Humbling Ourselves

One thing I have never quite understood is why people feel the need to make themselves so "mighty and powerful." People allow fame, looks, intelligence, anything really, to go straight to their head. Many young people are afraid of who to be seen with because of their own reputation.
On top of that sometimes its just simply hard to do the right thing. How many of you see a homeless person and offer him food or money? How many of you clothe him? What about let him into your home? Many of us ignore these demands from Jesus because we chose to decide they're not for us or we have more earthly things to worry about. Is our greatest rewards our possessions on Earth? No, they are our treasures in heaven. By humbling yourself and allowing yourself to help people who you may feel are lesser than you, you will be rewarded. Maybe not right away, maybe not even in this life. But, these are the things Jesus sees. It doesn't matter what others think of you or that you may lose your sense of power by humbling yourself. This is exactly how Jesus wants us to live.
Do you think He would consciously drive by a homeless person? No.
Reading:
-Luke 14:1-14
Reflect:
-Are you a humble person?
-What do you do, or don't do, that needs to be changed in order to humble yourself?
Goal:
-Let's all do something to humble ourselves today. We could take a homeless person into our home or clothe/feed him. We could serve at a local soup kitchen. Anything that is normally out of our comfort zone, these are things we should all be working on.

King of the Jews!

During middle school and high school kids are mean. People find every excuse to make fun of someone and hurt them whether that be physically or mentally. Unfortunately, I have been in both sides of this behavior and no matter which side I've been on my worst behavior seems to shine through.
When people mock me based on false rumors, or what seems to be more common, a twist to the truth, my anger comes out and it is not good. I always end up swooping down to their level but maybe even lower. Getting mocked, ridiculed, or teased never sits well for me and I don't think it does for anyone. Recently some things have come up where I've tried to stay strong but I keep cracking. I need guidance from Jesus, after all he does better than anyone during times like this.
Soldiers hung a sign above Jesus saying "king of the Jews" and hit him, teased him, and mocked him, yet Jesus kept His cool. I've always wondered how and why He was able to do this because I know that I never would have been able to but the answer lies at the end of today's reading. Jesus lets them know that they have no power of Him.
Reading:
-John 19:1-11
Reflect:
-How do you react when being teased or treated unfairly?
-Do you react in a way that's simply giving people power over you when they never had it to begin with?
-What can you do to be more like Jesus when others ridicule you?
-Ask Jesus for help in your struggles. Ask Him for guidance so that you may become more like Him in the way you react to times like this and in life in general.