How important is status to you and I?  Status is one’s rank, standing, or position in relation to others. We look horizontally and determine our value and worth based on the comparisons we make with others.

How do we tend to rank our status in Metro Vancouver? We rank each other according to professional career, wealth accumulation, social networking, educational degrees, physical appearance, athletic ability, artistic talent, language proficiency, religious affiliation, ethnicity, volunteerism, and philanthropy, etc.

As a disciple of Jesus, should I devote significant energy to improving my educational, financial, social, professional, or relational status? Is it OK to embellish my status, in order to improve other’s perception of my worth and significance (e.g., for a job or more social capital)? 

What if I can’t change my status? For many people, this has been true throughout history. If I can’t change my status, am I doomed to a miserable, meaningless existence?

Is there any way to break free of this never-ending pursuit of status?

1. Remain as you are
2. Ethno-religious Status Means Nothing
3. Social-legal Status Means Nothing
4. Status in Christ Means Everything

Reflection Time:

When we give more importance to status in life, based on worldly criteria, we enslave ourselves to those status markers, and we effectively deny the work of Jesus.

Jesus gave his life so that we might be gifted with a status before God incomparable to any status on earth. As disciples of Jesus, we have no need to scramble for status on earth.

This week, meditate on what it means to belong to Jesus. Allow the truth of your new status in Christ to form you. Then serve Jesus with joy, whatever your situation in life.