The Reading List
This summer I had an extensive reading list and I am excited to say that except for two books I read all of the books I wanted to.
One book that I read got me incredibly excited for the race and I decided to re-read it this weekend. It’s called Dirty God: Jesus in the Trenches by: Johnnie Moore. (If you need some wonderful weekend reading, pick up a copy of this book!)
One of the chapters is called Grace in the Trenches and my copy of the book looks like a highlighter and a pen had a war on the pages.
My favorite part of the chapter is where it talks about Jesus’ mission on the Earth. The difference between what Jesus came to do and what people wanted from him was interesting. Jesus did not come to the Earth to conquer Jerusalem and rule over the people, imposing his rules and judgments. He came to SERVE the world.
Jesus didn’t care what others thought he should be doing. He came with a mission full of grace and “not the grace of teddy bears and water guns. It was the grace of boxing matches and horse breaking.”
He went places no one else would go. He hung out with people no one else would hang out with. He ignored social standing and cultural norms. He ignored what other people thought of him. People questioned his actions. Jesus didn’t care.
In Dirty God the author says that “This had been his purpose all along, to save and serve the world with or without them…he was going to do it selflessly by grace.”
Being selfless is something I have to work on daily. Learning to live for others and for Jesus, laying down my wants, my selfish desires is hard yet necessary to serve God.
“Selfishness is the opposite of grace, and it is a defining characteristic of every horrible tyrant in history, every villain in literature and every person who causes more harm than good in the world. Selfishness is the opposite of Jesus.”
Philippians 2:3 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
I am learning every day how to live selflessly, how to serve the world as Jesus did. Its an uphill climb but one that will be a huge blessing in my life and a huge blessing to the world in Jesus name.
