Episode 1207: Humility Leads to Success Without Pride

[00:00:00] Scott Maderer: Thanks for joining me on episode 1,207 of the inspired podcast.

[00:00:06] Jack Allweil: I'm Jack. Allweil. I challenge you to invest in yourself, invest in others, develop your influence and impact the world by using your time, your talent and your treasures to live out your calling. Having the ability to set goals and consistently work towards them is key.

[00:00:23] And one way to be inspired to do this is to listen to this. The inspired stewardship podcast with my friend Scott Maderer.

[00:00:31] Scott Maderer: Think about it. Have you ever been to a party and you've seen people jockeying for position, trying to be recognized as a big wig. Maybe they're ordering extra things. They're dropping they're paying for the meal for everybody else. They're doing other things to call attention to themselves.

[00:00:48] And I don't know about you, but usually when I observe that I feel,

[00:00:52] why

[00:00:53] Scott Maderer: are you trying to make this all about you? Welcome and thank you for joining us on the inspired [00:01:00] stewardship podcast. If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent and your treasures for your true calling in the inspired stewardship podcast, who will learn to invest in your.

[00:01:15] Invest in others and develop your influence so that you can impact the world

[00:01:22] in today's spiritual foundation episode about developing your influence. I talk with you about Luke chapter 14 versus one through 14. I share how this parable is so much about humility and. And I also talk about how this sense of humility can lead to more growth. Luke chapter 14 versus one through 14 says one Sabbath.

[00:01:47] When Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched there in front of him, was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body. Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the [00:02:00] law. Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not? But they remain. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way.

[00:02:09] Then he asked them if one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out? And they had nothing to say when he noticed how the guests picked the place of honor at the table, he told them this parable. When someone invites you to a wedding feast do not take the place of the honor for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited.

[00:02:33] If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, give this person your seat, then humiliated. You will have to take the least important place, but when you are invited, take the lowest place so that when your host comes, he will say to you friend, move up to a better place. Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other.

[00:02:53] For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled. And those who humble themselves will be exalted. [00:03:00] Then Jesus said to his host, when you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors. If you do, they may invite you back. And so you will be repaid, but when you give a banquet invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, although they cannot repay.

[00:03:21] You will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. This story from Luke is one that at first glance feels a little disjointed. It starts out with. Jesus going to eat in a Pharisees home. Remember the Pharisees were the keepers of the law and he's there to eat on the Sabbath. And this person shows up who's obviously sick and needs some help.

[00:03:50] And Jesus challenges, the Pharisees. He says is it wrong to heal this man on the Sabbath? Because. Healing or [00:04:00] doing that kind of work on the Sabbath was considered work. And in the culture at this time, there was no work to be done on the Sabbath, but he's pointing out to the Pharisees that taking care of people is not work.

[00:04:17] It's part of what we're supposed to do at all times that there wasn't any direct commandment anywhere against healing on the S. He points out that you would go get your a or your donkey. If they've hurt themselves, you would take care of them. So why is taking care of people somehow wrong?

[00:04:42] And then he kind of pivots and goes into this story about sitting at the place of honor. Now, if you don't know, and at this time in history, Whenever you came in, if you were seated at a place of honor, that means seated at the head table seated at the right hand of [00:05:00] the person that had thrown the party that was considered the most prestige or honor you were being recognized as somebody important.

[00:05:08] And Jesus is saying that the Pharisees, when they come into this party, they're all jockeying for position. They're all trying to find the seat as high up as they can get to show that they are somebody important. And Jesus basically says don't do that instead. Go down to the lowest place and sit there.

[00:05:30] And then whenever somebody comes over and raises you up. Then you're really being pointed out as a person of honor that's actually better for you now. Here's the thing, it's not really about where you're sitting at the table. The idea here is that the truth is we are waiting for God to recognize us and raise us up.

[00:05:56] Jesus is making an analogy. At the end of the [00:06:00] day, this is about having humility. This is about recognizing that you are not the most important person here, that the relationship that we have with God is more important that having that humility actually leads to more honor and more growth for you and for the people around you.

[00:06:20] Jesus then goes on and says, what's more. If you're throwing a party, don't just invite all the important people. Instead, invite the people that can't directly even attend. Invite the poor invite, the lame invite, the people that are just not the people that you would normally invite, because instead of using this party as a place of honor, use this party as a gift for others.

[00:06:47] A gift that truly they can't repay again, making the analogy about our relationship with God, the fact that we are given a gift that we can never [00:07:00] repay. And yet we are blessed to receive it. It's not about the honor or the pride. It's about humility. And I would argue that most. Of our conflicts and sin comes about through a sense of pride.

[00:07:19] It's through that feeling of I've got this, I can do this. I'm the one I'll take care of it that we often end up falling on our face. And I think this parable, this passage, this story, is trying to make us understand that think about it. Have you ever been to a party? And you've seen people jockeying for position, trying to be recognized as a big wig.

[00:07:42] Maybe they're ordering extra things. They're dropping they're paying for the meal for everybody else. They're doing other things to call attention to themselves. And I don't know about you, but usually when I observe that I why are you trying to make this all about you? Why are you trying [00:08:00] to hold yourself up as somehow more important than everyone else?

[00:08:04] It gives you a uncomfortable feeling and it, and instead when you see that person that comes in and just does things, maybe they do pay for the meal, but they don't do it and draw attention to it. They do it just without really telling anyone they're doing. And when you go to pay for your meal, it's already been paid for doesn't that feel somehow more authentic, somehow more powerful, somehow, something that makes you feel even more indebted in a way to those that have done it for you.

[00:08:42] I think that's what Jesus is talking about in this passage from Luke. Thanks for listening.

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