Studying Humility: Part 1

Dear Friends, in my quiet time I'm studying humility. While I'm on this journey I'll share scriptures or quotes that really impact my heart.

Isaiah 66:2,“This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” 

Prov. 25:27“It is not good…to seek one’s own honor”

Today I have a long but easy-to-read and powerful quote from Bible.org. Here is the link to the whole article: http://bible.org/seriespage/humility

Honor comes from God, and it comes – as counter-intuitive as this seems – as the result of downward mobility. Jesus chose downward mobility, a descent from the heights of heaven to a teenager’s womb to a cattle trough to a peasant home to a dusty road to a cross to a tomb. Jesus didn’t surrender a little; he surrendered everything completely, confident that his Father would take care of the outcome. The most powerful person who ever walked on the planet calls us and says, “I served you, and now I’m asking you to serve others. A servant is not greater than his master. If I did this for you, you must do this for one another. I’ll take care of your dignity. You don’t have to take yourself so seriously, because I take you seriously.” 

 If a man does not understand that, he will live in constant insecurity. We all know what insecure people look like. Always searching for approval, they cannot relax. They’re driven. They never reach the mark, so there’s a perfectionism that torments them and everyone around them. Often, their self-esteem is tied to their material possessions, and it’s so important to always have something a little bit newer, a little bit better than the other guy. Because insecurity and envy often go together, they relentlessly find faults with others. Pride seeks the higher place; envy has to do with resenting others’ good fortune. An insecure person is so focused on image rather than substance that they have a persona. They have an image that they have to sustain, and our culture supports that. Proud people are defensive. They cannot handle criticism or rebuke. They cannot receive it, and, therefore, it’s hard for them to be teachable, because they always have to defend that image, that position.

...The Scriptures tell us that he (Jesus) understood three things before he assumed the role of a lowly servant and began to wash the feet of the disciples: Jesus understood where he had come from, that all things had been given to him and where his final destiny would lead Him (John 13:3). In other words, he understood his true identity, true dignity and true significance. He knew who he was, why he had come and where he was going.

Likewise, you and I, as new creations in Christ, can have the same security. We have transferred our trust from ourselves to him, and in so doing we receive the abundant life he promised us (John 10:10). We are no longer in the line of Adam; we are in the line of Christ (Rom. 5:12-21). The significance of this may escape us, but this means nothing less than that we have come forth from God (John 1:12-13; 3:6). It means that every spiritual blessing has been given to us (Eph. 1:3). It means that our eternal destiny is at home in heaven (Phil. 3:20-21).

What I find most beautiful, most significant in this quote? This right here:  ...The Scriptures tell us that he (Jesus) understood three things before he assumed the role of a lowly servant and began to wash the feet of the disciples: Jesus understood where he had come from, that all things had been given to him and where his final destiny would lead Him (John 13:3). In other words, he understood his true identity, true dignity and true significance. He knew who he was, why he had come and where he was going.

Friends, in Christ we have our true identity, true dignity, and true significance.

Let us not chase after the things of this world, which cheapen who we are. We have come forth from God, and that is infinitely more than enough. We can bow low as a servant because we have nothing to prove, nothing to defend. No image to uphold. We can live a life that points to Christ, reflects Christ, embodies Christ, when we give ourselves fully to Him, trusting in the worth that comes from being born of God and loved by God.

A Portrait of True Hospitality

The surest way to judge someone's hospitality gift is to take your touchy-feely littles over to their house. Do you know what I'm saying, mamas? The experience can be warm and wonderful, or nerve-wracking and disastrous. You might drive away from one house with the warm fuzzies, and from another horribly embarrassed and lecturing the little ones.

And afterwards, spankings handed out at home, you slump in a chair, wondering what in the world happened. You don't often have this kind of trouble with them; by golly, what was it today ?

Maybe you feel a tad guilty for disciplining them, because somehow, you feel partially responsible.

I'm not saying kids should be allowed to climb all over furniture and break knickknacks, making nuisances of themselves. It might happen occasionally with the under-four set, but it's never okay; discipline required.

Today we took a quick trip over to an aunt's house and stayed outside. We hadn't been there in quite some time, and we found they had new things in their yard, like a brick-bordered flowerbed and an eye-level windchime. My 4-and 6-year-old girls were touchy-feely, wanting to rattle the windchime a bit and walk along the brick border. I said no and pulled them away, but it took a few times for them to get the message. They weren't rough or doing any harm; they couldn't have ruined anything they touched or stepped on. I just wanted to prevent any disasters and set the tone.

One thing's for sure, they didn't understand my nervous vibes. 

Friends, this aunt and uncle care about their stuff. They don't want little hands checking out the lace on their curtains. There's no materialism in the sense that they buy every new thing--they live modestly in fact--but their house is filled with knickknacks purchased as gifts probably from their kids and grandkids. Nothing pricey, but there's always the nervous tension that comes when people who care about their stuff encounter little children.

I feel this tension the moment we arrive, and it steadily climbs. My kids are curious in that house, possibly because I have very few knickknacks, preferring a tidier look to my rooms. Neither my walls nor my tabletops are cluttered or busy.

As soon as we got into the van after the 20-minute visit, I was livid with the girls. My aunt hadn't seen them in quite a while and her impression was surely that they were testy, ornery girls, when in fact, I rarely have trouble with them in public places.

Once home, as the clocked ticked into the afternoon, I continued to teach, hang laundry, and wipe down bathrooms, but all the while I stewed and tried to get to the bottom of the whole behavioral nightmare and what part I might have played in it.

It really puzzled me, because in the last two weeks we've been to the AWANA leader's house twice, and both times it was a wonderful experience.

