Day 37 - Steven Ju
Is there a specific Bible passage or verse that comes to mind in the context of “Less of Me and More of Him”?
Acts 2:42-47 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
When I read about the early church in Acts, I see what "Less of Me and More of Him" should look like in my life and our community. Even before thinking about what's happening in this passage, I acknowledged the importance of what precedes it. The Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost, Peter preaches the word of God to the people, and God's Word cuts hearts. God changes hearts and leads His people to live changed lives. When I see the early Christians, I want to be like them! They were selfless in their actions, glad and sincere in their hearts, praised God continually, and were filled with awe of God. When I'm discouraged about my spiritual walk or our community, when I compare it to the one in this passage, I'm reminded that it all starts with a move from God. I don’t need to do many things or create something special. God is waiting for me to surrender and decrease so that he can do His work His way.
Briefly explain which areas of your life you find most difficult to surrender to Christ.
I find it difficult to surrender my worth and value to Christ. I tend to live in the shadow of an idealized version of myself— someone who is high-performing, productive, on top of all to-do lists, and always doing well, someone who wakes up at 4 a.m. every day, exercises, watches the sunrise with a latte, and curates “#quiet time” photos (privately, of course). Unfortunately, I don’t exist as that person (not yet—maybe never), so I often feel inadequate. I want to lay down this self-prescribed worth I’m pursuing and accept that when I’m in Christ, I’m not valued or loved for what I do or don’t do.
Share the areas of your life that have shifted from self-centeredness to Christ-centeredness.
One area is my prayer life. Especially during this Lent season, God has really been pushing me to pray for others just as much as I pray for myself. I lean towards praying for my needs and then slipping in others at the end as a footnote, but I know God wants to change that. I find that as I pray for others, He opens my heart and gives me His heart & perspective in the process.
What are some practical ways you can display Christ to those around you?
My wife probably sees the most un-Christlike parts of me. I need to start by displaying Christ at home through what I say and do, even when others aren’t around. If I do that, I’m sure this character will overflow into other relationships and I will be a genuine representation of Christ rather than a facade.