Category Archives: Humility

Bible, Blessing, Calling, Family, Glory, Humility, Scripture, Service, Uncategorized

NAMESAKE

EPHESIANS 3:15

“from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,”

My daughter and son-in-law gave me such a blessing a few weeks ago when our grandson was born. What was an even bigger blessing is they decided to name him Lucas Carl. He has my name. Why does that bless me? Well, I carry both of my grandfathers’ names – Carl Spence and Clarence William Willis. It’s kind of like carrying on the family name, in a way. Of course, my grandson has his dad’s last name (unless I can get him to change it, lol). Bearing someone’s name is an honor and privilege.

In today’s verse, Paul says all believers have their Father’s name. Now, he didn’t mean we all have to change our name to Jehovah. That would be kind of silly. What he meant was we are now all in the same family. We represent the Father. We are protected by the Father. This applies to all believers, alive or in heaven. We are all one big family.

APPLICATION

What does that mean for us? Well, first of all, it means we need to love each other. In John 13:34, Jesus tells us, “‘A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.’” How are you loving your fellow believer? Are you arguing about the color of the carpet in the sanctuary? How silly! We’re family.

Family means a lot of different things to people. Those who grew up in dysfunctional families can really struggle with the concept of family. They don’t understand that you can disagree and still love each other. Do you really think the disciples always got along? In Mark 10, we have a great story that I think illustrates this point. Remember when John and James asked Jesus if they could sit at his right and left in glory? Read the following and see what happened.

John 10:41-45 says, “41 Hearing this, the other ten began to feel indignant with James and John. 42 Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, ‘You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles domineer over them; and their people in high position exercise authority over them. 43 But it is not this way among you; rather, whoever wants to become prominent among you shall be your servant; 44 and whoever wants to be first among you shall be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.’”

So, love each other and serve each other. That’s what family does!

Thank You, Lord, for making me part of Your family.

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Bible, Blessing, Bowing, Heart, Honor, Humility, Prayer, Scripture

BENT KNEES

EPHESIANS 3:14

“For this reason I bend my knees before the Father,”

Eusebius of Caesarea quotes the writing of Hegesippus, a chronicler of the early Church concerning James, the half-brother of Christ and leader of the early church. “He alone was permitted to enter the holy place, for he did not wear woolen but linen garments. And he frequently entered the temple alone and was frequently found situated upon his knees asking forgiveness for the people, so that his knees became hard after the manner of a camel, on account of always bending down upon a knee while worshipping God and asking forgiveness for the people.”

I wonder if Paul’s knees were also calloused due to kneeling in prayer. I know mine aren’t. Paul begins a prayer in today’s verse that goes through verse 21. It is one of the most encouraging prayers in Scripture. It is one of many of Paul’s prayers recorded in the New Testament (some say his writings contain as many as 45 prayers or prayer “snippets”). “For this reason” points back to the preceding verses. Paul had many reasons to pray, but the salvation offered to the Gentiles was at the top of his list.

APPLICATION

Okay, this is one of those “duh” verses. What do I mean by that? I mean we can all see how to apply this our lives. I need to bow my knees before the Father a lot more than I do now. I cannot pray enough. In 2 Chronicles 6:13, we see Solomon, the king of Israel, bow in humility. “For Solomon had made a bronze platform, five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the courtyard; and he stood on it, knelt on his knees in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.” At this point in Solomon’s life, he was not ashamed to humble himself and pray.

How about this example of kneeling in prayer, despite the danger. In Daniel 6:10 we read, “Now when Daniel learned that the document was signed, he entered his house (and in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and offering praise before his God, just as he had been doing previously.” We know the consequence of this. He was thrown into the lions’ den but escaped death because of his obedience to be faithful in prayer.

What is stopping you from kneeling today? Maybe you have bad knees or a bad back and can’t physically kneel. Bowing our knees before God in prayer is about much more than our physical position. It has more to do with our spiritual position. Bow yourself in humility. Recognize the awesomeness of our God. Give Him the honor that is due Him when you pray.

