ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Introduction to Embracing Obscurity - a book review #2 & win a free book

Updated on February 16, 2015
Source

Win a free copy!

Next week I will choose one random winner from the comments section to receive a free copy of Embracing Obscurity by Anonymous.

Jesus embraced obscurity for you, are you willing to do the same for him?


Really, if you think about it, it shouldn’t be so hard. In the light of history, we are all obscure anyway. So what makes it so difficult to accept? In his book “Embracing Obscurity” an anonymous author helps us explore why we are so threatened by being insignificant. He challenges us to give up our security blankets, our drive for success, and our need to be recognized so that we can set ourselves aside and let God shine through. Then he shows us how to find true significance through who we are in Christ rather than focusing on how the world sees us.


We will learn to redefine success by taking a closer look at our worldly cravings and achievements and comparing them to God’s terms of significance. What a difference there is! Realizing that God’s economy is upside down to our own has the potential to change our lives. His kingdom is a world where the servant is favored and suffering is to be desired. It is a privilege to make sacrifices to gain his approval. Why would we want to be a part of this mystery? Recognizing what Jesus did for us frees us to cast off the pressures of worldly success and embrace Christ’s example of loving God and loving people.


Imagine the all-powerful, mighty God of the universe giving it all up to become a slave…for us. This is the same God who declares: “As I live, says the LORD, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.” (Romans 14:11 NASB) This is the God who created us, created everything, who loves us and desires a relationship with each one of us. His appearance on earth should have been met with pomp and circumstance, adoration and amazement. But it wasn’t. Instead he chose to be obscure. He chose to give up all the glory that was rightfully his and lead a life that was so normal and ordinary that he wasn’t even recognized by those around him. He humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross. (Phil. 2:8) Why? So that we might live, to pay the price for our sins, to give us the opportunity to have a relationship with a God who knows what it is like to be us. “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4: 14 – 16 Jesus lived a life of humility that gave glory to God by loving and serving his Father and ordinary people like you and I. He wants us to imitate him. (Philippians 2:5-9) By putting aside our need to be recognized, significant, or self-reliant we are able to let the love of Christ shine through our lives as we demonstrate love and service for God and others.


What do you think? Are you willing to embark on a journey that challenges your soul? Do you dare to critique how you define yourself and discover the pride beneath your security blanket? Will you consider the benefits of God’s seemingly upside down kingdom and put aside your own goals and ambitions to serve and love others? If your answer is yes, then let me encourage you to read “Embracing Obscurity” and become nothing in light of God’s everything.



working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)