Staying Humble

Sunday, May 7, 2017

Staying Humble

Scripture:

Matthew 5:3

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Psalm 34:18

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Luke 18:14

“..I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Proverbs 29:23

One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.

Isaiah 57:15

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

James 2:5

Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?

Devotional:

Blessed are the poor in spirit. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Poor in spirit refers to a lack of spiritual arrogance. Pride. Arrogance. Judgment. How difficult it is to be around someone who is this way, and how easy to fall into even a subtle spiritual pride when we think we know something. And yet, what a breath of fresh air it always is to be in the presence of someone who loves the Lord, is wise and tenderhearted, and recognizes their need for the Savior above all else.

As a worship leader, I find myself around people of all facets of the faith. Different denominations that I have visited have different emphases, and in some cases build their entire faith around one emphasis. In certain cases, I find myself having to truly examine the case they have built, and take the time to make sure that what I see in Scripture truly does line up with my own way of believing. In most cases, however, the lines are so dim that it does seem that the fine points of difference simply do not truly affect our eternal security. It is when I and the others can be humble to embrace the differences and learn from them that I have learned the most. I have been both rudely ignored and gently and lovingly embraced in these situations. I am not one to go out of my way to explain or defend my belief system, except in my personal writing, but the answer to the question “where do you go to church” is usually enough to elicit the response that reveals the heart of the person asking the question. A calm and simple response led by the Holy Spirit generally reveals my heart as well, which is that I love the Lord and His people deeply.

In my home, as my children are entering into the age of understanding faith and truth, it has become so clear to me how precious this time is and how important it is to remain spiritually humble. Each day I become more convinced that my job is truly stripped and simple: To lead my children to faith in Jesus Christ and to walk out that faith in beauty, humility, and purity every day.

Oh, Lord, let it be!

Last night, I held my sweet and beautiful and spirited daughter in my arms as she prepared to go to sleep. We prayed  together, talked about our day in her silly toddler talk, and shared our hearts. She shared a little five fingered prayer she learned in church and coached me through it: Thank You, God, I love You, God, forgive me, God, help others, God, Help me, God. I found myself deeply moved by this sweet and pure exchange. She has taken to praying at family meals in her sweet and innocent way (OK, sometimes to get us to hurry up and eat!), and regularly begins to sing “God is so good” from a place that is so gentle, sweet and innocent that my heart leaps for joy. I do believe that if we took a prideful stance, we would miss the opportunity to receive from her beautiful heart to minister.

I pray that as she develops, and as my son grows and is able to communicate how God is touching his heart, we are able to with humility walk out parenting them and be instrumental in their walk with the Lord. We do not do everything right. We have flaws, and struggle with problems in our attitudes. But staying humble, recognizing our need for our Savior, and refusing to take a prideful attitude is the recipe that I hope will allow us to see the Kingdom as a reality in our world and in our eternity.

Prayer:

Father, I ask You to reveal to me any spiritual arrogance that might be creeping around in my heart. I give it to You and ask You to remove it and replace it with humility and awareness of my need for You.

I thank You for the honor of mothering this (these) child(ren), and ask that You would show me the best ways to minister Your Truth to them that they might receive You early and walk with you all the days of their life (lives).

I lift up (area of pressing need or concern) and thank You that You do not grow weary of hearing me about this. You don’t mind at all that I bring it to you all the time! I will continue to lift this need to You and trust that even when I don’t understand, You are in favor of us in this area and desire our best.

I bless You, Lord, and give you this day.

In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.