October 26, 2014: Goodbye For Now and Later – Jon Gettings

Paul says goodbye to his family in Ephesus, and appeals to the way he lived while he was among them as an example. How many of us would feel comfortable doing that? How many of us have lived a life that is so defined by grace and love that we could point to the way we live – with tremendous humility – as an example of God’s goodness. 

So often we steer away from that kind of thing because it smacks of arrogance. But humility is the thing that enables Paul to do this, not arrogance. Humility is the ability to hold the weight of your own soul – the good, the bad – in the truth of who you are. Maybe what looks like bragging is true humility. And maybe we need to learn this kind of humility.