A "Me Party"

I admit it....on my birthday this crazy, ridiculous, fleshly, ugly selfishness creeps up and grabs hold of me. I begin thinking the world should stop revolving around the sun...and revolve around me instead. I take "me-time" to a whole new level. Of course, I can't find this type of attitude anywhere in the Bible...but, for some reason and somehow, I have made an "exception clause" within the pages of Scripture called "my birthday".

To steal a line from a Muppet's movie....it really has become a "me party"!

With that in mind, and knowing the tendency of my own sinful heart, last night I asked the Lord to help me have a day filled up with His fame, His renown, and His glory. A day where my world...my life...revolved around His Son. A day of taking servanthood to a whole new level.

To steal a line from Casting Crowns...."Not because of who I am, but because of what You've done. Not because of what I've done, but because of who You are."

How gracious of God to answer that prayer by placing me in the midst of the book of Isaiah for my Bible reading and meditation today.  You see, there is only ONE who is not selfish to have the whole world bow down and worship Him. Only ONE who is not greedy or fleshly to make all of life about Himself. Only ONE who is not sinning by exalting Himself. The King of kings and the Lord of lords....Jesus Christ. Yet, look at what Isaiah 53 says about Him:

He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of suffering who knew what sickness was.

He was like someone people turned away from;

He was despised, and we didn’t value Him.

Yet He Himself bore our sicknesses,

and He carried our pains;

but we in turn regarded Him stricken,

struck down by God, and afflicted.

But He was pierced because of our transgressions,

crushed because of our iniquities;

punishment for our peace was on Him,

and we are healed by His wounds.

We all went astray like sheep;

we all have turned to our own way;

and the Lord has punished Him

for the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted,

yet He did not open His mouth.

Like a lamb led to the slaughter

and like a sheep silent before her shearers,

He did not open His mouth.

To appease the Father's wrath and make a way for me to be clothed in His righteousness...He humbled Himself and bore all the punishment I deserved. It's staggering. It's mind blowing. It's amazing grace!

So today, just as in days gone by and in all the days yet to come, my prayer is the same as that of John the Baptist....that Christ would increase and I would decrease. And on this, my 34th year of life, may my actions and my words be filled with "proclaiming the excellencies of Him who called (me) out of darkness into His marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9)