The Attitude of the Humble...

Here’s some advice from Paul that would greatly benefit every single American citizen today: be honest, and don’t allow yourself to think you are better than you really are. It’s the attitude of the humble. It’s starts by knowing your place, and that only comes from pursuing God. The deeper the pursuit, the greater the humility. The more you learn about God, and experience His presence, the more grateful you’ll be in expressing it to Him (and others). Selfishness is the opposite of love, and Humility is the tunnel that bridges the gap. It (humility) leads you into the endless possibilities that only love can provide. Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less. Never forget that.

3 Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Romans 12:3

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Romans 12:9-11

Godfidence.....

Godfidence - knowing we are declared righteous by God (undeservedly), and being assured that we will inherit eternal life. Instead of trying to be confident in ourselves, why not pursue this virtue? It’s something no one can ever diminish, or take away. And it’s something we can always draw on to renew our hope.

4 But–“When God our Savior revealed His kindness and love, 5 He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. 6 He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 Because of His grace He declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.” 8 This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on these teachings so that all who trust in God will devote themselves to doing good. These teachings are good and beneficial for everyone. Titus 3:4-8

Train Yourself....

Train yourself to see spiritually, and you will begin to learn to know God’s will for your life. It begins by changing the way you think. The world’s system is man’s attempt to live and be happy without God. Conformity is change from the outside in - the flesh. Transformation is change from the inside out - the Spirit. Ask God to help you see more clearly. Then act on what you know to be true. It’s a one way process (inside out). Choose wisely. ~br>
2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2

The Only True God...

In Psalm 95, we read about how God is the only true God, not a pagan god placed high in a hill. For He holds the hills in His hands. How can God be held in His own hands? Just food for thought.

1 Come, let us sing to the Lord!Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.2 Let us come to Him with thanksgiving.Let us sing psalms of praise to Him.3 For the Lord is a great God,a great King above all gods.4 He holds in His hands the depths of the earthand the mightiest mountains.5 The sea belongs to Him, for He made it.His hands formed the dry land, too. Psalms 95:1-5

Stop Listening, Start Telling...

Reading through the book of Job, you begin to see the struggle Job was experiencing. He was literally suffering physically, relationally, and emotionally. He had just lost all of his children, a grief most would never recover from. He suffered physically; boils from head to toe. And to add to this unbearable infliction, Job’s friends have now falsely accused him of hiding a secret sin and demanding him to repent. All of this would’ve killed 99.9% of us. Not Job, even though he wanted to die, to the point he even stated that he wished he had never been born. This struggle is a perfect example of the battle all of us face when adversity pays us a visit. We experience a wide array of emotions, from “poor me” to “”I don’t deserve this”. But we also know the truth as well. This book of Job shows the two sides of a man, one that follows his feelings, and one that knows the truth and acts on it. We learn that we must go with what we know to be true, even at the expense of our feelings. Instead of listening to our selves, we need to tell ourselves what we know to be true. Think about it: if you base your life on how you feel, what’s it going to be like? A roller coaster of a ride; an unstable, inconsistent, wishy-washy, non-stable existence. But if we base our life on what we know to be true; God is sovereign, He has our back, He loves us enough to give us “free will”, then we can experience the peace that only He can give. When we align our will with His will, we are more willing to let go, and move on, than if we refuse to let Him be in charge of our lives. The point here is this: even though he suffered, Job knew his true alliance was to God, His Rock. We must realize this same truth and do whatever it takes to ween ourselves from the bottle of selfishness. If we don’t, when adversity pays us a visit, we will not make it through. We will become bitter and useless. Is that what you want? I certainly don’t. Life is hard, I don’t need to make it any harder. Remember Who your allegiance is to, and act accordingly.

3 “You must defend my innocence, O God, since no one else will stand up for me. Job 17:3

Dubious Questions...

Why do we exist? Why should we trust God? What’s the point of getting out of bed every morning? God is sovereign, omnipotent, immutable, and lovingly just. Do you believe this? If so, then serving Him quenches the thirst of our dubious questions.

36 For everything comes from Him and exists by His power and is intended for His glory. All glory to Him forever! Amen. Romans 11:36

Reason To Be Humble....

There are many reasons to be humble. It’s part of God’s character, and so it should be part of ours as well. There are so many references to humility in the Bible. These are reminders to us to keep our perspectives and attitudes in check. Here’s one in Romans chapter 11. Read it and let it really sink in. God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Never forget this. Forge it into your character. If you don’t, someone else will.

19 “Well,” you may say, “those branches were broken off to make room for me.” 20 Yes, but remember–those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen. 21 For if God did not spare the original branches, He won’t spare you either. Romans 11:19-21