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”

 

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* 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.

 

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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. 

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* 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.

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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.

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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.  

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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.

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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) 

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September 21 – Trust and Cast Off

“When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.” Psalm 56:3 (NASB)
“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)

Two verses today affirm the promise that we can depend upon God to care for us and to take care of us – especially when we are in upsetting circumstances. Notice: the verse in Psalm 56 does not say, “I never struggle with fear.” Fear strikes without warning sometimes and other times we see it approaching like a stampede of buffalo on the prairie. The battle begins. The Bible does not teach that true believers will have no anxieties. Instead, the Bible tells us how to fight when they strike. The promise in 1 Peter 5:7 gives us our strategy when fear and anxiety come upon us. Are we feeling fear, worry, or other forms of anxiety these days?  Has an uncertain future disturbed the life we had several months ago? Dealing with feelings of anxiety every day is more or less normal. The question we have is: How do we fight them? We fight anxieties by fighting against unbelief and fighting for faith in future grace by meditating on God’s promises and assurances of future grace and by asking for the help of his Spirit. (1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7)

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June 2 – Casting Cares

“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)

We have a comforting promise to consider today. "He (God) cares for you."  Yes, he does and that is why in our verse today we find a way to obey and follow the command given to us.  Humility is a very important state of mind for the Christian.  Matthew 5:5 tells us that God blesses those who are humble.  Humility is also described as being gentle, or meek. Another promise today is that those who do humble themselves will be exalted by God’s mighty power and hand at the proper time.  The humble while on earth are often cast aside and ignored but one day in His kingdom God will lift them up. Humility is one of the ways those entering the Kingdom will live while on earth.  Sometime we hear the term “real humility,” or “authentic humility.”  That is the only kind that ever is.  And this is how we do it - entrusting oneself and one's troubles to God.  He cares for us and He wants us to depend fully on him no matter what our cares are.  Let’s cease from trying to manage and cast them instead on God as he has told us to.  

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January 25 – Power Under Control

“God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.”  - Matthew 5:5 (NLT)

This is the third Beatitude in the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus intended to teach his disciples about the ways of the Kingdom of God.  But so many people, followed him it became the first major public sermon by Jesus.  The word for the character used here is ‘humble.’  Other versions use the word ‘meek’ and some ‘gentle’.  Many misunderstand that this is NOT the same as weak.  In our mixed-up world, we’ve devalued the meaning of meek. It really means “Power under control.”  Jesus was one who was meek. He enters Jerusalem just one week before His crucifixion , “Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey—riding on a donkey’s colt.’" Matthew 21:5 (NLT)  The meek trust in God.  They delight in him.  God promises to give them the earth.  The meek know that they are already broken in spirit over their sin and  mourning over the consequence of it.  They stand humbly before God with nothing to commend themselves.  This is what Christ said characterizes people in his kingdom.

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December 17 – Knowing What is Required

“He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8 (NASB)

We often hear others say, and probably think and say ourselves, that we don't know what we are to do when faced with perplexing circumstances.  Although this message was given long ago to Old Testament people, it is timeless and applies to us today, too. This is a different kind of promise. It is a promise of what God has told us to do and how we should live and we ought to know it.  We can notice that the Lord expects His followers to deal in a certain way with other people. This is what and how God wants us to face every situation we encounter. He wants to act justly toward others. He wants us to be kind to all and to love doing so.  Such kindness is being merciful. And our Lord wants us to have the proper attitude toward Him which means we are to live our lives according to God's will. Those are precious words, are they not? “To walk humbly with your God.” He wants us to walk close to Him, to do it humbly. He has told us what is good and what He requires, so let’s follow His words today.

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November 23 – Constant Contentment

“I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.  I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”  -  Philippians 4:12-13 (NASB)

Each one of us walks this life encountering different circumstances, don't we?  Our circumstances can change quickly and we might go from low to high and then low again before we are ready for a change.  But our promise today is that we can be ready if we are willing to learn the secret of contentment in any and all circumstances. We may be experiencing prosperity but we don't put our trust in it for we know it is only temporary.  We may be stretched with challenges of meeting our daily responsibilities without fear or anxiety because we know that too is temporary.  Why?  How can we be content in both humble means and in prosperity?  Because we know this: like the Apostle Paul, we actually can make it through all things, all circumstances, face all comers, all challenges,  and do all things we are called to do IF we do them with faith through Him who will give us the strength He promises to give us.   

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October 23 – Easy and Light When Together

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”  Matthew 11:29-30 (NASB)

Life can become very arduous and difficult.  Our circumstances, situations and happenings can bear down upon us.  Jesus cares about us and this is an invitation extended  by Him to those who are weary and over-loaded.  It was part of His teaching when He was here on earth. The illustration He uses is the common practice of joining two animals together to accomplish needed task.  An inexperienced animal would learn how to pull together with one that knew how. Jesus wants to bring us close to Himself so that we will learn how to accomplish God’s will under His teaching. He wants us to learn how to work with Him for our own good. And as we work closely with Him we learn to trust Him to help us live as we should.  And in trusting Him we will have peace and spiritual rest. Let us respond to Him today for He promises that His yoke is easy and His burden is light because He is with us. 

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October 6 – Cost of Pride

“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.”  Daniel 4:37 (NASB)

Today we consider words of praise to Almighty God which were offered up and spoken not by a prophet or psalmist but by the King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar.  He had conquered the Nation of Judah and Jerusalem, destroying the Temple and the city wall.  He had taken captive most of the people and brought them to Babylon.  His story is in the Book of Daniel where in the fourth chapter, we read how God judged the proud king and humbled him by forcing him to live wild and alone for seven years.  These words of praise came from Nebuchadnezzar at the end of his punishment.  We believe the same about God that the king came to believe.  God's words are true and His ways are just.  God deserves praise and we are happy to exalt and honor the King of heaven.  Our promise is a warning too.  God is able to humble the proud.  Let's praise God and honor Him today as we recognize him as King of heaven.  

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December 9

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 (NIV)

Although this message was given long ago to Old Testament people, it applies to us today, too. We notice that the Lord expects His followers to deal in a certain way with other people. He wants to act justly toward others and yet to be kind and merciful. That is in our relationship with others. And then our Lord wants us to have the proper attitude to Him. Those are precious words, are they not? “To walk humbly with your God.” He wants us to walk close to Him always and to do it humbly. He has shown us what is good so let’s follow His words today.

October 3

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”  Matthew 11:29 (NIV)

This is an invitation given by our Lord Jesus when He was here on earth. The picture He draws is of the way people in those days joined two animals together to accomplish some needed work. An inexperienced animal would learn how to pull together with one that knew how. Jesus wants to bring us close to Himself so that we will learn how to accomplish God’s will. He wants to teach us how to work with Him for our own good. And as we work closely with Him our souls will be blessed. We will learn to trust Him and to help us live as we should. And in trusting Him we will have peace and spiritual rest. Let us respond to Him today. 

July 13

“For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation.” Psalm 149:4 (NIV)

There is something special about the last five psalms in our Bibles. Each begins and ends with the words, “Praise the Lord” which is the translation of the Hebrew word Hallelujah. We hear much in the Word about the love of God. We know that He is a God of compassion, that He feels sorry for us. And we’re glad for that because we sometimes come to Him in pretty bad shape. We’re glad that He takes us in anyway because of His love for us. But our God goes beyond feeling sorry for us – far beyond that. He takes delight in us. He is glad for us. He is happy that we are His. What a wonderful God He is! Allow Him to make us people He can be proud of.