Purpose

Proclaim

 

I always say that one of the hardest things about teaching is forgetting what it is like not to know something. In order to explain a concept or theory you have to be cognizant of the other person’s baseline knowledge. When an idea becomes familiar to you, it can be a challenge to remember what it is like for it to be unfamiliar. Teaching requires that you try to remember.

The same is true when it comes to teaching our kids. And one of the most joyous things that a parent can do is to teach their child about God. In doing so we may be surprised that we can learn a few things ourselves!

For example, recently one of my kids memorized Mark 16:15 which states

Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation

Thinking I was being on top of it, I explained to her that “the Gospel” meant the good news that Christ died for our sins.

“What does proclaim mean?” she quickly asked.

I stopped in my tracks. 

“Well it means to shout, to make known, to boldly share.” I stated.

And my daughter, satisfied with my explanation, continued what she was doing.

However the conversation stuck with me. So often we talk of “sharing” the Gospel, which is good, but has a unobtrusive tone to it. It seems to indicate that we tell people the good news of Jesus’ sacrifice when they are wanting to hear it. “Proclaim” on the other hand is courageous. It doesn’t wait for someone to ask; it is regularly and eagerly making the good news known.

And I had to ask myself – “is that what I’m doing?”

Am I regularly telling people about Christ with boldness?

Am I making Him known in my words and deeds?

Am I willing to loudly share what He has done for me?  

Or am I too busy being unobtrusive that I don’t have any time to “proclaim”?

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Growth

The Grace of Humility

Years ago I was getting ready to speak for the first time at our church’s women’s bible study group. As I got ready in the morning, I was intently praying that all would go well and I distinctly remember asking God that I wouldn’t trip going up the steps. Almost as soon as the request hit my mind another thought formulated. “What if somehow God intended to use a stumble upon the stairs for His glory?” As much as I didn’t want the humiliation and embarrassment of tripping, I also wanted God to use me in whatever way necessary for Him to get the most praise. My request quickly changed – whether entering the stage gracefully or revealing my clumsiness, my desire was not for my renown but for God’s.

What this inner dialogue illustrated is something that Scripture also reveals – sometimes God’s grace is most revealed in our humility. The Israelites experienced this when they were wandering in the dessert. They became totally dependent upon God – for food, for protection and for direction – and yet in that path of humbleness – God’s grace to them was revealed. He provided for them in unexpected ways and use that to restore them into a right relationship with Him. In this case, humbling them was part of God’s discipline on their lives, but that is not always the case.  And either way, when we are humbled, we more readily see our need for God and are more apt to give Him the credit and praise He deserves.

This doesn’t mean that when we go through a time of humbling that it will be easy. It may cause us to question what we believe to be true about ourselves and may rattle our relationships with others. But it does mean that even as we experience the discomfort, we can be thankful for the work that God is doing. And we can recognize that even in humbling us, there is grace.

 

 

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