On The Trail

Life is full of decisions. We face them every day. So how do we know what is the right thing to do? Look for the trail markers.

I love to hike. Living where I do, there is really only one place to do that - The Ice Age Trail (IAT). The IAT runs for 1,000 miles throughout Wisconsin.

The trail is marked along the way with yellow markings like the one in the picture or a simple splotch of yellow paint on a tree. However sometimes things happen and you're not really sure if you're on the right path or not.

For example, the trail is not continuous. Sometimes there are roadways between segments. Those aren't always well marked. What do we do then? There are trail maps available. It's always good to have one of those along . . . just in case.

Sometimes there are actual obstacles on the trail. Yesterday I came upon a downed tree that fell across the trail. I also encountered an overfilled lake that made the trail impassable. What happens then? How do we complete our journey?

In our walk with Christ we often face similar obstacles. How do we navigate those? The picture above contains a clue. See the yellow marker? We know that they mark the trail. If you look closely you can see the next one up ahead. There is another marker on the trail ahead (in the snow to the left). We know where we want to go. It's just a matter of getting there.

God has given us His Word - The Holy Bible. By reading it we know where God wants us to go in life. We know the direction for our lives. It is our job to follow in obedience, regardless of what might come.

People always ask, "What is God's will for me in my life?" Here's the answer. Read the Bible!! Study God's character and emulate it. Having a knowledge of what God wants us to do is an excellent way to stay in His will.

What is the goal of life? For the Christian it is to live life, worshiping and praising God in all that we do. It is to arrive at the final destination without deviating from the path God has put us on.

Look at the picture. If my goal is to find the end of the trail, what are my choices?

• Give up - Well, turning around is not an option. That's not going to get me where I'm supposed to go. I'd be fine physically but I would never know what blessings might await me at the end of life's road.
• Continue On - I could walk right through life's obstacles (the water in the picture) and continue on, all on my own. My feet would be wet and I would become miserable. Hypothermia would be a possibility. Death perhaps.
• Ignore the markers - I could also go around the obstacle, but to do this I'd have to leave the trail. The chances of getting lost go way up when I try to find my own way without a map or directions. This too could be deadly.

Most of us try to figure out how to do things on our own. We ignore the most powerful tool we have in our backpacks. God.

You see, there is a fourth way to get to the end of the trail. It is possible to get to the destination by following the markers, staying on the trail and not "getting our feet wet" in the obstacles life throws at us. Do you know what it is?

Patience.

If I wait long enough the flood waters will recede and I can walk right though without a moment's hesitation. How many of us truthfully wait on The Lord. If an obstacle stands before us, do we wait and pray? Or do we forge ahead, trying to do things our way? How will we walk through life's decisions today? Will we trust in the Lord today?

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6

God's Will - Martina McBride

The Parable of The Playlist

Do you like music? I do. I have heard it said that "music is the soundtrack for our lives." I think that's pretty much true. I guess the question then is, "What kind of movie do our lives represent?"

Is your life an action thriller movie or a horror flick? Perhaps your life is a romantic comedy right now or a documentary. Movies often have theme songs. James Bond movies, The Lion King, Jason Bourne movies, Rocky movies. Every movie has a theme song. Do you?

Music can have a calming effect on us. It can also inspire us to do greater things than we could without it. What songs inspire you?

Do you have a playlist on your computer or phone? If you do you probably have several playlists. Maybe you have a playlist for driving to work. Another for when you're feeling worshipful. and yet one more for when you want to dance.

King Saul struggled with an evil spirit later in his career. What did he do?

"14 Now, the Lord’s Spirit had left Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him. 15 Saul’s officials told him, “An evil spirit from God is tormenting you. 16 Your Majesty, why don’t you command us to look for a man who can play the lyre well? When the evil spirit from God comes to you, he’ll strum a tune, and you’ll feel better.” - 1 Samuel 16:14-16

Everybody has a favorite song. I have several. You do too I'm sure. Our favorite songs are usually our favorites for a reason. They might remind us of someone very special or a time when life was good. But they also might be sad songs, reminding us of a lost love or of someone who has died.

What playlist will you be playing today? Will it be one that honors yourself? Or one that honors God? If music can control the way we feel as it did with King Saul, what kind of music will you play today? What playlist of yours will be honoring to God? How about the one you have that says "Worship"?

Remember - Harry Nilsson
O The Blood - Gateway Worship

But Jesus

We all have expectations in life. Things we hope for and strive for that we are just certain are going to come true. Then reality hits us right between the ideas. What do we do then? What do we do when the life we expected suddenly jumps the rails and crashes right in front of us?

