Humble....Revisited

In early August, I wrote a blog post about being humble. (You  can find it on the right side of the blog under "Blog Archive" by clicking "August, Humble". After posting it, I received constructive feedback from two dear friends that is important to share. Each gave a definition or clarification about the meaning of being humble which I neglected to make clear and am so glad they brought it to my attention!

My friend Elke shared this definition which she heard or read: "Humility is not thinking less of yourself it is thinking about yourself less." She said, "I like it because Christians have sometimes emphasized putting ourselves down, which isn't really Biblical if we believe we are created in God's image and 'God saw that it was good.' But it puts the other persons' needs before our own, just like Christ sacrificed for our needs."

 Genesis 1:27
"So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him; 
male and female he created them."

From my friend Steve: "When you speak of lowering one’s importance, I think it it is always good to affirm a persons value while they lower their sense of control or significance. Some people already have a very low opinion of themselves and consider themselves humble, but what really they are is proud because they are putting themselves down and not lifting anyone up. I love the definition of humility of: putting yourself down while you lift Jesus up. Just like John the Baptist said: 'I must decrease He must increase....' "

John 3:28-30

"You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, 

but I have been sent before him.’ The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. 

The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, 

rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. 

Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.

He must increase, but I must decrease.”

They are so right! We are created by the God of the universe and in His image; therefore, we all have value and are important. Absolutely! Where we run into trouble is when we start thinking that we are better or more important than another human being. So if we combine the definitions they shared, we have something like this:  

Humble: 
Lifting Jesus up at all times, 

showing God's love to others more, 

and thinking of ourselves less.

What do you think?

I want to end with the last part of what Steve shared, because I absolutely love how he worded it. 

"We were created as a testimony to the giving Love of God. And we are to give glory to him by being in the flow of that love constantly outward to others."

Isn't that beautiful? I can picture God's love like a river that is flowing over us and all around us and as we are swept away by His love, we cannot help but let that love, His love, flow out to others that we come in contact with each and every day. It does not diminish who we are, it simply points others to who He is. Now that is a beautiful picture of humility. 

Rejoice!! (Whatever...Part 4)

Paul says "Rejoice!" He doesn't say rejoice when there's no pandemic, rejoice when you're healthy, rejoice when the bills are paid, or only rejoice when you are happy and things are going well. He says "Rejoice in the Lord always!" Then he repeats himself "Rejoice!"  Here's where our word comes in...whatever is going on in our lives and the world around us we are to Rejoice! Rejoice always!

"Always", wow! That's tough. Always: "at all times, on all occasions" - Rejoice! We don't even have to feel like rejoicing to actually do it. As I was thinking about this and working on this post, I began to realize that I was interchanging the words praise, rejoice, and thanks. I came across this definition of the difference when I Googled it:

From truthimmutable.com 

   "To be thankful concerns our response to what God has done.
    'Rejoice in the Lord' is about our personal, 

        intimate response to our God
     Praise is about His glory and power

    Worship is about His holiness and majesty

    Thanksgiving is about His grace, mercy, 

        and provision and His work on our behalf."

        
Rejoicing "is about our personal, intimate response to our God". As I looked at these definitions, it became clear that rejoicing, praising and worshiping all focus on God's character, who He is apart from what He has done. It turns our focus to Him. God who does not change like shifting shadows. God who is all-sufficient, everlasting, everywhere, all-knowing, steadfast, faithful, true, unshakeable, immutable, creator, almighty and even more.

This really helps me to understand rejoicing always. It's a conscience decision to turn our thoughts from ourselves and our cares and struggles to our awesome God and respond by showing great joy in who He is no matter what the circumstances may be - there is always joy in who He is. There is every reason to rejoice in God always. He is worthy at all times and in every season because He never changes. 

So it really should not be tough at all to rejoice always, because it has nothing to do with us or whatever is going on in our world. It's all about our response to our great God. May we say with the Psalmist:

My mouth is filled with your praise,

declaring your splendor all day long.

Psalm 71:8

Whatever... (Part 3)

"Whatever..." Have you ever said that with an exasperated tone during an argument or when trying to explain something and the person looks at you blankly?  "Whatever" can be a conversation stopper, a sign of indifference, defeat, anger, giving up, pouting, not truly listening, or a reluctance to really communicate. It's so easy to think we are right and "whatever" can be a way to sidestep something uncomfortable, admit we are in error, or avoid dealing with what we really don't want to put effort into.

By contrast, in Philippians 4 the word "whatever" encompasses many examples of how to think which in turn will help us live a contented and more peaceful life. It all begins with our thought patterns: 

"Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Whatever you have learned, or received, or heard from me, or seen in me--put into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." 

