Dennis R. Wiles
October 14, 2018
FALL 2018
Finding Your Way . . . in Ministry
September 2 – November 3, 2018
Humility is our Hallmark in Ministry
Romans 12:3-21
PRAYER OF HUMILITY
Our Father in Heaven – and in Arlington,
Today, we bow before you and recognize you as the one and only true God. We thank you for your goodness, your grace, and your mercy toward us.
Today, we come to this table. This is a table of suffering. A table of sacrifice. A table of service.
We are mindful of the suffering of our Lord. We are mindful of the sacrifice of our Savior. We are mindful of His service to Your divine purposes.
In the face of His suffering, His sacrifice, and His service --- we are humbled. In fact, we ask you to humble us even still. Remind us of our humanity, our brokenness, our need of a Savior.
Grant us a glimpse of the glory of the Lord Jesus, who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross.
May this mind be in us, which was also in Christ Jesus,
Amen.
Romans 12:3-5, 9-16
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
Humility is our hallmark in ministry.
You are gifted! Your gift is not just for your enjoyment.
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace . . .
-1 Peter 4:10
“Pride is ruthless, sleepless, unsmiling concentration on the self . . . Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, but only out of having more of it than the next person."
-C.S. Lewis
No one is proud, but everyone knows someone who is!
Be completely humble!
-Ephesians 4:2
