A hero is someone we admire or respect because they reflect the values and character that we value. We desire to be like them; to have what they have and do what they do.
As our relationship with God matures, the people that we consider heroes—should also evolve.
Most of us have some degree of admiration for Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and one of the wealthiest people in the world. Based on that, what would make us consider Jesus—the embodiment of selflessness and humility—a hero? By worldly standards, Jesus didn’t “make it.” He lived a humble life and died as a penniless, homeless, convicted criminal. Would we prefer an invite to dinner at the lavish mansion of Bezos over the humble hut of a missionary church planter in Nairobi who is faithfully representing Jesus?
I know from experience that it takes time and growth to have the perspective to choose the latter.
My friend, I’ll be the first to admit that for most of my Christian life, my concept of heroism was misplaced. However, the more I develop the mind of Christ, the more He gives me an eternal perspective about heroism. For example, one of my greatest heroes NOW is my childhood pastor, Brian Disney. Why? Well, I am confident that thousands of people will be part of the kingdom of God because of his influence. I am quite certain that if he had decided to continue to work as a top engineer at Texas Instruments instead of becoming a missionary to Fayetteville, Arkansas, I am among the many who would NOT know Jesus today. He is humble yet strong, and it clearly demonstrates that he loves God more than anything or anyone else. His life INSPIRES me to be more like Christ.
This is what a true hero does—inspires us to be more like Christ, our greatest hero!
I attended a concert by The Band Perry in a small venue, before anyone knew who they were. When they became famous, I liked to say “I saw them in concert before they were famous.” Jesus is not part of our acceptable pop culture. He is not popular. He is derided. But, someday, Jesus will be the ONLY ONE that ALL people WILL worship!
We shall ALL stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, EVERY knee shall bow to Me, and EVERY tongue shall confess to God.”
Romans 14:10-11
Don’t you want to be one of the ones who say of Jesus “I knew Him when?”
Why not get ahead of the crowd now?
We don’t have to wait for everyone else to figure out how GREAT Jesus is in order to give Him our hero worship. Jesus, who IS our greatest hero, lived in humility and sacrifice, emptying Himself to become a servant, obedient even to the point of death on a cross. The Bible teaches us that we should THINK like Him; TALK like Him; LIVE like Him:
Let this MIND be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus EVERY knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that EVERY tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:5-11
The more we think like Christ, the more we live in REALITY. We are “in” with the ONE who WILL be in power for eternity. Become like HIM. Allow your life to be dominated by HIS love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, gentleness as well as His wisdom and power. The world is blind and discounts godly attributes in favor of worldly characteristics such as money, human power, and physical beauty. But Jesus was willing to risk being uncelebrated by the “in” crowd in order to secure the freedom of ALL humanity. He laid down His life for everyone—including His enemies.
The greatest heroes are motivated by love!
When we set our heart and mind upon becoming like Jesus, our motivations are purified by His love. Maintaining an eternal perspective requires us to daily refocus. It’s so easy to fall back into desiring that invite from Bezos! But knowing God and desiring Him above all else changes us. It helps us see the value of each human. It makes Jesus us our hero and thus, we get to be part of the greatest mission on earth and accomplish the greatest success!
We would love to hear your thoughts about this devotional. Did God speak to you or challenge your daily walk with him? Or is there a topic that you would like Kimberly to cover or expound on? Please share with us in the comments below.
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2 Responses
Nothing on this earth can compare to the goodness of God
Sooo true!