HUMILITY

HUMILITY

The disciples of the LORD JESUS asked Him one day, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:1-4

It is necessary therefore to humble yourself to enter the Kingdom of GOD.

After escaping the hand of Pharaoh and coming out of Egypt, GOD'S chosen people were led through the wilderness for forty long years. GOD had to work in them and mould them before they could enter the promised land.

And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. Deuteronomy 8:2

Through situations in your life's journey, GOD humbles you, preparing you for Heaven.

Humility is a Kingdom Attitude 

 

You must be humble to receive GOD'S grace:

 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. 

Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."

- 1 Peter 5:5

For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

- Isaiah 57:15

"You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. "If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. "For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.

- John 13:13-15

The LORD JESUS gives you an invitation:

 
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." 
- Matthew 11:28-30

By humility and the fear of the LORD Are riches and honor and life.

- Proverbs 22:4

Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth, Who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden In the day of the LORD's anger. 

- Zephaniah 2:3

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,
that He may exalt you in due time,

- 1 Peter 5:6  

The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teach 

- Psalm 25:9

Standing in humility with CHRIST gives you the victory over Satan:

And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

- Romans 16:20

Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. 

- Matthew 5:5

Checklist and Practical steps to humility :-

H 

Honour GOD and all people  1 Pet 2:17

U

Understand GOD and others  Prov 28:16  

M 

Have the Mind of CHRIST and a Moderate lifestyle 1 John 2:15-17  

  I

Identify with the meek Rom 12:16  

   L

Listen to others and Love them  James 1:19, 1 cor 8:1

I

I must decrease; He must increase  Gal 5:24-26

T

Thank the Lord and others. Think of the LORD and others Phil 2:4

Y

Yield to the Holy Spirit  Eph 4:30-32

The proud heart is an abomination to the LORD.

GOD resists the proud and destroys his house. 

The pride of life, wine and riches are of this world and cause strife and envy. 

Pride lifts up the heart and hardens the spirit and brings destruction. 

It is the attitude and way of Satan. 

It is totally contrary to the way of the LORD.

Therefore GOD humbles us if necessary through affliction to draw us to Himself and to give us victory over the enemy who is the king of all the children of pride!

Selflessness is Freedom!

Humility is Victory!!

The Works!

The Works!

Certain fast food restaurants advertise 'The Works' as an addition to the basic meal.

'The Works' would include the side dishes, the fillings in burgers and all kinds of sauces!

The basic meal would be boring without 'The Works'.

'The Works' make the meal exciting and enjoyable and wholesome!  

It is so also with our Christian life.

When we are born again, the LORD JESUS enters our life 

and dwells in us in the form of the HOLY SPIRIT.

If we do not allow the HOLY SPIRIT to work in us and through us by obeying Him,

we would be ineffective and our Christian life would be boring like that plain burger!

GOD desires that His power works through His children.

"Most assuredly, I say to you,

 he who believes in Me, The Works that I do he will do also;

 and Greater Works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. - John 14:12  

For by grace you have been saved through faith,

 and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for Good Works,

 which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. - Ephesians 2:8-10 

for it is God Who Works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. - Philippians 2:13 

If your Christian life is like a boring plain meal,

get into 'The Works' GOD has prepared for you.

Live connected to GOD.

Know who you are in-CHRIST.

Ask for the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

Obey GOD'S word.

Obey the promptings of the HOLY SPIRIT.

Desire to be effective and profitable in GOD'S Kingdom.

Focus on the LORD JESUS.

Think beyond yourself to the needs of others.

Give yourself to serve with compassion.

Reach out in faith and obedience.

You will see 'The Works' operating through you.

Your life will be exciting and enjoyable

like the meal with 'The Works'!!

You will be blessed in being a blessing to others.

GOD will be glorified through you!

The ticking of the clock and the beating of the heart

The ticking of the clock and the beating of the heart

My grand-father's clock

........

Ninety years without slumbering

Tick-tock, Tick-tock

His life-seconds numbering

Tick-tock, Tick-tock

It stopped, short

Never to go again

When the old man died!

Time does not take a rest

 but the clock ticks away continuously!

So is the heart that starts beating in the womb
 and keeps pumping tirelessly!

The very moment my heart stops, my clock also stops, 

as I enter timeless eternity!

Let us not waste time counting our heart-beats

 but let every beat of our heart count for GOD.

Let us live our time on earth remembering our Creator.

 Let us, with every breath, praise our Maker 
Who breathed life into us.

As long as we have breath in our nostrils,
 let us praise the LORD JESUS!

The Psalmist ends his book of songs 
with the following exhortation.

Let everything that has breath 

praise the LORD.

 Praise the LORD! 

 Psalm 150:6 

Breakthrough to Glory

Glory originates from GOD. It is beautiful power and powerful beauty!

Just as gravity is the downward pull to the earth, glory is the upward pull toward heaven.