Some people seem  to have all the luck. They have nice homes, drive nice cars, get invited to all the cool parties and then there's the rest of us.

What expectations SHOULD we have for our lives? Can we really expect anything for sure? Death and taxes are the only certain things they say. Everything else? Who knows?

Well, there is one more thing we can expect. Trouble. Jesus promised us that.

"In this world you will have trouble." - John 16:33

There it is. There's the promise. And it has surely come true for just about everyone I can think of. Wonderful. Well, here is another reminder. Another expectation of sorts. Its the expectation of hope after everything seems to have gone wrong.

"But take heart! I have overcome the world.”" - John 16:33

But Jesus.Two of the greatest words in the Bible.

A friend of mine lost his brother to suicide a year or so ago. He was devastated of course. The fact that the man who took his own life was a pastor made it all the more difficult to comprehend. In a Facebook post the following day my friend wrote this. "Devastated . . . but Jesus."

Jesus is the perfect answer to any struggle or hardship. His very name makes hope spring forth in our hearts. Jesus is our Shepherd, our Savior, our King, our Redeemer, our Lord and our God. He is our one and only hope.

If you are struggling today, place your hope and expectations in Jesus.

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:4-7

My Hope Is In You - Aaron Shust

The Parable of The Stain

My wife and I love it when our kids come to visit. Why? Because they usually bring our grandkids with them. Ha ha! That's always a good thing, right? Well . . .

This past weekend our granddaughter was here and she indeed did bring our granddaughter with her. We had a great time playing and visiting. But when they left they forgot to take something with them. Some of their car's oil.

At first I thought it was water - melted snow or ice - which we still have a lot of around here. But the snow and ice are gone from the driveway now and the spot is still there. So, I did what any other guy would do. I stuck my finger in it and smelled it.

Unfortunately, my sense of smell is not what it use to be so, I tasted it. [Not really. Just seeing if you're paying attention]. But I did come up with the idea for this story - a good reminder of what we Christians need to do with The Gospel.

When I saw the oil stain I first thought of my daughter driving through a dark, stormy night, with our grandchild in the back seat. Suddenly the engine warning light comes on and the engine stops out in the middle of nowhere. How would I feel then if I had failed to warn my daughter of the potential problem?

So, here we are with our faith. What are we doing with it? Are there people in our lives that don't know Jesus? Are people exhibiting warning signs to that effect in their lives - indicators that they might be in trouble should Jesus return and find them lacking? Scary.

In warning our daughter about a potential oil problem, I have done my part. If she chooses to ignore the problem, the troubles that lie ahead for her on the road are on HER head.

"And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, speak to the sons of your people and say to them, ‘If I bring a sword upon a land, and the people of the land take one man from among them and make him their watchman, 3 and he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows on the trumpet and warns the people, 4 then he who hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, and a sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head. 5 He heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning; his blood will be on himself. But had he taken warning, he would have delivered his life. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require from the watchman’s hand.’ - Ezekiel 33:1-6

Who needs to hear the trumpet in YOUR life?

Demon Possessed

According to the Bible, demon possession is real. If you are a Christian, therefore, you must believe it is true. I don't need anyone to convince me that demonic possession is real. We have a cat!

Our cat sleeps most of the day. The only exception to that rule is during the time my wife makes dinner. The cat quietly sneaks up behind my wife and sits down behind her - waiting patiently to attack.

All my wife has to do is move one of her feet and the cat is sure to be under it. Meoooooww!!!! The cats screams, My wife screams, I laugh. Demonic possession is real!

There is a show on The Animal Planet channel called My Cat From Hell. Sadly, the host's subject matter, insane cats, seem all too prevalent in this world.

I'd tell you all about our cat but my wife loves him and could quite possibly read this blog so I won't. We don't need yet ANOTHER example of demon possession to talk about in our house. LOL! Instead, let's talk about real demon possession in humans. And it IS just that - all too real. Examples are everywhere. But let's begin by opening our Bibles to Mark 5.

Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man

"They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones." - Mark 5:1-5

There it is. Demon possession is real. Demonic possession would actually explain some of the drivers I have seen on the roads around town. But demonic possession is no laughing matter.

Have you met anyone who might qualify as demon possessed? I have met a few. So what do we do about it? I think prayer is our best and most powerful weapon. Why do I say that? Keep reading in Mark 5.

"6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7 He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!” - Mark 5:6-8

Jesus has power over demons. Remember that. Jesus casts out demons! So, when you encounter craziness in this world, don't forget to pray. Immediately! Why do we always forget to do that? Even the demons remember to do that (verse 7)! It should be the first thing that we who profess faith in Christ should do!

