Just who do you think you are?

For the past couple weeks we have been examining the 12th chapter of Paul's letter to the Romans.  What a magnificent address concerning how the "righteous" should live.  By righteous, I mean those who are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and have been made "right" with God through His atoning death.  We have been looking specifically at the passage beginning with verse 9, and now are ready to see what the latter portion of verse 16 has to say to us.  It reads: Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.  Do not be conceited.

Rick Warren's book The Purpose Driven Life has been a phenomenal best seller with over 30 million copies in circulation.  Warren begins with a simple, but profound sentence, "It's not about you!"  He then leads the reader through a 40-day adventure of discovering what the Bible says is our very purpose for existing.  Bottom line . . . we have been created for God's pleasure, and to truly please God we need to humble ourselves to become true servants of His.  That humble servanthood is made manifest in our actions and attitudes toward others. 

In the Apostle Paul's day, as in our own, most people are treated by others according to their social standing.  Rich people tend to be treated with greater respect than are poor folk.  Those on the top rungs of the social ladder receive preferential treatment over those on the lower rungs.  But Paul tells the Church that we aren't to follow this pattern.  We are to be radical in our approach to life and treat everyone equally.  And we aren't to think too highly of ourselves while we're at it. 

You know, when you honestly look at yourself in light of who God is and who we are, it changes our perspective about a lot of things.  In particular it will change how you see other people.  I recognize that some of God's choicest servants are those who have never had a thing materially.  I have also found that many of my most loyal friends through the years have been those who possessed no great social standing.  A number of years ago I served on staff of the Parkway Baptist Church in Goodlettsville, Tennessee.  Beth Whitman and her family were members of that church.  Beth, and her husband Kevin, were just plain country folks who struggled tremendously to make ends meet.  They certainly lacked the "polish" which characterized most of our church members.  But I have to say that I probably miss them as much as anybody else we left there when we went to our next church.  Beth worked in our church nursery when our sons were preschoolers and she loved them as much as anyone could possibly love another couple's children.  She was a genuine Christian - one that could easily be called "the salt of the earth."  Beth was killed by a drunk driver one afternoon.  I mourned her death as much as anyone I have had the privilege of serving as their Minister.  Beth had taught me the wisdom of Romans 12:16.