Glory comes down from heaven and pulls eternal things upwards.

Glory is eternal.

Glory belongs to GOD eternally.

Throughout our life on earth, GOD works towards restoring us to His glory.

We need to seek GOD’S glory until we see it.

We have to receive His glory.

We then reflect His glory.

We have to give back to GOD His glory.

GOD’S Light Operating in you and Reflecting through You!

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,

and comes down from the Father of lights,

with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

James 1:17

Before the fall, Adam and Eve walked in GOD’S glory.

Disobedience and sin separated them from GOD’S glory.

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 3:23  

It is important for us to acknowledge the Creator and be thankful to Him when we see the beauty of nature. We should always glorify GOD.

When we do this, we see more of His glory. So our spiritual eyes are opened. If we do not acknowledge GOD, our spiritual eyes get blinded.

because, although they knew God,

they did not glorify Him as God,

nor were thankful,

but became futile in their thoughts,

and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Professing to be wise,

they became fools,

and changed the glory of the incorruptible God

into an image made like corruptible man-

-and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness,

in the lusts of their hearts,

to dishonor their bodies among themselves,

who exchanged the truth of God for the lie,

and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator,

who is blessed forever. Amen.

Romans 1:21-25

GOD revealed His glory to mankind through His only begotten Son, JESUS.

He was the Light of the world.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,

and we beheld His glory,

the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,

full of grace and truth.

John 1:14  

The LORD JESUS is now revealed to us in the pages of the Bible.

Therefore when we receive GOD’S Word, we receive CHRIST into our lives, and we receive the Light into our hearts.

To them God willed to make known

what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles:

which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Colossians 1:27   

For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness,

who has shone in our hearts

to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God

in the face of Jesus Christ.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels,

that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

2 Corinthians 4:6-7  

Once we have JESUS in us, we are the light of the world.

"You are the light of the world.

A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

"Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket,

but on a lampstand,

and it gives light to all who are in the house.

"Let your light so shine before men,

that they may see your good works

and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:14-16  

The light is hidden within us and covered by our selfish nature.

When we deny self, follow the LORD and serve others, we let this light to shine from within.

Therefore we do not lose heart.

Even though our outward man is perishing,

yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment,

is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 

while we do not look at the things which are seen,

but at the things which are not seen.

For the things which are seen are temporary,

but the things which are not seen are eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

When we spend time with GOD in close communion, we reflect His glory.

Now it was so,

when Moses came down from Mount Sinai

(and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses' hand

when he came down from the mountain),

that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone

while he talked with Him.

Exodus 34:29

Now after six days

Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother,

led them up on a high mountain by themselves;

and He was transfigured before them.

His face shone like the sun,

and His clothes became as white as the light.

And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Matthew 17:1-3

After seeing GOD’S glory it is easy for us to obey Him.

And he said, "Brethren and fathers, listen:

The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham

when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,

"and said to him,

'Get out of your country and from your relatives,

and come to a land that I will show you.'

"Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans

and dwelt in Haran. And from there, when his father was dead,

He moved him to this land in which you now dwell.

Acts 7:2-4

There will be a change of direction in our purpose and pursuit in life.

Fishermen responded to the call of the GOD of Glory to become fishers of men.

We will also turn from pursuing our own business, profession and career to seek GOD’S Kingdom business.

Cleaners will become intercessors (spiritual cleaners!).

Teachers will become teachers of the Word of GOD.

Builders will be building the Kingdom.

About 20 years ago Robin and I responded to the GOD of glory to serve Him. Robin gave up marketing pharmaceuticals to spread the Gospel around the world. I gave up treating sick people by giving them scripts for  medication to see people made whole by praying for them and teaching them the Scriptures.

When we encounter GOD and experience His glory, we are transformed.

Acts 9: 1-9, 22:6-21  

As a learned Pharisee, Paul thought that he had understanding to see spiritual things until the Glory of the Light of GOD blinded him, showing him otherwise! He needed new spiritual vision and probably an impaired physical vision as a reminder. He had a 180 degree change in direction. The persecutor of Christians became a preacher of CHRIST!

Genesis 32:22-32

Jacob had an encounter with GOD. GOD wrestled with him and Jacob wrestled back until he recognized the strength and power of that Wrestler. Just a touch of GOD dislocated Jacob’s strong hip joint! Jacob stopped resisting and started clinging, begging for a blessing! The supplanter turned ‘Prince With GOD’!

When we live reflecting GOD’S glory through good works, GOD continues to supply all our needs according to His riches in glory by CHRIST JESUS.

And my God shall supply all your need

according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

The result of our faith is joy inexpressible and full of glory.

that the genuineness of your faith,

being much more precious than gold that perishes,

though it is tested by fire,

may be found to praise, honor,

and glory

at the revelation of Jesus Christ,

whom having not seen you love.

Though now you do not see Him,

yet believing,

you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

1 Peter 1:7-8