Next-Wave Ezine > church & culture

Walk Humbly
By Kester Smith

There’s a great quote that goes something like: Most people want to serve God, but only in an advisory capacity. The Oak Ridge Boys once wrote a song, the chorus of which states: "Nobody wants to play a rhythm guitar behind Jesus." Everybody wants to be the lead singer in the band. The problem with a lot of us Christians today is that we all want Jesus to be our Savior, but none of us want Him to be our Lord.

When it comes to the command to “walk humbly” we tend to get part of it right. The part where we admit that we’re sinners in need of forgiveness. The part where we feel guilt and hang our heads in shame. And I don’t want to make light of that part. It’s an important part, even an essential one.

But when God speaks through the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 58, He says this: Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD? "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?"

We humble ourselves enough for Jesus to be our Savior. We take a little time out of the week to pay lip service. But what about real service? What about the humility to say “Your will be done” as well as “have mercy on me?" Most of us have the humility to admit to past mistakes, but not to avoid future ones. But, the fact is, I don’t just need Jesus to forgive my sins, I need Him to run my life.

But I don’t let Him. I pray “Lord lead me," but I live “I got this.” I may believe that God knows best, but I don’t act accordingly. I forget that the prophet Micah doesn’t say I should think humbly or even pray humbly, but walk humbly. I should bring my life and desires and decisions before God with the understanding that He knows what to do with them.

So, instead of praying, “I’m going to do this for a living, please bless it,” I pray “should I do this for a living.” Instead of saying, “I’m going to buy a house, please help me,” I should ask, “should I be buying a house?” Instead of telling God, “This is how I’m going to spend my time and money,” I should ask Him how to spend my time and money. Do I think that God cares whether I eat Cheerios or Chex? No. But I think He cares a lot more about how I eat and consume and spend my money, time, and energy than I give Him credit for.

We are a people whose lives are full of time and resources that we control. We have jobs or go to school, but are still left with a lot of free time. We are a people of free time and disposable income. So, what if we took that time and money to God and humbly asked what we should do with it? What if we brought our weekly schedule before God and said, “What should I be doing with my time?” What if we set our monthly budget before God and said, “What should I be doing with my money?”

What if we came to God before our plans were made and before our money was spent? What if we asked Him what to do and how to live?

I think we’re afraid to imagine it. What if He told us to love our enemies? What if He told us to visit those in prison? What if He told us to loose the chains of injustice, even at our own expense? What if He said, “Sell all you have and follow me”? What if He ruined all our best laid plans?

That is what “walk humbly” means. I came to God because I didn’t know how to live. Doesn’t it make sense that I would ask Him? I came to God to find a better way. Shouldn’t I try to find out what that way is?

We come to Jesus not to have our sins forgiven and get back to old life, but to have a new life. Let us commit as the community of Christ, as those who claim to follow Him, to do a better job of finding out where it is He’s going and what it is He’s up to. Let us seek to discover His plans and to shape our plans accordingly.

Kester Smith currently serves, with his wife, Rachel, as lead pastor and co-church planter for the Immanuel Austin Community in Austin, TX. Raised in Chicago, Kester holds a degree from Abilene Christian University. His blog (www.pastorkes.blogspot.com) is filled with bits of sermons, top 10 lists, and random thoughts on life, the truth, and the Way. He has begun work on a collection called "Tentmaking Saved My Ministry or What Jesus People Could Learn From BookPeople". He also works part time for Texas' largest independent bookstore, BookPeople.