When did life become all about us? Really? How have we made this about ourselves? It’s so easy to insert myself into every situation, and when it’s about me, is it really about Jesus anymore?
The Holy Spirit working within us leads us to think little of self and much of Jesus. The less I think about me, the more I’m available to be guided by God’s spirit to end up precisely where he wants me to be. But me constantly thinking about myself really gets in the way.
A few years ago, I came face to face with one of the most humble human beings who simply showed me how to get over myself. He showed me how to get out of my own head and into the will of God. How to overcome the little voice that tells me I can’t, and lean into the voice that says this is bigger than me and I’m being invited to be part of it.
His name is Jim, and he was the owner of a little coffee hut along the road on the way to the North Shore. His hut was nestled among the food trucks selling fresh scampi shrimp and pineapple smoothies, surrounded by honey bees, wild yellow canaries, and palm trees. He sold an iced coconut mocha that made my taste buds sing.
I shared the story of my encounter with Jim the day after I met him, then I returned the next day and asked him to listen. Since then, we have been friends. We text one another occasionally with prayers and praises, and each time I go to Hawaii I seek him out for that reminder of what humility looks like.
Jim reached out to me again this week with an update and a praise. God had gotten him through cancer and is now bringing him to a new season of life with fresh purpose. He asked if I could share with him once again the episode of our encounter, but as you may know, going back and finding a devotional that was over 1,000 episodes ago is nearly impossible.
So, I did some digging and I found my notes! Notes that need to be shared again!
Let me tell you about Jim, because when I tell you about Jim, I’m really telling you about Jesus.
On Jim’s little coffee stand on the North Shore of Oahu was a purple wooden, hand painted sign that read, “If Jesus Could Save a Wretch Like Me, He Can Save ANYONE!” He had full size bibles stacked on the counter, free to everyone.
A conversation unfolded with Jim, where I asked him to share his wretch story with me. He said, “My story is much the same as many others. I was living a selfish life, hurting everyone else along the way. I drank a lot of alcohol and created hurt everywhere I went.” He said, “Jesus had to leave the 99 to come look for me hard. I didn’t make it easy on him. But he still came.”
He told me he was given the gift of repentance.
Woah … the gift of repentance. Did you know that’s a gift from God? Jim explained it like this … If you get pulled over for speeding, you apologize to the officer as he gives you a ticket and you promise you won’t do it again. The next day, you speed again, just hoping to get away with it. The gift of repentance is the difference between hoping to just get away with it again, and truly wanting something totally different.
The gift of repentance allows us to see the damage we are creating, and turns our hearts towards God and the souls all around us. The gift of repentance shows us life isn’t about us.
Repentance is a gift from your Heavenly Father who wants you to live in the fullness of life he created you for. When you receive and walk in the gift of repentance, your life becomes the most beautifully balanced and grounded example of humility and love.
Acts 11:18 “God has given the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.” It’s a privilege to get to want to do better. It’s a gift from God, and it leads us to life. And remember yesterday’s devotional on the release from slavery to si...