Today we celebrate the EIGHTH ANNIVERSARY of TREATS FOR THE SOUL. The first Daily Treat was published in October, 2018. Despite an occasional glitch, I have not missed a single day since then.
On this our 8th Anniversary, I want to thank all of our readers and Podcast listeners. I truly love when I hear from you. So many of you stop me in-person to tell me you love TFTS. I’d love to hear from many others online. When you like a certain Daily Treat, please drop me a line. It makes all the time I spend worth it. I thank my IT right-hand man, Tim Veach, who takes care of everything I send him.
Check Your Ego at the Door!
One of the most respected personalities in the entertainment world is a man named Quincy Jones. Performer, composer, promoter, producer, director, arranger — Quincy Jones is all of these and much, much more.
He’s also known for his amazing ability to bring together the superstars of the entertainment industry, getting them to blend their talents and work together, share the spotlight and function as a team to produce something that is very special. He brought together stars such as Diana Ross, Kenny Rogers, Aretha Franklin, Michael Bolton, Gladys Knight, Kenney G., Lionel Ritchie, and many others. He can give them a single phrase and combine their artistic skills into a powerful and moving expression of music.
Perhaps Jones is best known for the production of the hit recording “We Are the World,” which featured the combined talents of many of the top pop singers of our time. Do you know how he did it — how he persuaded those music superstars to come together and work as a team to create that song?
Well, he did a very interesting and, evidently, effective thing. He put a sign at the entry to the recording studio: CHECK YOUR EGO AT THE DOOR!
That would be a good sign to put at the entry to the church, wouldn’t it? “Check Your Ego At The Door!”
No demand for superstars there. We are all members of the team. The church is no place for arrogance or haughtiness or vanity or conceit or selfish pride. All of us are called to be servants of our Lord.
The story of the Canaanite woman appears in Matthew 15:21-28. A non-Jewish mother begs Jesus to heal her demon-possessed daughter. Jesus initially seems harsh or dismissive, using a metaphor about not taking the children’s bread and throwing it to the dogs. But persistent faith moves Him to heal her child.
The Canaanite woman checked her ego at the door and admitted that the Gentiles were not the first order of God’s mission. The Jews historically took precedent. As a church we have something to learn from her humility. We too often place ourselves at the head of the table and expect to be served first.
Thanks to James Moore.
My Commentary:
Quincy Jones understood something essential about creating great music: even the most talented people cannot make something beautiful together if everyone insists on being the star.
So at the recording studio came that wonderful instruction: “Check Your Ego at the Door.”
Perhaps every church should have the same sign.
Jesus never built His Church around celebrity or status. He built it around service. He washed His disciples’ feet and told them, “Whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant.”
The Canaanite woman gives us another picture of humility. She came to Jesus with no status to claim and no demand for special treatment. She came simply as a mother desperate for her daughter. Even when Jesus challenged her, she did not walk away offended. She persisted with remarkable humility and faith. Jesus responded, “Woman, great is your faith!”
Humility does not mean believing we are worthless. It means realizing we are not the center of everything.
Imagine what could happen if we checked our egos at the door — not only of our churches, but of our homes, workplaces, marriages, politics, and relationships.
Less need to win every argument.
Less insistence on being recognized.
More listening.
More cooperation.
More room for God.
Quincy Jones knew that when great singers stopped competing for the spotlight, together they could sing, “We Are the World.”
Jesus asks something similar of us.
Stop asking who gets the spotlight. Start asking how we can make something beautiful together. Every politician and every person in public life needs to start living this.
How does YOUR ego keep you from becoming the person God created you to be?
GOOD MORNING GOD! THIS IS YOUR DAY. I AM YOUR CHILD. SHOW ME YOUR WAY!
Did you enjoy today’s story and Message? Then please share it. www.TreatsfortheSoul.org. Please invite others to subscribe. IT’S FREE!! They will thank and bless you for doing so. And please listen to my Podcast.