Seven times the word "whatever" is used in verses 8 and 9. One of the definitions of whatever is: "used to emphasize a lack of restriction". In the above verses, I believe Paul, the writer, is saying don't hold back when thinking of things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy--fill your thoughts with these things. These words generate positive and uplifting thoughts which in turn will cause the same type of actions. 

"Whatever is true..."

This is really tough in the world of social media where so much information is flying around. How can we know what is true and what is not? Fact-finding takes time and effort. It's relatively easy to find posts that we agree with, but there are always two sides to every story. Video and audio clips can be altered or only certain portions shared, words are taken out of context, everyone has their agenda, their slant. The more we feed our own slant, the more divided we become with no one really listening or even trying to understand the opposing view. Just because someone says it is true or factual, does not make it so. We must look at the evidence.

Personally, I watch or read a little of news from different sources. It's amazing how different the "facts" can come across. I actually don't spend much time watching the news or scrolling through posts, but know I need to be aware of what's going on. My gauge of what is true comes from God's word and I believe my time is better spent there. Then I can listen and read without becoming entangled in all of the fear, hate, dissension and division that is swirling out of control. God's truth brings unity and peace and withstands the passing of time. I need to measure what I'm hearing or reading against what God says. 

Psalm 119:150-152

"Those who devise wicked schemes are near,

but they are far from your law.

Yet you are near, O LORD, 

and all your commands are true.

Long ago I learned from your statutes

that you established them to last forever."

2 Samuel 22:31

This God—his way is perfect;

the word of the Lord proves true;

he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

God's ways are perfect even though we cannot understand them. When we stand on the truths of His Word, then He is our shield, our refuge, our peace, our contentment. This world is going to pass away and what seems oh so important now, will one day disappear. The only thing that will matter is where we stand with God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

Decide today what you want to put your energy into. Are you living a life of peace or anger, unity or discord, following God's ways or the world's ways? Is what you are saying or posting really true? How do you know for sure? If you don't know for sure, then stop and research, try not to be trigger happy with the "share" button. Hey, I've done it, so I'm talking to myself also! 

For me, the one thing I know for sure and for certain that is true is the Word of God - the Bible. It is my desire to stand on those truths and post what will hopefully steer others to it and to God. I'm working on all of these "whatever is..." statements. I hope you will also. 

So the next time the temptation to blurt out an irritated "whatever..."  or the desire to fire off an annoyed or angry post crosses our minds, let's pause and think whether it fits any of the "whatever is..." thoughts of Philippians 4. If none of those positive thoughts fit, then let's stifle the annoyance, keep the conversation going with kindness and listening ears, walk away from the social media and seek to truly communicate with one another in the way God designed both face-to-face and online.

Let's replace "whatever..!" with an abundance of:

whatever is true

whatever is noble

whatever is right

whatever is pure

whatever is lovely

whatever is excellent

whatever is praiseworthy

Humble (Whatever...Part 2)

In my previous post, I mentioned that we needed to humble ourselves and repent individually of our own wrong thoughts or doings. As I have thought more about the passage in II Chronicles, the word "humble" keeps echoing in my mind. It seemed appropriate to look at what that means before continuing to dig into Philippians 4. As I watch the news and look at what is happening in our country and around the world, it feels like this word is not being exhibited very much. What does it really mean to be humble? How is it exhibited? 

Currently I am reading the book The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown. It is a fascinating account of nine university men competing to be in the number one boat with hopes of making it to the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The following excerpt caught my attention:

"The boys in the Clipper had been winnowed down by punishing competition, and in the winnowing a kind of common character had issued forth: they were all skilled, they were all tough, they were all fiercely determined, but they were also all good-hearted. Every one of them had come from humble origins or been humbled by the ravages of the hard times in which they had grown up. Each in his own way, they had all learned that nothing could be taken for granted in life, that for all their strength and good looks and youth, forces were at work in the world that were greater than they. The challenges they had faced together had taught them humility--the need to subsume their individual egos for the sake of the boat as a whole--and humility was the common gateway through which they were able now to come together and begin to do what they had not been able to do before."

These young men had been through many challenging situations in their young years, but had persevered, worked hard, never given up, and had learned how to work together for the good of all. In the process, they learned humility. They learned to not think too highly of themselves realizing that they could easily be replaced or left behind. They learned to pull together as if they were one. What a lesson for us today! If each person practiced being humble and good-hearted, what a change this world would see.

Our prime example of humility is our Savior, Jesus Christ. Who, even though He is God, humbled Himself and came to earth, for our sake, in obedience to His father. I was very disturbed to read that not only American flags are being burned in the streets of some cities, but Bibles also. Our ability to know right and wrong, plus how to find true and lasting freedom comes from the Bible. Those who would do such things show how very lost they are. Nothing speaks the truth and teaches us how to live together humbly and love one another better than God's word:

Philippians 2:3-11

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, 

but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, 

but also to the interests of others.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

who, though he was in the form of God, 

did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,

but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,

being born in the likeness of men. 

