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Falling Down: The “Trip” of Humility or Pride?

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Zephaniah 2:3 Seek the Lord [inquire for Him, inquire of Him, and require Him as the foremost necessity of your life], all you humble of the land who have acted in compliance with His revealed will and have kept His commandments; seek righteousness, seek humility [inquire for them, require them as vital]. It may be you will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger.

Since our church-wide fast in January I have been asking the Lord, What does humility, or humbling myself, look like – practically? There are several implications in this passage. “…seek humility [inquire for them, require them as vital].” Seek humility? Inquire for it? Require it? Humble people seek the Lord. Those who are seeking to humble themselves or put it into practice – SEEK the Lord through worship, thanksgiving, prayer, obedience, repentance, change in lifestyle, practicing things they have clearly been shown in Scripture – but have been ignoring, or disobeying. They seek the Lord through seeking after His Manifested Presence. They change their schedules to make room for more of His Presence. They open the Door of Revelation 3:20 – to spiritually “hear” the WAYS He speaks; to “feel” around to discover, Am I spiritually hot, cold, or lukewarm? They open the DOOR to Jesus, the DOOR, to “see” spiritually – asking, What Are You Showing Me? What do You want me to see – spiritually? Seekers – humble people, those who are trying to humble themselves before the Lord – will open the DOOR to make room for all of these things.

John 10:7 So Jesus said again, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that I Myself am the Door for the sheep. Only Jesus’ sheep go through His DOOR. You have to belong to Jesus to go through these kind of “doors.” You have to be able to “hear” and “see” to follow Jesus – to recognize His Voice. You have to be a sheep – not a goat. John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy…” What’s the thief going to steal, kill and destroy? You and I being sheep. What do sheep do? They eat, drink, and flock with other sheep. They follow the Shepherd. Where’s a shepherd going to be? With the flock – with the sheep. If you are following Jesus, the Shepherd, you are going to follow Him to where the flock is. The thief is going to convince you that you can be a sheep all by yourself. (Of course you can – while the “wolves” of life destroy your life)

Jesus’ sheep are humble. They are teachable. They follow the Shepherd. They recognize His Voice. They see and hear spiritually. As they humble themselves God’s Grace is abundantly supplied. Yet, God opposes all those who set themselves against His Shepherd (disobedience is opposition). As Scripture says, He knows the proud from afar. The Grace, or empowerment, desire, and thoughts – to seek God’s Presence, to humble yourself, to walk in humility, to be Jesus’s sheep, to follow the Shepherd, and enter the DOOR – is minimized. And Scripture is fulfilled: Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18) Isn’t it interesting that the word for prostration in the Hebrew is often translated “fall down?” There you have it: fall down on your own – in humility OR fall down in destruction – because of pride and haughtiness. What kind of “trip” do you want to take? Humility or PRIDE?

Time = Life

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Psalm 1:1-2 Blessed (happy, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather.2 But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night.

Julia Neves, in a web article titled, The Top Ten Time Wasters and How to Avoid Them wrote: Time wasters, by definition, are activities or tasks that drain our valuable time without contributing meaningful returns to our productivity, effectiveness, or fulfillment. They represent the errands we run, the habits we engage in, or even the tasks we undertake that, despite consuming time, offer little to no substantial value. Michael Gerber once stated: Time is just another word for life. If time is just another word for life then how would you describe your life? Are you an investor in time and life or are you one who wastes the life you have been given?

In this Psalm those who delight in the Lord, in His teachings and instructions, do not waste their time – their life – walking, standing, and sitting – with mockers, or scorners. Mocking and scorning are seen as actions that are contrary to the character and will of God. The Topical Bible states: These terms refer to the act of ridiculing, deriding, or showing contempt towards others, and they are often associated with pride, arrogance, and a lack of respect for God and His commandments. In the Old Testament these characteristics are associated with the sinful, wicked, and foolish. Proverbs 9:7-8 states: “He who corrects a mocker brings shame on himself; he who rebukes a wicked man taints himself. Do not rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.” This passage underscores the futility of attempting to correct those who are entrenched in mockery, as they are resistant to wisdom and correction. The Psalms also address the issue of mockery, often in the context of the righteous being scorned by the wicked. We see this attitude emerging powerfully during Jesus’ five governmental trials of the night before the religious leaders, Pilate, and Herod. Jesus is scorned and mocked by the Romans soldiers, by the thieves on the cross, and by the spectators of His crucifixion. They scorned and mocked Him to the bitter, triumphant end. One writer stated that mockery and scorn are seen as manifestations of a heart that is hardened against God. They are often linked with pride, as those who mock others elevate themselves above them, failing to recognize their own need for grace and redemption. And there it is. Grace is the need of every blood washed saint of Jesus. Grace is the empowerment to do the will of God. Grace is the empowerment that exceeds do-it-your-self righteousness. 2 Peter 3:18 states: But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. James 4:6-10 echoes this by stating: But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

To grow in Grace is to grow in agreement and alignment with God’s Word and Truth. To grow in Grace is a daily surrender of every thought that comes from the Spirit of God, and every reminder from the Word of God. To grow in Grace is to do the opposite of Romans 3:10-12. It is to seek to be rightly related to God and others; it is to seek understanding of the Word; it is to seek to be connected to the manifest Presence of God; it is to seek to bear fruit and be teachable; it is to turn to God – in every way of obedience and faith; and it is to seek to be good. Mockers and scorners are resisted by God. Mockers and scorners are not teachable, nor humble, nor meek. They resist the Truth and in their resisting their resist Jesus Who is the Truth. With all of that in mind what are you investing your life in? Where are you spending your time and life? Are you growing in humility, meekness, and dependence on the Lord? Are you growing in His Grace and see its’ vital need? Mockers, and scorners put out the fires of His Grace and grieve the Spirit of God’s presence in their life. But those who delight in God and His instruction are constantly meditating in and on His Word.