It is this paradox that is so amazing, this combination of the self-centeredness of his teaching and the unself-centeredness of his behavior. In thought he put himself first; in deed last.He exhibited both the greatest self-esteem and the greatest self-sacrifice. He knew himself to be the Lord of all, but he became their servant. He said that he would one day come to judge the world, but he washed the feet of his friends. . . .
This utter disregard of self in the service of God and man is what the Bible calls love. There is no self-interest in love. The essence of love is self-sacrifice. Even the worst of us is adorned by an occasional flash of such nobility, but the life of Jesus irradiated it with a never-fading incandescent glow.
Jesus was sinless because he was selfless. Such selflessness is love. And God is love.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
John Stott Is a Genius
When it comes to Me-Ville, Jesus, says John Stott in his Basic Christianity, is a stranger to these parts.
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Both Inspiration and Cautionary Tale: Excerpts from Middling
What follows is an excerpt from the Winter 2021 edition of Middling, my quarterly newsletter on music, books, work, and getting older. I...
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I've recently begun reading the collected novels and short stories of Sherlock Holmes as written by Arthur Conan Doyle. I'm a trend-... -
I've been moving slowly through How Music Works, the colossal tome by Talking Heads frontman David Byrne, over the past few months. My ...
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I've been wanting to read this book by Joe Stowell, Perilous Pursuits: Our Obsession with Significance, because of some of the same things John Stott: I've been obsessed with being significant, but is it really because I want to be significant for God's kingdom work or for my own glory?
I think these thoughts will be ringing in my head for a long time. Maybe partly because "pre-echoes" of them had already started to ring there.
Stott is great! I just finished "Evangelical Truth" and have his "The Cross of Christ" on my "Great Books" page. Here is a link if you want to take a look:
http://anuncommongrace.wordpress.com
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