“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
James 1:22 (NIV) It says in Mark 12:30: “You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength” (NLT). One way to look at this verse is to focus on loving God with all your talk, all your feelings, all your thinking, and all your acting. God shaped you to be primarily a talker, a feeler, a thinker, or a doer. Talkers love God with their hearts. Feelers love God with their souls. Did you know that you can also love God with your intellect? Thinkers love God with their minds. When you’re developing and strengthening your mind, it is an act of worship. Thinkers love Bible study. Psalm 119:97 says, “How I love your law! I think about it all day long” (GNT). People who are thinkers fall in love with the Bible when they become believers. There is no other book in the world like it! It has the answers to life’s questions, including: Why am I here? Where am I going? What is the purpose of life? Does my life matter? What’s the past? What’s the future? Where did I come from? We need thinkers because the world needs consideration. Somebody has to be thinking through complex issues and the implications of what the rest of us are doing. We need people who think through tough problems and bring solutions to the table. That’s why we need scientists, writers, philosophers, and innovators. But thinkers have to be careful to practice humility. The Bible says, “Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom” (Proverbs 3:7 NLT). Why? Because God is God, and you’re not. Humility is a choice. Not once in the Bible are you ever told to pray for God to humble you. It says to “humble yourself before the Lord.” It’s a choice. Humility is something you do to yourself. Nobody else can do it to you. They can humiliate you, but they can’t make you humble. In essence, humility is total dependence on God. It’s not denying your strengths; it’s being honest about your weaknesses. Thinkers also need to be careful to practice what they know. If you know it, then do it! James 1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (NIV). God’s Word is our manual for life; he wants us to use it to learn how to do things his way. He’s our Creator, and he knows the best way we should live. And we can count on this: God is always right there with us, helping us to follow his instructions.
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“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV) God doesn’t listen to prideful complaining, but he does listen to humble confessing. God responds to humility. Many people hesitate to admit their sins because they think they’re going to get punished. But God already knows about all your sin! He knows every mistake you’ve made in your entire life. He just wants you to confess them. He wants you to show humility. When you are humble before God, he doesn’t respond with punishment. He responds with forgiveness, mercy, and blessing. God’s not going to take you down—that’s what your pride does. When you humbly confess your sin, God is quick to forgive. He gives grace to the humble. The Greek word for “confess” is homologeo. Homo means “same.” Logeo means “to speak.” To confess simply means to agree with God about your sin. You say to him, “You’re right. That was a sin. I don’t want to make excuses for it. You told me not to do it, but I did it anyway. It was wrong. It was rebellion against you.” Daniel said, “We have sinned and done wrong,” but he didn’t just stop there: “We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened to your servants . . . Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame” (Daniel 9:5-7 NIV). Daniel got very specific with his confession, and you need to as well. Don’t lump all your sins from today together, as if you’re too busy to name them. God wants you to be specific, because he wants you to know what not to do again. Knowing that the Israelites didn’t deserve God’s blessing, Daniel threw himself on the grace of God. When you humbly confess your sin to God, you are surrendering your will to his. You are acknowledging your weakness and asking for God’s mercy. God’s answer is always grace. “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV). “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way."
Psalm 25:9 (NIV) Humility is not thinking less of yourself. You can be confident and humble at the same time! Humility is thinking of yourself less. When you stay focused on God and helping other people, you naturally think about yourself less. That’s not an easy way to live. Why would anybody choose to think of others more than they think of themselves? Because God makes many promises in the Bible for Christians who will humble themselves. Humility is a big deal to God. Here are four things God will do in your life when you work on being humble. If you’re humble, God will guide you. If you don’t know which way to turn—whether to get in or get out, hold on or let go—then get humble. When you humble yourself, God will make your next step clear. You’ll make fewer mistakes in life! “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way” (Psalm 25:9 NIV). If you’re humble, God will bless you. These promises are all through Scripture, like Isaiah 66:2: “I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts” (NLT). God doesn’t bless egotistic or prideful people or those who secretly think they’re better than everybody else. He blesses the humble. If you’re humble, God will give you the power to change. The power to change is called grace. Maybe there are things in your life you’d like to change. Perhaps you’ve tried to change, but you can’t or you won’t. You need grace! How do you get God’s grace and the power to change? “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6 NLT). Every time you’re prideful, you’re on the opposite side of God—and you don’t want to be there. The humbler you are, the more grace God gives you. If you’re humble, God will reduce your stress. If you’re prideful, your stress is going to go up. Instead, listen to Jesus: “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29 NLT). When you’re tapped out and feel like you have nothing left to give, surrender to Jesus. Spend time in the Bible, learning how to choose gentleness and humility by his example. Pray, and ask him for the grace to change. Then you’ll find the rest your soul has been craving. “Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves . . . You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to."