And being found in human form, he humbled himself 

by becoming obedient to the point of death, 

even death on a cross.

Therefore God has highly exalted him

 and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,

so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

One day we will all be humbled before God's throne. One day every knee will bow to Jesus and every tongue will confess that He is Lord. One day there will be no choice. Choose this day whom you will serve. I choose Jesus. Will you?

Whatever... (Part 1)

I've been wallowing in discontent. It makes me cringe to even type those words, but it's the truth. I could give you many reasons for my discontent and inward grumbling and complaining, but I'm sure you have plenty of your own reasons to relate. It's especially easy to become discontent during this weird time of isolation and then seeing "half-faces" that try to avoid each other and us when we are in public. 

A couple weeks ago our small women's group met again for the first time since March. What a joy to be together! We sat outside under the trees with proper distance between us and discussed how God would have us respond to the current situation in our country and the world. Using the very familiar passage of 2 Chronicles 7:14 as a guide, we came to the conclusion that we had to humble ourselves and repent of our individual sin first plus keep our focus on God and His word.  After that, we are in a better position to pray for our nation, leaders, and those who do not know the saving grace of Jesus. 

2 Chronicles 7:13 & 14
When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain,

or command the locust to devour the land, 
or send pestilence among my people, 
if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, 
and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, 
then I will hear from heaven 
and will forgive their sin and heal their land.  

As we talked about the above, one of the ladies brought our attention to verse 13. As a farming community, the lack of rain over the past weeks has been so discouraging. The heavens certainly were "shut up". (Praise God we had some rain the past 2 days!)  Then we see on the news that other countries are being plagued by "locusts" and we feel God's power in a very uncomfortable way. Is He trying to get our attention? 

As we were discussing this, I acknowledged that inwardly I was wallowing in discontent. The next day I decided to look up Scripture about contentment. I picked one, Philippians 4:11b to focus on for a day or two "...for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances", but God had bigger plans in mind. The next day I decided to read the entire chapter to get the full context of this verse because part "a" of this verse says "I am not saying this because I am in need...". Not saying what? As I read, the full force of the 4th chapter of Philippians spoke directly to my situation and that of our world. It not only told me to be content, but how to do it. This chapter is jam packed with great words of advice and encouragement. Of course, I've read this chapter many times before, but all of a sudden the richness within these few verses was very apparent. 

I've never been very good at memorizing Scripture, but I decided to try to memorize this entire chapter. There are so many parts of it that I almost know by heart already and had never realized they were all in this chapter. It was so exciting for me! Here's the main points that stood out:

1. Stand firm in the Lord
2. Rejoice in the Lord always.
3. Do not be anxious
4. Pray with thankfulness
5. God's peace will guard my heart & mind
6. Here's what to think about....whatever is: true, pure, etc.
7. Content whatever the circumstances
8. I can do it because He strengthens me
9. God will meet every need
10. All glory to God forever!

The real God-incident was this past Monday. I was working around in the kitchen and decided to listen to a podcast. I really like the preaching of David Platt, so went to the Radical app on my phone and chose his latest sermon to listen to. Guess what? He and the other pastor at his church are doing a series on Philippians and I just happened to click on a sermon covering a portion of Chapter 4. He even commented that some in his church are attempting to memorize the entire chapter! It thrilled my heart that God had orchestrated all of this for my edification and delight! I listened and smiled with a full heart at the goodness of God. 

It's so easy to get caught up in myself and my little world. Without even realizing it, I become the center of my universe and it quickly starts to implode into misery and discontent. It seems to me that many in our nation and world have the same problem which causes a lot of the problems we're seeing now. 

As I work through this chapter, I plan to share what I am gleaning with you in the hopes that it will help you too. In the meantime,  read Philippians 4 and Stand Firm in the Lord!

Philippians 4:1

"Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, 

my joy and crown, that is how you should 

stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!"

Imprint

Hebrews 1:3a

"He is the radiance of the glory of God 
and the exact imprint of His nature,

and He upholds the universe by the word of His power."

Six and a half weeks ago I had to remove my rings in preparation for surgery. My engagement ring came off fairly easily, but my wedding band came off painfully after slathering lotion all around it. Obviously, they have rarely been off of my finger. Once removed, I determined that I needed to have the wedding band resized before attempting to put it back on. It did not feel tight; however, once removed the imprint was quite visible on my finger and remains thus after 6.5 weeks. I kept forgetting to take my wedding band with me to town in the first couple of weeks after surgery and then COVID-19 hit and the jewelry store is now closed. 

