about you”. The humbleness he showed before God made me tremble. I felt I’m no way near. I learnt the urgency for ‘emptying my heart’ from that day on.
We might be so and so in this world that we gain confidence in flesh; brought up with good discipline that we boast in self righteousness; well connected to a spiritual community that gives us security and a name to be dependant about. How do we account them all ? As Profit or loss ?
If we account them loss, we receive the honour !
If we account them profit, we stay proud!
The Lord scatters the proud!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to empty my heart, let me not accept any profit of my flesh or world around, help me to go through ‘humble servant state’ that my cup is filled. Amen.
Sol. Dr. Sujatha Aacha