It’s Not About Us!
by Judy Stull
Dr. Timothy Keller of ‘Redeemer Presbyterian Church’, New York City, has written a pamphlet on ‘Self Forgetfulness’ which reminds me of the concept of ‘form over substance’. The world tells us not to be so concerned with what might be deep truths of God, or deep challenges that make us look at our pride, but to just offer a superficial presence that it finds acceptable and entertaining.
Dr. Keller uses the apostle Paul as a perfect example of one who accepts the reality of the deep truths of God and the deep challenges that our souls offer. He wasn’t afraid to confess the worst about himself and, on the other hand, he took no credit for the anointing upon his life – neither of which he thought worthy of notice. He didn’t connect either to himself. This is the freedom of self forgetfulness.
His identity was based on being a new creation in Christ. He had no righteousness of his own and was humble enough to acknowledge that the only righteousness he had was that of his Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ.
It isn’t about us – it’s all about Jesus and His life within us. The more we immerse ourselves in that knowledge, and in the character of Jesus, the more we become like Him, and the more we present to the world the characteristics of authenticity and integrity. This makes me think of the lines of an old song: ‘so forget about yourself and concentrate on Him and worship Him’.
Prayer: Dear Father, We need Your help to lose ourselves in You. We ask that You grow in us the fullness of who You are, and grow in us ‘self forgetfulness’ so we walk knowing we’ve been set free from ourselves. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
Judy Stull has been involved with Ellel Ministries since 2006. She is a retired school teacher and has been a minister’s wife for 40 years. Together she and her husband have one son who is married with two children. They are part of the leadership team at Ellel USA.
Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship. Provided full acknowledgement is made to Seeds of the Kingdom as the source, you are also welcome to use it in a non-commercial way and reproduce it in magazines or other Christian websites. The copyright for any commercial use of the material remains with Ellel Ministries International.
