1 Corinthians 15:10 “I am what I am by the grace of God”
In the part of the country where I grew up we had a saying, “Never forget the bowl you were baked in.” In other words, no matter how high you climb the ladder of success in life, never forget your humble beginnings. Ulster men and women who have known success around the world are generally very good at this. (Perhaps because we are apt to remind them if they forget.) There is something refreshing about hearing a well-known personality recounting earlier days, when as yet unknown, they had a fairly ordinary upbringing, reminding us of their struggles and humble beginnings. It somehow makes them appear much more approachable and likeable. People who do remember the bowl they were baked in are humble, considerate, and often put back something into society. People who don’t remember the bowl they were baked in, often become arrogant, proud, rude, selfish and unappealing.
Over these past two millennia, the most influential man in history, has unquestionably been Jesus Christ. He, through Christianity, has changed the lives of untold millions of people from every nation on earth. Yet, although He truly was the Son of God, He preferred to call Himself the Son of Man. He left the splendour of Heaven to be born in a manger in Bethlehem, not Jerusalem, Rome or Alexandria. Of humble parentage, simple upbringing, worked in a carpenter’s shop, yet destined for greatness. Could this be one of the reasons so many of us love Jesus? Although God, He humbled Himself and became man. (John 1:14)
The old carol says, “Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, hail the Incarnate Deity; pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel” If I can say it reverently, Jesus never forgot the bowl He was baked in. He was a Galilean from the North, and although Galileans were looked down upon by the more educated, sophisticated Judeans from the South, it mattered not to Jesus. In fact, the only disciple of his twelve to come from Judea was Judas. Jesus still bears the scars in His hands, eternal reminders of the terrible price He paid at Calvary, to be the Saviour of the world. Humility was a stand out feature of our Lord’s life on earth. (Phil.2:8) He taught His disciples to be humble. He demonstrated this in the Upper Room a few hours before His death. While His disciples were considering who among them was going to be the greatest, when Jesus came into His Kingdom, Jesus put on a servant’s apron, knelt down and washed their feet. Imagine, God, in human flesh, washing men’s feet. Before we wear the robes of a ruler we must be willing to wear the apron of a servant.
Paul never forgot the bowl he was baked in. He never shirked away from giving his testimony about his arrogance and pride of being a Pharisee, and putting Christians to death and throwing them into prison. He freely admitted, that in his opinion, he wasn’t worthy to be called an Apostle. 1Cor.15:9-10 “For I am the least of the Apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain.” So, let us “never forget the bowl we were baked in”.
- Pastor David Goudy