Although I cannot get my ring enlarged right now and don't want to fight getting it over my knuckle again, the imprint is a visible sign of my 36 years of marriage and a reminder of my vows. It amazes me that it never felt constricting. It reminds me of a tree that grows around any object embedded in its trunk. I "grew" but the wedding band and what it stands for remained constant and now the imprint remains even when the band is removed. It's actually quite fascinating to me.

A couple of days ago I was reading in Hebrews and the above verse caught my attention. Jesus is the "exact imprint" of God's nature. Jesus is God and while He lived on this earth, He demonstrated the exact nature of God. Wow! Let that sink in! Then we are given the privilege of being called God's children when we believe in Jesus (another Wow!) as it says in John 1:12. "Yet to all who receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." Jesus was our example of how to live and He is the exact representation of God the Father, Our Father. While we cannot have God's exact imprint or live a sinless life, like Jesus did, still as Christians there should be a visible imprint of Christ on the way we live our lives and our witness should leave an impact on those we come in contact with no matter where we are and whether we think anyone is watching or listening or not.

In these days of Coronavirus, we have the best news for anyone. Jesus said do not fear or be anxious, take one day at a time, God's mercies are sufficient for today, cast our burdens and worries on Him. Anxiety just weighs us down. God is enough for any situation. Yes, be wise, but don't be fretful. Let's live lives that show we believe this and share with others why we are not anxious during these strange and unusual days. Let's allow Jesus' words to penetrate our minds and thoughts and become part of who we are. Let's grow around God's word that stands firm and let the imprint of that Word show. We are so blessed to have Bibles in abundance, but that may not always be the case. Let's hide His word in our hearts, so that even if we don't have a Bible at hand, we have the imprint of its words embedded in our hearts.

Hebrews 1:1-4

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, 

God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 

but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, 

whom he appointed the heir of all things, 

through whom also he created the world. 

He is the radiance of the glory of God 

and the exact imprint of his nature, 

and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. 

After making purification for sins, 

he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

having become as much superior to angels 

as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Time

In these days, much of the world is in quarantine due to the Covid-19 pandemic. There is fear, conspiracy theories, panic, hoarding, social distancing, and closures of schools, churches & businesses. Most of us have never lived through such a time as this, so we really don't know what to make of it. We find ourselves at home more and our once jam-packed schedules are now free and open with nowhere to go. This can either be a relief or a nightmare. 

Time. So often we wish we had more time. Now some of us do. This time came at a good time for me since I had surgery in mid-February. It's given me a good excuse to stay home, rest, read, catch up on personal & work paperwork, watch TV, listen to more music & great sermons and pray more. I've even written and sent some long overdo letters and cards and now trying to write again. As I felt better, I did a little baking and cooking. 

Time. For others, this time means the loss of a paycheck, or reduced hours. Still others may panic at so much time alone or have underlying medical or mental issues that make this time absolutely terrifying or unbearable. Their days may be excruciatingly long and difficult to get through without some help. 

That's why I've been so encouraged by people's creativity and the gift of technology. This is a wonderful time to reach out to those in our sphere of influence: neighbors, friends, co-workers, family, etc. A phone call, text message, or video-chat could truly lift their spirits. We may not be able to go inside and visit, but we can drop off groceries or homemade goodies to those near us. 

I love seeing the videos of people in apartment buildings out on their balcony's singing together or clapping for those in the medical field and others on the front lines of this pandemic, children and adults playing their instruments for anyone within hearing distance. A woman with her dog still visiting the nursing home, but going window to window outside. My husband's nurse allowing me to call her personal cell phone so that we could video-chat. 

Time. It's also a good time to think about what is really important, what really matters in life. We are  in the season of Lent, preparing our hearts in remembrance of Christ's death and resurrection. A time of reflection, a time of soul-searching. As our thoughts may run away with "what ifs", let's remember...

2 Corinthians 10:5

We demolish arguments and every pretension

that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, 

and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

This time has not surprised God. He has not changed. He is still Sovereign. As believers in God Almighty and His Son, Jesus Christ and having His Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we do not need to fear that which can kill the body, but cannot touch the soul. 

Matthew 10:28

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body

 but cannot kill the soul. 

Rather, be afraid of the One 

who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Time. It is precious. I hope that as this time of isolation continues for a while, we will look for ways to bless someone else with our time, realize what is truly important in all time, and of utmost importance, if you do not believe in Jesus, that you will take the time to search your heart and God's word. Seek Him while there is time. In all of this there is joy to be found in the midst of the unknown and the unusual.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself

 and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace

 gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 

encourage your hearts and strengthen you

 in every good deed and word.