A Jane Austen Devotional by Thomas Nelson

Author:Thomas Nelson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2011-08-29T00:00:00+00:00

The residents and guests of Mansfield Park—all but Edmund and Fanny—have decided to put on a theatrical production, and each person is demanding a voice. Fanny looks on, unamused, at the show of self-impulse and selfishness playing out before her, a state of affairs that offers a bitter foretaste of how each character’s storyline will turn out.

Make no mistake: the selfishness governing Maria, Julia, Tom, Yates, Henry, and Mary is a natural human tendency that none of us are immune to. It is the same temptation toward self-interest that causes spouses to stray . . . political leaders to behave unscrupulously . . . church bodies to begin infighting.

The opposite of the players’ behavior can be found only in pure devotion to Christ, which naturally begets a willingness to serve others, to set aside self-interests, and to find joy in humility. To attain this, we must take on the attitude of Christ, as Paul admonished his fellow believers in Philippians 2: “Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose” (vv. 1–2 NLT).

Choosing a Christlike attitude means behaving like Fanny amid the reigning chaos at Mansfield Park—allowing ourselves to be governed by God’s principles, not self-impulse; electing for humility over conflict; and putting others’ needs ahead of our own.

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