Zondervan Blog

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Joe Louis's Punching Power + 8 More Surprising Ideas about Humility Posted: 30 Jan 2012 10:52 AM PST   What people come to mind when you think about humility? How about former Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World, Joe Louis? No? This true story from John Dickson's book Humilitas: A Lost Key to Life, Love, and Leadership will change your mind:   Three young men hopped on a bus in Detroit in the 1930s and tried to pick a fight with a lone man sitting at the back of the vehicle. They insulted him. He didn't respond. They turned up the heat of the insults. He said nothing. Eventually, the stranger stood up. He was bigger than they had estimated from his seated position — much bigger. He reached into his pocket, handed them his business card and walked off the bus and then on his way. As the bus drove on the young men gathered around the card to read the words: Joe Louis. Boxer. They had just tried to pick a fight with the man who would be Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World from 1937 to 1949, the number one boxer of all time, according to the International Boxing Research Organization (second on the list is Muhammad Ali). Here is a man of immense power and skill, capable of defending his honour with a single, devastating blow. Yet, he chooses to forgo his status and hold his power for others — in this case, for some very fortunate young men... Now, I'll admit I was surprised by some of Dickson's ideas in Humilitas. But the more I read, the more Dickson demonstrated that his case makes good logical & biblical sense.   Do you have a favorite idea from the list below? Do you disagree with any of these ideas? Leave your reaction in comment.   8 Surprising Ideas about Humility 1. Humility presupposes your dignity... which is why it should not be confused with having low self-esteem or being a doormat for others.   2. It is impossible to be humble... without a healthy sense of your own worth and abilities.   3. Healthy self-worth is rooted far more in service than achievement, far more in giving than taking.   4. Humility is willing. It is a choice. Otherwise, it is humiliation.    5. Humility is social. It is not a private act of self-deprecation — banishing proud thoughts, refusing to talk about your achievements and so on... Humility is about the redirecting of your powers [physical, intellectual, financial or structural] for the sake of others.   6. Humility, rightly understood, has often marked the most influential and inspiring people in history. [Likewise,] some of the most influential people in our daily lives exert their influence with humility.   7. Humility is not an ornament to be worn; it is an ideal that will transform. 8. Humility is more about how I treat others than how I think about myself.   Learn More Learn more about Humilitas: A Lost Key to Life, Love, and Leadership Follow John Dickson on Twitter (@johnpauldickson) - Adam Forrest, Zondervan   (Image by Carl Van Vechten, from Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Van Vechten Collection. Image and select styling in this post are web-exclusive features not present in Humilitas. This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer's personal opinions are shared for information purposes only. To receive new Zondervan Blog posts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

Failure's Not Fatal: The Latest Chapter in God's Good News [Excerpt by David Garland] Posted: 30 Jan 2012 05:35 AM PST   Learn More (Excerpt from NIV Application Commentary: Mark [eBook] by David E. Garland.)   God is a God of beginnings. The good news of Mark is that God begins again with the chosen people by sending his Son. At the end of the Gospel ... things look far more gloomy. The women slink away from the empty tomb and are mute from fear [See Mark 16].   They thought the story was over. Instead they found an empty tomb, and a new part to play. See Mark 16. Failure, denial, and fear are not the end of the story, however. When things seem to end, there is a new beginning. The gospel is good news because one can begin again.   God is the one who consistently makes something out of nothing. One may wonder how these discredited disciples could ever emerge as leaders of a growing church and fulfill their mission, but we know that their failure was not fatal. Neither is ours. God is the one who consistently makes something out of nothing. What seems like the end, and a pathetic one at that, is only a new beginning. God will continue to work with and revive the people.   Mark makes it clear that "the church exists because of what God has done in Christ, not because of any outstanding abilities in its first members." The gospel proclaims that the one "who began a good work in [us] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:6)...   How will we continue the story? Christianity is not a closed book, and Christian readers are the latest chapter in a continuing story of God's good news. The question for us is ... the same as it was for those early disciples, "Where do we go from here?" The next stage is up to us. How will we continue the story? Will we cower in fear or boldly proclaim the glad tidings of Jesus to the world?   Learn More Learn more about NIV Application Commentary: Mark eBook   Question for Discussion: Did the first disciples have any advantages over us in sharing the gospel? Do we have any advantages over them? Leave your comments on this post. - Adam Forrest, Zondervan (Images & some styling above are web-exclusive features not included in the text of NIVAC Mark eBook. Image attribution: From "An Illustrated Commentary on the Gospel of Mark" by Phillip Medhurst. Section Z. the empty tomb. Mark 16:1-8. By Philip Devere [FAL], via Wikimedia Commons. This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer's personal opinions are shared only for information purposes. To receive new Zondervan Blog posts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

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