HUMBLE THYSELF

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

^1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

“Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up, higher and higher and HE will lift you up!” A familiar little lyric often sung around the campsite or at church camp back in the day.

The song is rooted in some very solid and "tough" truth.

James 4:10 (V)

Lay yourself bare, facedown to the ground, in humility before the Lord; and He will lift your head so you can stand tall.

That translation from the VOICE is “tough” isn’t it?

It says strip away the ego. It says lay aside the pride. It says put down the “puffery” and be reminded that WITHOUT CHRIST we are nothing yet with Him we can make it.

That is sometimes hard to swallow.  We are proud bunch.  But look what happens when we “listen and respond”.  GOD WILL LIFT us!

Psalm 3:3

Amplified Bible (AMP)

3 But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.

Our first lady Anna Brooks shared the importance of a heart of humility in her annual Mother’s Day talk yesterday; reminding us that pride and progress in Christ can’t coexist.

Proverbs 16:18

Living Bible (TLB)

18 Pride goes before destruction and haughtiness before a fall.

Yet culture says “O Lord it is hard to be humble when you are perfect in every way”.  And while I know that lyric is written with tongue firmly planted in cheek, we often “believe” that we are a whole lot more self-sufficient and capable than we should. We squeeze GOD out of our decisions and thoughts telling Him that “we got things under control” or worse yet that “we are in charge”.

Sadly those attitudes do lead to "falls".  I see it daily in both of my ministries and the only way back is to humble ourselves at the foot of the Cross and again allow GOD to do the HEAVY LIFTING.

My buddy Tom Thompson always shares with the men who are entering his ministry (www.mensliveschange.org), men whose pride have landed them addicted, homeless, strapped by poverty or incarcerated, that the key to getting back on their feet is to fall on their face.  He shares that when they are ready to STOP, GOD is ready to start; when they will allow humility to drive their decisions, GOD will begin to lift them from the mire and the challenge just as He promises.

GOD wants humility from each of us.  But He doesn’t wish to humiliate.  GOD loves us too much for that.  So much so that GOD warns over and over again of the intoxicating effect of pride and "puffery".  Remember pride is what did SATAN in.  It isn’t something to be trifled with or entertained.

So listen to Anna today.  Don’t go into today believing you have everything figured out or that you “got things covered”.  Instead, humbly come to the throne of grace this morning. With head bowed and eyes closed with gratitude and humility give today to GOD and allow Him and His grace to lift and carry you through!

James 4:6

God gives us more grace when we turn away from our own interests. That’s why Scripture says, God opposes the proud, but He pours out grace on the humble.

 

HAVE A BLESSED DAY!

Love you all…

Freedom Church

 

Pastor GDelaney