Today's reading: James 4:1-17
Growing in a
dysfunctional home made me an insecure person. I felt that I had to become
stronger trying to hide my flaws. Over the years, my accomplishments made me
feel I had it! This brought pride into my heart. I became self-sufficient,
independent and according to my personal standards, I considered myself a “good
person”! O my God, how mistaken I was!
All this apparent
success could not fill the gap inside of me! All the hurt and the insecure child inside of me still haunted me, until I surrendered
my life to Jesus!
“But He gives us more and more grace [through the power
of the Holy Spirit to defy sin and live an obedient life that reflects both our
faith and our gratitude for our salvation]. Therefore, it says, “God is opposed to the proud and haughty, but [continually] gives [the gift of] grace to the humble [who turn away from self-righteousness]” (Vs. 6)
Through His Amazing Grace I was able to recognize who
I really was and that only He could heal and fill my life completely from the
inside-out!
" 7 So submit to [the authority of] God.
Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you. 8 Come
close to God [with a contrite heart] and He will come close to you. Wash your
hands, you sinners; and purify your [unfaithful] hearts, you double-minded
[people]. 9 Be miserable and grieve and weep [over
your sin]. Let your [foolish] laughter be turned to mourning and your
[reckless] joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves [with an attitude of
repentance and insignificance] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt
you [He will lift you up, He will give you purpose]." (Vss. 7-10)
It was amazing for me to discover Jesus through the Bible! He revealed
His nature when He described Himself as gentle and lowly of heart.(Matthew
11:29), and to discover His servant’s heart, displayed throughout His ministry which
qualified Him to be the “lamb of God”, who took our place on that cross! In Jesus we have a model for humility. In Him we find the humble character that God
expects from us!
When we submit
our hearts and lives to God, He will lift you up in and give you a real Purpose
in your life. Not in your own means, but by the power of His Holy Spirit
dwelling in you! (Psalm 18:27)
“Humility, the place of entire dependence on God, is, from the very
nature of things, the first duty and the highest virtue of the creature, and
the root of every virtue. And so pride, or the loss of this humility, is the
root of every sin and evil.” (Andrew Murray)
Pride: the root of every sin and evil! I had never thought of it this
way!!
Satan tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden (Gen.3:4), and she sinned following
her self-will, and pride was at
the heart of this sin: doing what she wanted, instead of what God had
commanded. This same situation applies to us too and sadly, more often
than we think!
We should not
only live in humility in our personal relationship with God but also this same
attitude should be reflected toward others (Phil. 2:3)!
Here is a
check- list that could help us –through prayer- to make a heart inventory, as we consider the following:
-
Do you question God, when you are afflicted or tested?
When things don’t turn out how you planned? This is pride.
-
Every time we refuse someone forgiveness, we are
acting in pride.
-
When you argue with our spouse (friend, family
member), and insist you are right and he (she) is wrong, you are acting in
pride.
-
When you believe you owe yourself the best modern accessories,
perfumes, and clothing; the best car, or house, and you must have it even if
you get into debt.
-
When you feel you are better than someone else,
regarding your talents, opinions, attitudes, behavior, etc.
-
When by serving our Church, we feel: “I deserve a visit”, or “I deserve my opinion”, or “I deserve my way”,
or “I deserve certain rights and privileges”, because of “my achievements”, we
are also acting in pride.
I love Peter’s
words on this subject:
5 Likewise, you
younger men [of lesser rank and experience], be subject to your elders [seek
their counsel]; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one
another [tie on the servant’s apron], for God
is opposed to the proud [the disdainful, the presumptuous, and He
defeats them], but He gives grace to
the humble.
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of
God [set aside self-righteous pride], so that He may exalt you [to a place of
honor in His service] at the appropriate time, 7 casting
all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns,
once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and
watches over you very carefully]. 8 Be sober [well
balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all
times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion
[fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour. 9 But
resist him, be firm in your faith [against his attack—rooted,
established, immovable], knowing that the same experiences of suffering are
being experienced by your brothers and sisters throughout the world. [You do
not suffer alone.]” (1 Peter 5:5-9)
When we live in humble obedience and cast all our cares (needs) on our
Heavenly Father, holding firmly to our Faith, recognizing that He loves us and
He knows what is best for us -and in His Perfect timing-, we will be able to
resist the devil and his attacks.
Let me close with these final words: “Humility is our greatest friend. It
increases our hunger for God’s word and opens our hearts to his Spirit. It
leads to intimacy with God, who knows the proud from afar, but dwells with him
“who is of a contrite and lowly spirit” (Isa. 57:15). It imparts the aroma of Christ
to all whom we encounter. It is a sign of greatness in the kingdom of God (Luke
22:24–27). Developing
the identity, attitude, and conduct of a humble servant does not happen overnight.
It is rather like peeling an onion: you cut away one layer only to find another
beneath it. But it does happen. As we forsake pride and seek to humble
ourselves by daily deliberate choices in dependence on the Holy Spirit,
humility grows in our souls.” (Jesusfilm.org)
Blessings!
Mari
