Isaiah 23

Isaiah 23:9, 17-18 NIV

The Lord  Almighty planned it,
to bring down her pride in all her splendor
and to humble all who are renowned on the earth.

At the end of seventy years, the Lord  will deal with Tyre. She will return to her lucrative prostitution and will ply her trade with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. Yet her profit and her earnings will be set apart for the Lord ; they will not be stored up or hoarded. Her profits will go to those who live before the Lord , for abundant food and fine clothes.

Glory and greatness is no guarantee of perpetuation. Failure and destruction is no guarantee of disappearance and annihilation. Pride, however, is a pretty good indicator of a fall to come. Humility often precedes blessing. Blessing is not for us, but for the glory of the One we serve.

I had a conversation with another pastor yesterday about a "less than ideal" leadership structure in a particular church. He commented that when we were younger we would have felt that we would have needed to wade in and immediately change the leadership structure. Today, as older, more experienced men we realize that there are bigger fish to fry. Looking back I am amazed that, in the arrogance of my youth, God used me at all. Looking forward I just want to finish well in humble dependence on God.

Whether we are talking about a country, a city, a church or ministry, or an individual life, glory and greatness is no guarantee of perpetuation. Failure and destruction is no guarantee of disappearance and annihilation. There are individuals with a lot of money and glory in this world. They are the ones that capture the headlines, but they are not neccesarily the ones that honor God or make the world a better place.

The flip side is that when things look dark we have a tendency to give up. Yet it is often in our darkest times that God's grace shines brightest. It is often through our darkest times that God is preparing us for something great.

Pride and glory seem to be what the world is constantly pursuing. Humility and service is what honors God and what God honors. Father, thank you for your patience with me in my younger, arrogant years. Forgive me for the times I am still proud and arrogant. May I walk in humble dependence today. May I rejoice in your glory rather then mine. Thank you that even when things look dark, I know that you are there. To God be the glory!

By His grace,
Rick Weinert
District Superintendent
EFCA Northern Mtn District

Comments