I love this quote from Spurgeon.
Every time I read it, I'm grateful for a wonderful time more than a decade ago, when the Lord Jesus stood before me and protected me, as I stood before someone else, to protect them.
I was the Volunteer Coordinator/Trainer (and a volunteer myself) for nearly 100 volunteers at a mega-church (28,000 members at that time). I was in charge of training, coordinating, and managing the volunteers for tickets sales for a large, yearly, community event. One day, a woman who was purchasing tickets began yelling at one of my volunteers. I went to where they were so that I might shelter my volunteer from this irate woman. When I stepped in front of the volunteer to shield her from the woman that was yelling at her, I asked how I could help.
The irate woman told me, "I want to purchase tickets, but I don't have the money to pay for it at the moment. I know the seats I want will go quickly, so I need you to make a transaction as if I purchased the seats, but hold my check until I contact you to let you know when you can cash it." I smiled, and kindly told her, "Thank you for explaining your situation to me. I'm sorry to say, that my volunteer was correct, and we can't make that transaction for you."
After she looked for an employee name badge on me, but couldn't find one because I was a volunteer, she bellowed, "You aren't even on staff! You're an idiot! A nobody! A nothing! Who are you to tell me I can't make this transaction?!" Because we were in the atrium, her voice echoed and caught the attention of the hundreds of other people that were also there to purchase tickets.
I knew it was the Lord reigning in me because I've always been quite slow, and when people yell at me, I just stand there like a deer in headlights. But because God purposed me to defend others (Prov 31:8-9), with a smile and a I cheerful heart, I heard these words wisdom and kindness come out of my mouth (Prov 31:25-26).
"Yes ma'am, you're correct. I am nothing, because Jesus Christ is everything. And I still can't make that transaction for you."
Lessen Learned: If Jesus, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, condescended from his heavenly throne to interject Himself into His own creation as a man; thereby, making Himself nothing, to suffer the wrath of God and die for my sins, then who am I to consider myself greater than my Lord and my God?
"So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."~Philippians 2:1-11, ESV (emphasis mine)
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