Philippians 2:3, 5-6 (NLT) The ability to be humble is a relationship builder. What is humility? It’s when you honor others above yourself, not always demanding or clinging to your rights. Pride, on the other hand, destroys relationships—and it shows up in a lot of different ways. It can make you critical, judgmental, competitive, stubborn, and unforgiving. Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride leads to destruction; a proud attitude brings ruin” (NCV). Pride is also self-deceiving. When you have a problem with pride, you struggle to see it in your life. But everyone else can see it in you! What does pride look like in a relationship? One, you always offer advice but never ask for it. Two, you can’t admit when you’ve had a tough week. Everybody else is saying, “Yeah, this last week was tough.” But you can’t seem to admit you have any problems. But how does humility play out in a relationship? Notice the five relationship builders in 1 Peter 3:8: “Live in harmony, be sympathetic, love each other, have compassion, and be humble” (GW). The first four are really built on the fifth one: Be humble. And it’s an excellent model for relationships. How does humility happen in your life? It happens by letting Jesus control your thoughts, heart, attitudes, and reactions. Growing in humility has to include Jesus. The basic law of relationships is this: You tend to become like the people you spend time with. If you spend time with grumpy people, you get grumpier. If you spend time with happy people, you get happier. If you want to have more humility, spend time with Jesus Christ in prayer and reading his Word. Just talk to him. He is humble and wants a relationship with you. Growing in humility may seem like a tall order, but it’s possible with Jesus. Take the first step toward humility and become a relationship builder today. “Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”
Philippians 2:6-8 (NLT) Happiness comes from harmony, and harmony comes from humility. Jesus is your ultimate example of humility. So if you want to be a happy, humble person, you have to learn to ask yourself: “What would Jesus do?” What would Jesus do in this problem? What would Jesus do for that person who’s hurting? What would Jesus do at the office, on the golf course, or in your marriage? When you ask what Jesus would do, your answer will always be a humble one that builds harmony and happiness rather than difficulty, defeat, bitterness, and resentment. So, what does it mean to act like Jesus? 1. Don’t demand what you think you deserve. Philippians 2:6 says, “Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to” (NLT). Do you know how countercultural it is to give up your right to something? Yes, you have rights, but demanding your rights isn’t the best way to get your needs met. You can be tender without surrender; you can be understanding without demanding. 2. Look for ways you can serve. Philippians 2:7 says, “Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being” (NLT). If you want to be like Jesus, you have to learn to serve. If you’re uncertain how or where to serve, analyze your SHAPE and look at the needs around you. 3. Do what’s right, even when it’s painful. Philippians 2:8 says, “He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross” (NLT). Jesus is the ultimate model of humility. In fact, Philippians goes on to say that, because of Jesus’ humility, “God elevated him to the place of highest honor” (Philippians 2:9 NLT). When you follow Jesus’ example, God will honor your humility too with harmony and happiness. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Romans 12:21 (NIV) There may not be anything more counter-cultural in the world today than responding to evil with good. And because it’s so counter-cultural, it can be one of the hardest things to do. When someone is trying to make trouble in your life, you need to respond positively. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21 NIV). That’s a step of faith, isn’t it? Because everything in you probably wants to overcome evil with evil and fight darkness with more darkness. That’s what the world tells you to do: Fight dirty. That’s why it takes faith to go against what your flesh and culture are telling you to do and instead trust in God and respond to darkness with his light. You fight darkness with light. You fight hatred with love. You fight unkindness with kindness. You don’t let evil overcome you. You overcome evil with good. That’s tough to do. But it gets even tougher: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44 NIV). Is that easy? No. Is it unusual? Yes. Is it a choice? Absolutely. It’s your choice to be better than the bully. Choosing light over darkness means walking the way of Jesus. And Jesus wouldn’t just walk away from a fight and forget. He would lay down his life if that’s what he needed to do to show how much he loves someone—and that’s exactly what he did. God doesn’t want you to retaliate. He also wants you to do good. He wants you to show love to even the hardest hearts by praying for them and asking God to give them hearts like his. Jesus gave us the greatest example of responding in love and praying for enemies. When you follow his example, you’re going to stand out in a world where everyone thinks of themselves first. Taking the step of faith to overcome evil with good will not always be easy, but it will make you a powerful witness for Jesus. “We have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations. We have refused to listen to your servants the prophets, who spoke on your authority to our kings and princes and ancestors and to all the people of the land.”
