“God’s Promise of Exaltation/Humiliation Will Be Ultimately Fulfilled in Christ’s Return 神使人升高/降卑的應許，在基督的再來上必至終成就“（Luke 路加福音 14:7-11）
… do not take the place of honour, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, “Give this person your seat.” Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. … take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, “Friend, move up to a better place.” Then you will be honoured in the presence of all the other guests. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
… 不要自己坐在高位上，恐怕有比你更尊貴的客人也被請來；那請你又請他的人過來對你說：‘請你讓位給這個人。 ’那時你就慚愧地退居末位了。… 要坐在末位上，等請你的人過來對你說：‘朋友，請上座。 ’那時你在同席的人面前才有光彩。因為凡高抬自己的，必要降卑；自己謙卑的，必要升高。
Lord Jesus was not only the perfect One to teach on this subject but also is the ultimate example of someone who deserved the highest place, but took the lowest place, and was granted the highest place. His word, the Bible, reminds us that we should not play the self-promotion game since there are constant occasions in modern life where one can display one’s own sense of self importance, pride, and high opinion of one’s self. We should do our work hard and unto Lord Jesus, and let God raise us up. In Christian service, there is something wonderful about knowing that God has raised us up, instead of we raising ourselves up to prominence of some sort. When we seek to take honour to ourselves, we will always be humbled – if not on earth, then for all of eternity.
主耶穌不單是教導這一主題的那最佳/完美者，而且是本來當得高位的，卻自取末位，併其後被賜予至高位分的終極榜樣。祂的話語（聖經）提醒我們，因著在現代生活中經常有種種場合，人會表現出妄自尊崇、驕傲和自負，我們理應不要玩自抬身價的遊戲；我們務要竭力為主耶穌作工，讓神高舉我們。在基督徒的服侍裡，曉得神已經高舉我們，而不是我們把自己提升到某種的高度，是一件奇妙的事。若我們自己尋求尊榮，必降為卑，即使在世上沒有降為卑，在永恆裡也必降為卑。
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, you know that we likely have the desire to grasp for a certain position or status. We might come across a both subtle and dangerous form of spiritual pride that we get our own position, either through outward or subtle pride, even saying ‘It was the Lord, it was the Lord’ but in our heart of hearts we know it was us, our own calculation, our own schemes, our own grasping. Forgive us and help us to come out of our self-deception and focus upon doing our work hard and unto you. Amen.
禱告: 親愛的主耶穌，你曉得我們可能會渴望，要爭取某個地位或身分。我們或許遇上一種既難捉摸又危險的屬靈驕傲的形式：我們透過顯而易見或不易察覺的驕傲而獲得自己的位置，甚至會說「這是主的作為，這是主的作為」，但在我們的內心深處，我們知道是我們自己，我們自己的算計，我們自己的陰謀，我們自己的掌控。求你寬恕我們，幫助我們從自我欺騙中走出來，専心於竭力為你作工。阿們。
