Live Dead Joy: 30 Days of Living and Dying with JesusSample

“Honor and Humiliation”
God sent Joseph unexpectedly into slavery, and God elevated him, just as unexpectedly, to the palace. Both the humiliation of the pit and the honor of the palace ultimately saved lives. God’s humiliations and God’s honors in our lives have the same intent: to save all peoples for His glory. We, therefore, can embrace them both for they are means not ends. The sting of humiliation cannot hurt us for we know that God’s fame among the nations is at play. The allure of honor cannot corrupt us, for we realize that God has made us “lord of all Egypt” (Gen. 45:9) for the express purpose of saving many lives.
To navigate the pitfalls of both humiliation and honor, we must speak truth to ourselves (Ps. 15:2, 5). People who speak truth to themselves are immovable. It is crucial to be self-aware. We are both vile and redeemed, and both realities must be understood. When we know we are redeemed, then humiliation is an honor. When we know we are wicked, honor humbles us. The only way to stay fastened to the immovable Rock is to see ourselves in both lights.
When we see ourselves correctly, we ask for help. In Matthew 15:25, a woman of Tyre and Sidon begged Jesus to help her demonized daughter: “Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!’” Asking for help is worship! When we declare that we are unable, we humble ourselves. When we declare that Jesus is completely able to handle all things, we honor Him. Jesus is given worth. Self-reliance is idolatry because it honors the self—it attributes worth to the self.
God plucks young men and women from obscure pits and places them in palaces. God sets the unexpected as lord over Egypt. God takes unusual figures like Paul and uses them as apostles to the nations. He takes the ones who can handle both honor and humiliation and “treats those two impostors just the same.”
Pray for the Unreached:
Kiori Hindus of India
7,457,000
0.0% Evangelical
Pray that God would unveil the cross and would remove the veil on the minds and spirits of the Kiori (2 Corinthians 3:16-17).
About this Plan

Living dead is not original to us. Christians across time have been called to the crucified life. Looking to Jesus, we stumble in their footsteps - both grinning and grimacing as He stamps His image upon us. Hopefully, this portion of the daily devotional will encourage you to do the same. Each day includes readings from the Scriptures. The meditations will be most helpful if you follow the suggested readings. Join the conversation with other readers by using #livedead on social media.
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We would like to thank Dick Brogden for providing this plan. For more information, please visit: http://www.livedead.org
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