“For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
— Luke 14:11
AT THE HOME of the Pharisee—where He had been invited for dinner—Jesus watched people maneuvering to get the places of importance around the table. Finally, He told them why that wasn’t wise. “What if someone more honorable than you comes along and the host has to say to you, ‘Sorry, fellow, you are in the wrong seat. Why don’t you move down to a lower seat?’” Jesus then added, “Don’t embarrass yourself. It is better that you take a lower seat, and let the host come to you and say, ‘Why are you sitting down here? I’d like you to move to a better seat.’” Jesus concluded by saying: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11).
SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING, THE WAY UP IS DOWN, AND THE WAY DOWN IS UP.
If you will humble yourself, you will be brought up. Take the lowest place and you will be invited to come higher. But if you take the highest place, you are apt to be asked to step down.
May God help us to live our lives as servants—conscious of the needs of others and willing to reach out and minister however we can. May we follow the example of our Lord, who took no thought to Himself, but lived a humble life of service to all.
Lord, we see how You laid aside Your glory to come to earth, live in lowliness, and die for us. We see that You have been exalted now to the highest place; that You are King of kings and Lord of lords. Teach us to follow Your example.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.