Do you know what Erica, the leader said, almost right away, the first time my 4-year-old reached to touch something?

"Oh, that's okay. They can touch anything; I don't care about my stuff."

She had few knickknacks, thank goodness, and what's more, she hadn't bothered to mop or vacuum before the two social events we were there for. There wasn't clutter, but since the house was also home to two frisky dogs, it definitely didn't have a clean appearance.

I marveled at this because I stress about my house and clean it right perfect before I have guests...at great cost to the whole family and to my time. I would probably have people over a lot more if I didn't feel a certain level of cleanliness was required. Clutter is not good, but do all the floors need mopped, and does the bathroom need to shine just so, as well as the wood?

For heaven's sake, no. Why can't I get that?

My whole family loves going to Erica's house, who is a wife and a mom to two teens, and a children's church coordinator. She loves my kids and she loves having us and many more families over for cookouts.

She says the same thing to every parent: "I don't care about my stuff."

And something happens to every parent upon hearing this. They relax. And the more relaxed Mom and Dad are, the less the kids get testy. The better they behave and the more they charm, because there's no tension in the air to mess everyone's emotions up.

The Lord opened my eyes to several things today, including my ugly pride.

I'm not exactly going to give my girls an apology for spanking them after the visit, because they did defy me, after all, about touching things.

But now I'm more keenly aware of the tension-over-stuff phenomena that occurs at some houses. And instead of going to those houses, I'll invite them to my house instead, if possible.

Here, we don't care about our stuff.

And in the future, this Momma is going to care less about cleanliness and concentrate instead on clearing clutter. I'm far more likely to extend hospitality when I only have clutter to attend to, and not three hours of cleaning on top of it.

Will people notice some dirt? Maybe. Will it make them think less of me? Probably not. Will they feel comfortable in my home, like they can relax, put their feet up and enjoy the fellowship? Absolutely.

What would Jesus do? 

He would care about people. The human angle always...never the material angle. He would have Christians gather together often, not just in the church building on Sunday, but in each other's homes, building one another up in Christ. Laughing, dining, loving, praying. Doing life together and bearing burdens.

Now, your turn. What have you learned about hospitality?

Ephesians 6:7
Rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man,

image

Behold Wondrous Things

We're blessed to have a pastor who, though only 33 years old, preaches very well and bravely exhorts as well. He's quick to remind us that if we can't find our Bibles on Sunday morning in the rush to get ready for church, perhaps it's because we haven't opened them since the previous Sunday?

Our Heavenly Father has so much for us. He's wanting always to give us good gifts, and guess where the bulk of those gifts are kept?

That's right...in our Bibles. God beckons us to come to Him and receive. Come and be filled to overflowing.

God's plan is for our stay here on Earth to be rich in meaning, love, joy, and peace, despite the human condition.

But Satan has a plan too. There's much in the world that makes our stay here rotten, like the stench of sin. The allure, and then the stench, is everywhere. We can't protect ourselves or our children enough.

The speech teacher three of my children go to has a speech game on her iPad. Twice monthly we go to speech and yet I hadn't heard anything about this iPad. I didn't realize my girls knew of the existence of the iPad, since no commericals come into our home. There's a lot we spare them by not having a TV signal, and by not using the Internet as TV.  I don't even realize all that we're missing, but I'm grateful.

But suddenly, this week, my mostly-unmaterialistic girls are asking for an iPad and I'm grieving at their coveting.

We teach purchasing on a needs-basis only, with few exceptions per year (such as pre-used, purposeful items). Our Compassion children's faces on our kitchen cupboards remind us of where our money is better spent. There's a sinful discrepancy in the way the first world lives compared to the third world, and I don't want to be a part of that discrepancy, except to try to correct it.

Well girls, I said, an iPad might be necessary for competing in the business world, but we're not in that world so we won't be getting one; we have a computer already. Think of the significant, life-changing benefits our Compassion children would enjoy with the same $400 - $700. And you? You would just have a second computer....one that would entice you to spend more and more.

But even before the words left my mouth, I knew my lecturing was worthless next to the Power of God; only God changes hearts. I'm an imperfect parent and as such, I have no power by myself. My only power comes from God...the oral reading (for my girls especially) and teaching of the Word of God, and my prayers.

Maybe in your house it isn't an iPad and materialism this week, but a teen who wants to date and touch. You can try hard to keep your teen separated from her beloved beau, but ultimately, the Word of God and your prayers are the real power.

As parents and as Christians, we can't afford to leave the Bible on the end-table or bedside, unopened, all week. Doing so is trading God's peace for Satan's stench. It doesn't take long for a Christian worldview to water down, inviting sin into our lives.

Dear Friends, none of us is immune. We desperately need the Word of God, everyday. If there's a newborn in the house or littles and we can't manage everyday, then can we listen to the Word of God, with just an Internet connection? We can do it! We just have to understand the impact and thirst for more of God.

Prayer Time: Dear Heavenly Father, we love you. We thank you for the wondrous gifts you offer in your Word. May we receive those gifts unto ourselves and thirst for more. Make us thirst for your peace and your righteousness, not Solomon's empty experiences. The world empties us, but you fill us. Oh, Lord, may we be filled to overflowing and bring glory to You.

In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

Here are some scriptures that teach the value and the gift of God's Word:

Psalm 119:105     
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Joshua 1:8     
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Romans 15:4     
For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Hebrews 4:12          
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Psalm 119:18 Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.

1 Peter 2:2
Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—

2 Timothy 3:16-17     
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

Matthew 4:4          
But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Psalm 119:10-11          
With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.