Humble yourselves [feeling very insignificant] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up and make your lives significant]. – James 4:10, AMP

On August 9, 2013 news outlets across the United States reported shocking news regarding Florida couple Derek Medina and Jennifer Alfonso. On August 8, Medina, 31, shot and killed Alfonso, 26, during a domestic dispute. Then, after killing his wife, Medina posted a picture of his dead wife on Facebook and titled the post, “RIP Jennifer Alfonso.” In the post, later removed by Facebook staff, Medina wrote:

I’m going to prison or death sentence for killing my wife love you guys miss you guys take care Facebook people you will see me in the news. *

Although the desire for notoriety does not appear to be Medina’s motivation for killing his wife (Medina claimed the reason for the murder as a response to domestic violence), he undoubtedly possesses such a desire. Nothing short of an obsession to be significant could prompt the man to glorify his heinous act on Facebook, and this same struggle for significance drives people around the globe to do anything and everything to draw attention to themselves.

Christians are not immune to the desire to be significant, and many Christians have made horrible choices while trying to obtain such significance on their own. They will never achieve the significance they seek, however, until they embrace one of the greatest ironies of the Bible: to become significant, one must desire to be insignificant.

Those who desire to be important in the sight of others really desire, in their hearts, to feed their pride. James 4:6 is clear that God resists the proud, and when God is our enemy, we will accomplish nothing we hope to accomplish. But James 4:6 also teaches that God gives grace to the humble, and James 4:10 teaches that God grants significance to the humble. It is when we subordinate our interests to the needs of others that we become the servants that Christ would have us become. The more like Christ we become, the greater the impact we will have on the world. The greater the impact we have on the world in God’s service, the more significant we become in the eyes of Eternity.

So, you want to be significant? Then forget about trying to be. Every moment you yearn to be significant is a moment you feed the sin of pride. Instead, follow Christ’s example, take on the form of a humble servant, serve God by serving others, and let God lift you up if and when He chooses to.

* SOURCE: CBSNews.com

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