The Private War of a Saint - David Wilkerson

God's Children

It's hard to figure out sometimes - just how much God loves us. Even when we think we've got a handle on it, God steps up His game and knocks another example right out of the park.

A young friend of mine and her two kids were at Dairy Queen the other night. We were having a conversation about God, relationships, love, and life in general. Conversations are different with a couple of kids mixed in.

At one point we were talking about God's love for us, despite our shortcomings and continuing willingness to sin. It's a difficult thing to understand because God absolutely hates sin. He hates it! Yet we keep right on sinning anyway. Even though we are His children.

Why does God love us so much? Why did God send His one and only Son to die for us on the cross - punishment for OUR sins. That is hard to understand.

"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends." - John 15:13

The depth of God's love can be hard to figure out sometimes. How do you explain something you don't understand? Well, God was about to provide us with a perfect illustration.

My friend's daughter began to get cranky. That squirming kind of cranky where you try to appease the child but nothing seems to work. Nope. Not interested in mommy's phone anymore, nor "Grandpa's" French fries or even ice cream. One of those "I want to go home now!" kind of crankies.

Suddenly a young girl walked up to the mom and her child, and leaning in, she gave my friend's daughter a hug.

Absolute silence. Another person confronted with unconditional love and who couldn't understand it

A loving look from the girl who gave the hug. A look of disbelieve and appreciation from the cranky baby. No words were spoken at all. Just a gift of love and its acceptance.

What a beautiful expression of God's unconditional love for us! It is given despite who we are and despite what we've done. It is given freely. And why? Because God IS love. We need to quit trying to figure out why and just dive into it and accept it - like a child dives into an ice cream cone.

Amazing Love - Chris Tomlin
This Is Amazing Grace - Phil Wickham

Road Closed Ahead

Wisconsin weather is wonderful, isn't it. It was 57 degrees here on Thursday. Then it rained and began to snow on Friday. It's hard to tell what lies ahead when it comes to the weather around here. The same can be said for our faith.

It seems like every weatherman has a different idea about what the weather is going to be like. The only sure way to know the weather is to stick your head out the window and take a look.

We've had a lot of snow this winter. Too much, many would say. When the weather turned warmed and then it rained after that, there was a lot to water trying to go somewhere. In many places it ended up going where it shouldn't - flooding highways, coming into people's houses and businesses. It sure would be nice to know what's on the road ahead without plowing into it ourselves without having a clue.

I was talking with a friend of mine a few days ago. He's a Buddhist. We have differing points of view when it comes to our faith and what lies ahead. My faith says that believers have eternal life. My friend believes we lead multiple lives, over and over again.

That's what each of us believes (in a nutshell and WAY over simplified). We believe that but clearly one of us is wrong. Who will it be? Each of us believes we are right. We'll both find out one day. For one of us the road will be "closed ahead" for our belief system.

My friend and I had a decent discussion. We parted as we began, as friends. There was no condemnation or judgement, but there were quite a few questions.

The road for all of us on our faith journey will be filled with detours, potholes, one-way street signs and detours. The only way we can arrive at our faith's destination is to follow the truth. May we always seek the truth in our faith walk. It will surely set us free.

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” - John 14:6-7

Jesus, a Jew, spoke very harshly of the Jewish leaders. and all none-believers for that matter. The question remains, how do we respond to differing opinions about which road to take?

The following is a very pointed and convicting sermon by John Piper. It's 47 minutes long but it's worth it. Have you been called to follow Jesus? I hope so. If not, watch out for those road closed signs on your journey ahead. Or worse yet, the sign that reads "dead end."

The Truth Will Set You Free - John Piper

Train Up A Child

Teaching our children right from wrong is a huge parental responsibility. We can tell them to do one thing but, unless they see it modeled by us, they will ignore our words, often doing the opposite. There is no worse example for a child than a hypocritical parent.

Did you see the news yesterday about some parents bribing their child's way to get into fancy colleges? Forget the SAT tests and your GPA. Money talks! What kind of example does that set for their children? They'll just grow up to be spoiled little brats. Or worse.

Training up a child is the single most important job a parent has. But the best way to train that child is often overlooked. The best way to train up a child is how the parents actually live THEIR lives. Kids start out loving their parents and want to emulate them. But kids are very smart. They can see a hypocrite a long way off.

I was listening to a mother the other day who was telling me about her son's first date. What a gentleman he was! Taking her out to dinner and a movie, opening the door for his date, treating her like she should be treated. What was the secret of this mom's success? She and her husband modeled good behavior for their children. The child learned by it and benefitted from it.

