Editor’s note: Phew! Christmas is over! As you return to the office this week, you’ll no doubt be reflecting on the work you have done this month. Surely there were times of great joy and off-the-charts stress, but no matter the outcome, remember that the birth, death, and resurrection of our Lord trumps everything. Let Christ’s merciful sacrifice and steadfast love lead you into 2016!
“Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” The wicked queen in the fairy tale Snow White asked that question day after day. She liked the answer, until Snow White grew up to become the fairest.
When you look into the mirror, what do you ask? What do you see?
As servants of Christ, we may be tempted to see a person who sacrifices a lot—time, money, effort, energy. “God is blessed to have me on his team,” we may think to ourselves. We may even start to believe that our heavenly Father owes us, based on our service.
Like the older son in Jesus’ parable of the “Lost Sons,” we may let this entitlement attitude simmer deep inside until one day we find ourselves hurling accusations like this toward heaven:
All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me . . . (Luke 15:29 NLT)
Ouch! Bitterness like this hardens hearts. We do well to confess it early and often, asking Jesus to release us from its guilt and power.
Surprisingly, though, pride can take another shape altogether—the shape of self-contempt. As we look into the mirror, we may see a person who never quite measures up, someone whose failures make significant service impossible.
Such an attitude discounts the depth of our Savior’s love and his promise to equip us. It denies what he has clearly told us—that he has . . .
Saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began. (2 Timothy 1:9 ESV)
We fall into the pothole of pride whether we see our service in a positive or negative light. It’s better by far to take our gaze off the mirror and fix it instead on the cross and on the Savior who sacrificed himself there for us. That cross reflects God’s goodness, his amazing grace, active for us, in us, and—even through us!
Prayer starter: Lord Jesus, you loved me and gave yourself up for me. As I consider all you sacrificed for me, I ask . . .
Editor’s note: This devotion appears in CTA’s Reflecting Christ devotion book. The book includes 25 Scripture-filled devotions with words of encouragement for Christian volunteers, ministry leaders, and staff members. Keep it in mind as you serve alongside these individuals throughout 2016!
You are welcome to copy this article for one-time use when you include this credit line and receive no monetary benefit from it: © 2015 CTA, Inc. Used with permission.
The post Seeing Christ’s Sacrifice More Clearlyan after-Christmas devotion for this week’s meetings appeared first on CTA, Inc. | The Community Website for Christian Ministry Gifts.
