Revelation of the Word:

THEME: CALL TO HUMILITY

James 4:6-10 NIV

“But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”

INSIGHT

-Submission to God in any and every sphere of our lives is humility. God is gracious to those who are humble, but He resists the proud. God calls each one to pursue their lusts no-longer but yield a humble obedience to Him in all things and He will lift us up. To resist with faith and steadfastness; the devil who is the father of pride, lies and envy, will flee from us. We are called to draw near to God in prayer and fasting, reading His word, worship and He will draw near to us. By His grace, blessings and divine enablement nothing may hinder our prayers and progress as pilgrims, delivered from corruption, double mindedness, idolatry, adultery and all evil.

SUMMARY

Humility is often characterized as genuine gratitude, a lack of arrogance, and a modest view of oneself. However, the biblical definition of humility goes beyond this. Humility is a critical and continuous emphasis on godliness in the Bible. We are called upon to be humble followers of Christ and trust in the wisdom and salvation of God. True humility is seeing ourselves as we truly are, fallen in sin and helpless without God. On the other hand, pride is when our focus turns more toward ourselves than to God. It happens when we boast of our own accomplishments, possessions, abilities, etc., instead of giving praise to the Lord for His grace in our lives. Paul admonishes us not to boast of,  rely or depend on our own wisdom, strength and riches. The only thing we are allowed to boast of is our understanding of the Lord in His kindness, justice and righteousness on earth. Walking in humility means that we act in a just manner full of love and mercy. It also means that we refrain from exalting ourselves but submitting totally to God and hearing the voice of the Lord at all times, for we are His flock. The truly wise man learns what God teaches; he knows how and why Judah will fall and is grieved and humbled by that knowledge; thus he will not boast in his wisdom. Knowing God means understanding His steadfast love (covenant faithfulness), justice (right judgment), and righteousness (right behavior, esp. in keeping his promises (Exodus 34:6–7; Psalm 103:8; Joel 2:12–14; Jonah 3:9–4:2). Paul applied the admonition “let him who boasts boast in the Lord,” based on this text, to the Corinthian Christians (1 Corinthians 1:31; 2 Corinthians 10:17).

PRAYER

Abba Father You are our God and we do not have any other. We ascribe to You and Your holiness this morning thanking You for the gift of life and gift of salvation. We ascribe to You glory and strength. We scribe to You glory due in Your name and worship You in Your holiness. Your voice Lord is over the waters, You God of glory thunders over the mighty waters. Your voice is powerful and majestic. Your name is to be feared over everything living and dead, seen and unseen. May You teach us and help us to humble ourselves before You and at Your appointed time You will lift us up. We thank You for continuing to shape our hearts, Father. May You Guide us to think of You and others more, and ourselves less. May You help our words and actions to reflect this change, and let us feel the contentment and joy that comes from being freed from pride. May You bless us and keep us dear Lord Jesus. May You shine Your face towards us and be gracious unto us. May You show Your countenance unto us and give us peace. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forevermore. Amen

Further reading: Revelation 3:15-16, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Blessed Weekend

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