Joshua 1:8
"...[B]ut you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe 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." (Joshua 1:8).
"You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me." (John 5:39).
"And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13).
In this short Chapter, Paul is no doubt stressing the importance of humility. "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord" (v.17) - that is, give God the glory. This, along with taking "every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (v.5) is the remedy to defeating pride.
ReplyDeleteI like verse 11, in that we are to be bold and to speak truth but also to live it out. "For though we walk according to the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh" (v.3). We war against the Spirit of this Age, not against people. We boldly reject sin while humbling ourselves, loving others, and glorifying God not just with our words but also with our actions.
Point to ponder: Paul points out the meekness and gentleness of Christ. Our culture today considers such character traits as weak and even intolerable. Is it possible to be humble without being a push-over? How would true humility look to a world that is steeped in arrogance and obsessed with power?
I think being humble means simply yielding to God. Not our will, but God's Will be done. This means loving our neighbors w/o loving sin. Recognizing that the same sin we hate in the world is in us so that we don't point fingers, but, in love, point to our Savior Jesus Christ, who died for the world.
ReplyDelete"But "He who glories, let him glory in the Lord." For not he who commends himself is approved, but who the Lord commends."
Amen. Praise Jesus.