Tag: humble

August 11 – What Pride Really Is

 “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.” – Proverbs 11:2  (ESV)

Pride. What is it? Why does the Bible frame the act of pride as something that is disgraceful? Aren’t we “proud” of our each other or our children when they do well? Is there a way to be righteously proud? Honestly, probably not. And because the Bible is quite clear about the sin of pride, it is not surprising that it is yet another word which the world has twisted to make it sound commonly good. Nothing wrong with striving to do our best and being satisfied when we are able – but in our response we should give credit not to our own selves but to God who gives us the ability to do well in what he instructs us to do. We’ve come to use the word in place of meaning we’re “thankful to God” and we rob God of the credit He is due.  The word ‘pride” is from a root meaning “to boil,” or “to run over.”  It indicates an overwhelmingly arrogant attitude or behavior. It is used of ordinary men; kings; Israel; false prophets; and murderers.*  Our verse compares “the humble.” Occurring only here and its verbal form is used only in Micah 6:8, “walk humbly”

200

* ordinary men (Dt 17:12, 13); kings (Ne 9:10); Israel (Ne 9:16, 29); false prophets (Dt 18:20); and murderers (Ex 21:14).

July 21 – He Has Done Great Things

“My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. “For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. “For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name.” – Luke 1:47-49 (NASB)

As we are approaching what some call “Christmas in July” we take this moment to remember again the words of Mary the mother of Jesus. After receiving the word from Gabriel, God’s arch angel that she would bear the Son of God in human form, Mary visited her cousin. Mary referred to God as “Savior,” demonstrating both that she recognized her own need of a Savior, and that she knew the true God as her Savior. Mary did not see herself as one free from the taint of original sin. She sang about the wonderful works that God was doing in her life. She had learned that she would become the Mother of Jesus, the Messiah and she realized that it was God doing it. We can praise the Lord just like she did. God does do great things for us and He is ready to do such things for us every day. We can remember that He is the Mighty One and His love for us is so great. So whatever we are facing today, you and I can know that God is able to take care of it for us. Let’s trust Him because He has promised.

199

March 8 – Humble Not Proud

“Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. ” – James 4:9-10 (ESV)

For those who observe and follow the ‘holy days’ on a church calendar, one week ago was Mardi Gras*. Translated “Fat Tuesday” it is the day when all let loose their inhibitions because of what is required of them next. The next day on those calendars is “Ash Wednesday” which marks the solemn entrance into this Christian “season” of Lent, which is one of reflection and repentance. It may appear strange to some in our culture, which presumes that our own thriving as human beings must follow the way of self-acceptance, positive self-esteem, self-assertion, and even pride in ourselves “just the way we are.” But we know that God opposes the proud. Ash Wednesday is completely counter-cultural. It gives opportunity to abide by the biblical admonition to turn from our sins and humble ourselves before God just as James instructs us in today’s passage. The larger context in the letter from James includes all of James 4 and even more. One of our promises in this chapter is that as we humble ourselves, the Lord will exalt us. Not expected in this life, in fact most likely not in this world but in God’s time it will happen in heaven. 

199

* Mardi Gras is strongly associated with wild bacchanalia and debauchery, but the original intent of the holiday and how it’s kept by the faithful is much different. Fat Tuesday, as it is known in English, is a long-standing tradition of the Catholic Church and it marks the last day of ordinary time before the start of Lent, a time of fasting and repentance. While the parties in Europe, South America, and parts of the United States have gained the most attention in popular culture, they seriously misrepresent and outright eclipse the Catholic intent of the holiday.

According to historians, the celebration of Mardi Gras has its roots in the pagan Roman celebration of Lupercalia. This was a February holiday and it honored the Roman god of fertility. It involved feasting, drinking, and carnal behavior.

However, with the rise of the Church in ancient Rome, Christian teaching and morals took root, but there always remained a strong need to blend ancient Roman traditional practices with the growing Christian faith. The blending of tradition with new religious beliefs was a common practice in the ancient world and it helped people to transition away from paganism. In fact, there are a number of ancient Roman traditions that persevere in the Roman Catholic Church to this day, where they continue to guide the faithful.