Oh sure, there are always exceptions - bad kids from good parents, good kids from abusive situations - but largely, good kids come from good parents.

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." - Proverbs 22:6

As God's children, we too learn from our Father's example. He has taught us through His Word and through His Son, Jesus. Is God YOUR Father? Or are we learning and trying to become like "the world"? Only one of those choices will have a good outcome. Which will we choose?

"But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." - Joshua 24:15

Mom Charged In College Admissions Case - Inside Edition

I Learned It By Watching You Commercial

Early Morning Ideas

In the silence of the morning is when I find that my mind works best. Perhaps it's because I have no immediate deadline to meet or checklist to complete. I just stare out the window, dreaming, with my eyes open.

Some say it's the Holy Spirit. I don't know. I hear no words. But my mind does go places it otherwise wouldn't, in the morning. Ideas just pop into my mind for no apparent reason at all and often they lead to wonderful things.

It's easy to tell when God is behind an idea. It's like it has a mind of its own. Puzzle pieces just fall into place without anyone lifting a finger to put them there. Like this past weekend.

Sunday morning I was sitting in my chair in the living room, looking out the window. Suddenly an idea popped into my head for a Bible study. Not quite your everyday early morning thought. It seemed so perfect.

Another thing about these early morning "ideas" is that they usually are to the benefit of someone else, not me. Another sign it's from God. If my early morning thoughts were about ME and making ME happy, they would probably be from Satan.

There are many people in my life who could benefit from a Bible study right now. The subject matter of a study also found its way to conscious thought this past weekend. It was the subject of my blog on Saturday. Hmm.

Do things like that happen to you? Sudden ideas, realizations of something you wouldn't otherwise think of. That happens often enough in MY life to make me sit up and take notice. "Where the heck did THAT come from?" is my usual response.

I don't spend too much time focused on the answer to that question. Instead I try to figure out how I can accomplish it. Ideas just seem to flow, especially in the early morning hours.

The following video was one I first saw in the early morning hours this past weekend. It gave me inspiration for writing this story, for the Bible study and it served as a reminder that, whatever I am doing in this life, do so for the benefit of others and for the glory of God.

"In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch." - Psalm 5:3

Create Happiness In Everything You Do

Examine Yourself

When Paul wrote his second letter to the Corinthian church he encouraged its members to take a look in the mirror - to examine themselves to see if they found themselves lacking in their faith. Boy, do we need to do that right now in this country. I need to do that.

"5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you - unless, of course, you fail the test? - 2 Corinthians 13:5

There is a short book in the Bible that, if you read it with "examining yourself "in mind, you can get a pretty good idea of how you are doing in the faith.

1 John

The first test in our self examination comes in verse six.

"6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." - 1 John 6-7

If we claim to be Christians and yet continue to "walk in the darkness" we are fooling ourselves and we fail this test.

An example of his might be the Catholic church of today and the sexual scandal it continues to go through. There is a difference between love and lust. We are called to "love one another". 1st John describes this love quite well in chapter 4.

So, test number one is to see if we continue to sin. Our answer must be no. Look, we all continue to sin each day, but what do we do with that sin? Do we continue in it? Or do we repent of it? If we continue in it, the Holy Spirit does not live in us and we are liars for saying we are Christians. But if we repent of our sin and seek God's forgiveness, we are still Christians, just like every other Christian on the planet.

Can I be an alcoholic Christian? No. Can I be a recovering alcoholic Christian? Yes. Do you see the difference?

Can I be involved in a continuous same-sex relationship and be a Christian? No. Can I leave that same-sex relationship, seek God's forgiveness and be a Christian? Yes.

Can I lust after someone and pursue that lust to a sinful conclusion and still claim to be Christian? No. Can I lust after someone then repent of that lust and seek forgiveness and still be a Christian? Yes.

I will write more in the coming posts about how to test our faith. How did you do with test #1?

When A Christian Won't Repent From Sexual Sin - John Piper

Nice Guy

Do you know any nice guys? I do. Did you ever wonder how they got to be that way? There are several reasons why nice guys turn out the way they do, but if I had to sum it up in one word the reason would be . . . parents.

Nice guys come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. They come in all kinds of colors and faiths too. I'd guess just about all of them come from good families with great parents.

"11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." - Hebrews 12:11

The next question is where do good parents come from? I'd be willing to bet that most parents come from good parents themselves. I'm sure there are exceptions but in most cases I think that good parenting is hereditary.

If you go back far enough in the family tree I suppose all good parents came from God. But then, so did all of the bad parents. It's just that the bad parents had something happen to them along the way.