O Lord, forgive me, cleanse me, purify my heart. I bow my heart and spirit before You today.

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Bible, Blessing, Conceit, Grace, Humility, Scripture

THE LEAST OF ALL

EPHESIANS 3:8

“To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ,”

None of us like to see ourselves as less than someone else. It’s in our old sin nature to puff ourselves up and make ourselves look better than we really are. So, when someone belittles you or cuts you down, you naturally respond. I am not saying that’s right. I just saying it’s the normal response. Should it be?

In today’s verse, Paul humbles himself in one of the most selfless ways. He uses a Greek word, elachistoteros, for “very least” which Strong’s Concordance defines as “less than the least.” That’s not a lot, people. Elachistoteros is only used here in the whole New Testament. Most scholars I read agree that Paul never forgot what God saved him out of. He was persecuting believers, even agreeing to the stoning of Stephen. He could never see himself on par with other saints who had suffered for Christ. In short, Paul never got over grace.

APPLICATION

Reading this verse causes us to think about the issue of humility. Now, that’s a different Greek word, but the idea is the same. Humility means putting others first, lowering yourself to serve others. The perfect passage for this is found in Philippians 2:5-8. “5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross.” 

A similar passage is found in 1 Peter 4:1. “Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because the one who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,” If Christ, the Son of God, was willing to humble Himself to suffer for you, we need to have that same attitude. We should be willing to suffer for others.

Just how much do you think of yourself? Do you think the sun rises and falls because of you? Not hardly. The world does not revolve around any single person. We are called to humble ourselves and pray. We are commanded to humble ourselves and submit to our elders. How are you doing with that?

Father, keep me humble before You. I want to honor You in my service to others.

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Attention, Bible, Boasting, Contentment, Emotions, Humility, Scripture, Works

YOU DID NOT DO THIS

EPHESIANS 2:9

“not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” 

Pride! Boasting! It will definitely get us into trouble. Some ballplayers like to trash talk. They are always talking about how good they are and how much better they are than anyone else. The smart players leave their boasting for the field or court. They just do their job and let the results speak for themselves. Sure, they are proud of what they have accomplished, but they don’t have to brag about it.

In this part two of the passage Ephesians 2:8-9, Paul tells us rather plainly that our salvation had nothing to do with us. He says it is “not a result of works.” It had nothing to do with you. You did not do this! You have no reason to boast. God did this through His Son, Jesus Christ. It was His work on the cross. You can’t boast in that. All you can do is receive the grace He gives you through the faith He gives you.

APPLICATION

The Greek word Paul uses for “boast” is kauchaomai. It can be used in a good or bad sense. It can refer to a God-given confidence or vaunting yourself. Paul uses this word a lot. In fact, of the 38 times it is used in the New Testament, Paul uses it 36. The other two times occur in James.

In 2 Corinthians 11:30 Paul writes, “If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness.” Paul knew from the outset of his salvation that he had no reason to boast. He was struck blind and had to be led to a place where he stayed for three days until Ananias came and laid hands on him, giving him his sight back. Paul was brought low in order to be raised up to be used by Christ.

Over in 2 Corinthians 10:17, Paul uses this word again as he partially quotes Jeremiah 9:23-24, which says, “23 This is what the LORD says: ‘Let no wise man boast of his wisdom, nor let the mighty man boast of his might, nor a rich man boast of his riches; 24 but let the one who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises mercy, justice, and righteousness on the earth; for I delight in these things,’ declares the LORD.” Again, it wasn’t about Paul. It was all about Jesus.

Paul points to the right place in which to boast when he writes these words in Galatians 6:14, “But far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” It is only in the cross! That is where our glory should be directed. He has done all the work. Because of that, we can boast in Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

Father God, I boast only in Jesus and the cross on which He died.

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Attention, Attitude, Bible, Boasting, Decisions, Humility, Influence, Pride, Scripture

SHOW OFF

GALATIANS 6:12

“All who want to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.”