Daniel 9:5-6 (NLT) Daniel shows us six key principles during his prayer in Daniel 9. The first five of these principles are:
Finally, we need to humbly confess our sin. God won’t listen to prideful complaining, but he will listen to humble confessing. God responds to humility. God already knows every foolish thing you’ve ever done in your life, but he still wants you to confess your sin. How does God respond when you humbly admit you blew it? He responds with forgiveness, mercy, and grace. Confessing simply means agreeing with God about your sin. You tell God he is right—what you did was sin. You don’t make excuses. You don’t call it a mistake. You admit that you were wrong. Get specific with your confession like Daniel did in Daniel 9:5-6:“We have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations. We have refused to listen to your servants the prophets, who spoke on your authority to our kings and princes and ancestors and to all the people of the land” (NLT). Daniel didn’t end there, either. His confession went on for another 10 verses as he painstakingly described his sin. He agreed with God that the Israelites had brought disgrace and shame on themselves, been unfaithful to God, paid no attention to what the Lord had told them, and been oblivious to God’s warnings. That’s pretty specific. Daniel’s prayer helps us understand how our unconfessed sin creates distance between God and us—and it’s a powerful reminder of how God answers our prayers as we agree with him about our sin. He is always faithful to forgive us when we come to him with a humble heart. “So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.”
1 Peter 5:6 (NLT) When you’re successful, it’s much easier to fall hard than it is to maintain your success. We tend to get proud and forget about God, and success crumbles when we do that. If you’ve found yourself in that situation, the first step to take is absolutely critical. The Bible says, “Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you” (Revelation 2:5 NIV). If you’re getting proud, you must repent. That means you change your mind. You go from thinking one way about your life to thinking another way. Why repent? Because humility is a choice. We’re never told in Scripture to pray for God to make us humble. It’s something you choose for yourself. The Bible says, “So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor” (1 Peter 5:6 NLT). Here’s the difference between pride and humility: Pride is when you accept credit for things that God and other people did through you and for you. Humility doesn’t mean thinking of yourself less. It means thinking of others and God more. If you have experienced some success and are beginning to get prideful, then repent--today! Change your perspective about who you are and where your success comes from. The Bible says, “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12 NIV). “I don’t mean to say I’m perfect. I haven’t learned all I should even yet, but I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ saved me for and wants me to be. No, dear brothers, I’m still not all I should be” (Philippians 3:12-13 TLB).
When Paul wrote this Scripture, he was an older man in prison in Rome. He was at the end of his life. He was an incredibly mature person. Yet he said he hadn’t arrived. If anybody had the right to say, “I’ve arrived spiritually,” it would be the guy who wrote so much of the New Testament. But Paul said, “No, I haven’t arrived. I’m still growing. I’m still learning. I’m still becoming more like Christ.” What’s the trap that will keep you from following Paul’s example and continuing to grow in Christ? Pride. Pride will keep you from growing because when you pretend you’ve got it all together, you won’t make an effort to become more spiritually mature. No one has it all together! Humility leads to happiness because it makes you teachable. Happy people never stop growing. Happy people never stop discovering, never stop stretching, never stop learning. If you’ve stopped growing, you’re miserable, because you were made to grow. Happiness and humility go together because humble people are teachable. They are always asking, “How can I be a better spouse? How can I be a better friend? How can I be a better boss? How can I be a better follower of Jesus?” “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! ” (2 Corinthians 13:5 ESV). “Be humble and give more honor to others than to yourselves” (Philippians 2:3 NCV).
Pride destroys relationships. It shows up in a lot of different ways, like criticism, competition, stubbornness, and superficiality. The problem with pride is it’s self-deceiving. Everybody else can see it in us but us. When you have a problem with pride, you don’t see it in your life. Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride leads to destruction; a proud attitude brings ruin” (NCV). I love this verse in the Message paraphrase: “First pride, then the crash—the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.” Pride destroys relationships, but humility is the antidote to pride. Humility builds relationships. The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:8, “Everyone must live in harmony, be sympathetic, love each other, have compassion, and be humble” (GW). How are you and I going to grow in humility? It happens by letting Jesus Christ begin to control our thoughts and hearts and attitudes and reactions. He’s got to be a part of this. Ephesians 4:23-24 says, “Let the Spirit change your way of thinking and make you into a new person” (CEV). How do you become a new person? How do you start to think in a different way? The basic law of relationships is this: You tend to become like the people you spend time with. If you spend time with grumpy people, you get grumpier. If you spend time with happy people, you get happier. If you want to have more humility, spend time with Jesus Christ. He is humble. He wants a relationship with you. He wants you to spend time with him in prayer and reading his Word and talking to him. He is humble, and as you get to know him, you’ll become more like him. “Be humble and give more honor to others than to yourselves . . . You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to” (Philippians 2:3, 5-6 NCV/NLT). No one has done anything more humble than Jesus, coming from heaven to Earth to become a man, live for us, give his life for us, and be resurrected for us. When you spend time with him, it makes you more humble, and that builds your relationships. |
AuthorTaken from Daily Hope by Rick Warren. Categories
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