As Catholic Christianity spread throughout Europe during the first millennium, different cultures celebrated the last day before Lent in their own ways, adapting the practices to suit their cultures. In France, the holiday became particularly popular as people feasted on foods that would be given up during the forty days of Lent. Meats, eggs, and milk were finished off in one day, giving the holiday its French title of ‘Mardi Gras’ which means Fat Tuesday. https://www.catholic.org/lent/mardigras.php

December 3 – Shifting the Burden

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” – 1 Peter 5:6-7 (NASB)

It is a true statement and worthy to be learned. “God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble,” (Proverbs 3:34; Matthew 23:12; James 4:10). As we are told by the Apostle Paul in Philippians “be anxious for nothing,” here Peter tells us to “humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God.”  This is an Old Testament symbol of the power of God working in the experience of men, always accomplishing His sovereign purpose. But humility can cause anxiety.  Peter also tells us what to do with our anxiety – get rid of it! Cast it ALL on Him! This is a good practice to follow and we have a good reason we can trust it – He cares for us. How wonderful it is to know that we have a heavenly Father who cares and knows that we have special concerns. We stumble and fall because of our worry but He is always there to help us up. Our Lord tells us here to turn to him and turn those cares over to Him. Transfer the anxious thoughts and worries from your ledger to His ledger. Then observe how much He cares for you and me. He truly does, it’s a promise.

198

June 17 – From Our Inner Being


“And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.” Luke 1:46-48a (ESV)

These words are from a song of praise that Mary, the mother of Jesus sang when she visited her cousin Elizabeth before Jesus was born. This song reminds us what true praise is and so we read these words today and think about them. We sometimes think that in order to praise God, we need to say something with our lips. God knows our heart and our thoughts before we even do. We can praise God silently, or orally, or as Mary did when she sang this song with her lips; she sang that it was her soul that was glorifying and praising God. Before she put her thoughts into words she was praising God with her inner being. God has promised to hear us no matter how we communicate if we are sincere and righteous before him. We can glorify God wherever we are. We do not have to be in a particular place with particular people singing out loud particular words. We can all do the same as Mary did. If we praise God in our hearts our Lord is aware of it and He will respond. Let’s praise God with our whole being today.

197

May 31 – He Cares For You


“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” – 1 Peter 5:6-7 (ESV)


So, how are you doing with the task of humbling yourself? Not easy is it. Sort of like we pray for patience and immediately we encounter a circumstance where patience is needed. It doesn’t take long to fall like that. Pride is the same. If we want to give up pride, we must accept being humbled by circumstances and people. It can be a pretty bitter pill to swallow. Successful at humility comes from God and submitting to His leading. As we allow ourselves to accept opportunities for humility, we do so under the might of God’s hand. He is able to give us all that we need to swallow pride and give up all our self-needed sufficiency. At the proper time (which is God’s time, not ours) God will exalt us by manifesting Himself through us. People will see His work in our lives, not our own efforts. When they comment on such times, we give credit and glory to God. Our other promise is: God cares for us so much that he is willing to take on all things we worry about. We do not have to worry because He cares and takes care of us.

198

April 29 – Who Will Not Be There


“Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there. But the humble will inherit the land and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.” – Psalm 37:10-11 (NASB)

We continue with the promises in Psalm 37 ⸺there are many. Fretting, as we learned yesterday in the previous verses, is nothing more than being sorely irritated. We used to say an irritated person was ‘vexed,’ but like ‘fret’ we don’t use these good words much anymore. Today we have further reasons for avoiding irritation from worry. Summed up, they amount to a twofold assertion: the wicked or evil doers will be gone. The verse says ‘yet a little while.’ We might think otherwise but we’re on God’s time which is not bound by earth time. There is a point in time when all evildoers shall be no more. They simply will not be here. If we were to look for them, they would not be found. No detective will be able to expose what is not. This may be long after we are gone from this earth but it is a promise from God that we can take and believe as absolute truth. Those who humbly trust God’s words and obey His instructions have a different outcome ⸺abundant prosperity. It is part of our “reserved in heaven” inheritance. It is a promise that will bring us Godly delight.

199

December 18 – The Humility of God’s Chosen

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” Luke 1:46-49 (ESV)

These are the words spoken by Mary when she visited Elizabeth to tell her of God’s plan for her. It is known to many as “The Magnificat” and this, we can see how. It was through the Holy Spirit; Mary understood a most remarkable thing about God. He was about to change the course of all human history. With the birth of John to Elizabeth the Barren and the birth of Jesus to Mary the Virgin, the most important three decades of all time were to begin. Two obscure, humble women are presented by Luke in this Gospel as wonderful heroines. Writing his gospel for a person named Theophilus, probably a nobleman of some sort, both Elizabeth and Mary are attributed cheerful humility in submission to their God. Indeed God is magnificent and deserves this honor and respect. Elizabeth and Mary acknowledged their lowly estate and God’s magnificence overwhelmed them. This is what it takes to truly appreciate the greatness of God in our lives and His greatness in the lives of others. Mercy, strength, subjection of those who are proud and think they are mighty. These and more are included in the full Magnificat. (Luke 1:46-55)

196