"6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." - Proverbs 22:6

Maybe it was a divorce or some criminal act perpetrated on the child at an impressionable age. All that stuff that can change good parents into bad ones can be summed up in one word too. Satan.

If you see a good kid, look to the parents as the reason why. You will, most often, be right. But don't stop there. Look to God as well. Without Him, none of this would be possible to begin with.

Jesus was a nice guy and then some. I think it's because He has a Good, Good Father.

This first song still gives me chills. It did today

What If - Nicole Nordeman

Ad here's another song for good measure, just because.

Good, Good Father - Chris Tomlin

The Parable of The Fries

Is your kid a picky eater? What kid isn't, right? Perhaps there is a lesson to be learned by us parents and grandparents.

Our grandson came to visit this past Saturday. We had broasted chicken for lunch but our grandson didn't have any. Apparently, "it's the wrong kind of chicken." Tasted good to me.

Then our grandson went for his backpack and pulled out a package of fresh broccoli and ate it. Well played. Grandma could say nothing.

That evening I was surprised to hear we were going to McDonald's for dinner. My wife hates McDonald's or any fast food place for that matter. Why would we go there? Well, I was about to find out.

Our grandson ordered a Happy Meal. A six piece McNuggets meal with fries, yogurt, and a milk. He didn't like the yogurt. Wrong flavor. But let me tell you about the fries!

He dumped them all out onto the tray and then opened a pack of BBQ sauce. Then everything went into high gear. And he had a system! He would dip the fries in the sauce and then shove them in his mouth again and again. Sometimes two-handed! He really liked those fries! My wife kept encouraging our grandson to take a breath and swallow. His fry consumption was amazing to watch.

Somewhere in all of the fry inhalation, the chicken nuggets disappeared. Apparently they were the RIGHT kind of chicken. LOL! We finished our meals and then left. Our grandson was stuffed.

On the way home I thought about what I had just witnessed. About how our grandson knew exactly what he liked and refused to eat anything else, even though it was good for him. There is a lesson to be learned here.

If we are to be consuming the Bread of Life in our faith we have to be willing to taste of the convicting stuff as well as the fruit of the vine. We need a well-balanced spiritual meal. We can't just eat French fries and nothing but.

Our grandson has a good mother. She knows her son is particular about what he eats. She also knows he needs to eat healthy. She found something he liked that was good for him (broccoli) and sent it along.

There is another meaning to this parable. There are some pastors who preach a slightly different Gospel. They soft-pedal the sin part and only preach about all the warm and fuzzy stuff. That's not a well-balanced spiritual diet. Not hearing the full counsel of God would be like eating nothing but fries for the rest of your life. Or at least until you got a stern warning from your doctor.

My dietician wife has a saying - "Everything in moderation." I think that's good advice for us Christians as well. Except when you get to Jesus. Then we need to gobble Him up like our grandson and his fries.

"35Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirst." - John 6:35

The Narcissistic Church

Have you ever experienced a church that was more full of itself than a desire to preach God's Word? More interested in its programs and denominational viewpoints than in sharing the Gospel? I've been in a few. "Been" is past tense. I left.

Most narcissistic churches are run by narcissistic leaders. They like to do things their way. That's not a good thing. They should be doing things God's way, not their own.

I was in a meeting at one church when one of the pastors said his goal was 15 baptisms in the youth group for the upcoming year. What's wrong with that statement? It's narcissistic. The pastor was thinking that it was up to him to bring people to faith in Christ. Nope. That's the Holy Spirit's job last time I checked . . . which was five minutes ago.

"44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him." - John 6:44

Another church I was in once felt like they needed a big, fancy addition to their church so they could draw more people into it. That's not right.

"5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers." - Acts 16:5

Churches grow because they were strengthened in their faith. Is that done by a new building program? No.

"46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." - Acts 2:46-47

God grows the church, not us.

I have a theory. No, I think it's more than a theory. I think it is a truth. There are no narcissistic Christians. Think about it. If you are narcissistic and profess a faith in Christ are you really being truthful? I encourage you to examine yourself. Read this and see if it fits the narcissist.

"9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord." - Romans 12:9-11

Jesus told us that "the first shall be last and the last, first." How can we be last if we are number one?

We must approach God in humility. We must be servants and do so in the name of Jesus. After all, He humbled Himself, He died on a cross, He gave us a way to escape death. How? Buy putting off our old self and placing our faith in Him.

We must give up our narcissistic self and surrender it all to God. If we don't can we truly be one of His children?

Hard To Be Humble - Mac Davis