Some people are all show. They want everyone to see them and what they have accomplished. I love the verse that our ministry has adopted, Isaiah 26:12. “Lord, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us.” The last phrase is what we claim. It’s all Him, not us. We have nothing to brag or boast about.

Paul pointed out in this verse today that those who were trying to compel the Galatians to get circumcised only cared about themselves. They were trying to appease the Jewish leaders with their Mosaic Law following. It wasn’t about Jesus. It was about what they could do, even to their flesh, to appear more spiritual or to be a more sincere follower.

APPLICATION

What kind of “showing” are you making? Is it all about you or is it about Jesus? We should echo the words of John the Baptist. “‘He must become greater; I must become less.’” John knew he was just the forerunner of Christ. He was there to proclaim the message God had given him. He wasn’t “The Man.” Too many people today think they are.

Remember this story from Acts 8? “9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, ‘This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.’” We know what happened to him, don’t we? Are you sure? He got saved through the preaching of Philip, but he still struggled with this desire to be “The Man.”

Later in the chapter, he is confronted by Peter because Simon offered to buy the power to lay hands on people which he had seen done by the apostles. He still hungered for the attention he had earlier. Thankfully, after Peter rebuked him, he repented. As far as we know, we will get to meet Simon in heaven and ask him more about his life. What will your story be? Will it be about yourself or about Jesus? I can’t wait to see.

Hide me behind the cross daily, Lord. Let others see Jesus and not me. 

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Bible, Blessing, Goodness, Gospel, Humility, Kindness, Love, Scripture, Service

JUST DO GOOD 

GALATIANS 6:9 

“Let’s not become discouraged in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not become weary.” 

I enjoy doing good. Don’t you? I mean, I really enjoy watching the reaction of people when I get the chance to do something good. Maybe it’s an unexpected, extra tip to a waitress. It could be secretly paying someone’s utility bill when you know they are struggling. We should never tire of doing those things when we have the opportunity. 

Why does Paul bring this up in today’s verse? He has just finished talking about reaping and sowing, flesh and spirit. He needs to remind the Galatians that doing good is admirable and is definitely Spirit driven, not flesh driven. He also knows that doing good, especially towards the unbelievers in their midst, could open doors for evangelism and the spread of the Gospel. 

APPLICATION 

Paul says over in 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” In other words, don’t quit. Don’t give in. God’s work is never done. There is plenty to do. 

Paul even tells us there is a promise if we don’t give up. We will “reap, if we don’t grow weary.” Over in Colossians 3:23-24, Paul says, “23 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people, 24 knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” 

What work are you doing right now? What good? Don’t stop. You may never hear a thank you from the person you are helping. It’s not about them. It’s all about being obedient to the Lord when He tells you to do something. That’s where you will receive the reward from one day. Don’t grow weary. 

Father God, give me the strength to serve others as You direct. 

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Attention, Attitude, Bible, Boasting, Compassion, Envy, Favoritism, God's Will, Goodness, Humility, Jealousy, Scripture

NO FAVORITISM

GALATIANS 2:6

“But from those who were of considerable repute (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no favoritism)—well, those who were of repute contributed nothing to me.”

I grew up with three siblings – an older brother and sister and a younger sister. Of course, I was mama’s favorite, lol. Just kidding! My mama never really showed any favoritism that I knew of. Each of her children were precious to her, and she showered each of us with her love and affection. She had enough love for us all.

Paul makes an interesting statement here in today’s verse – “God shows no favoritism.” Actually, the literal Greek says, “a person’s face God does not accept.” Isn’t that strange? But this goes back to a Hebrew saying about accepting a man’s face or showing partiality. Paul is saying this in relation to the apostles he met with in Jerusalem. He is saying that God did not see James and Peter as better than him. They were all equal in God’s sight.

APPLICATION

We are commanded throughout the Word to do exactly what God does. In Acts 10:34 we read, “Opening his mouth, Peter said: ‘I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality,’” This was in the story of Peter and the Centurion, Cornelius, who had the vision and sent for Peter. This experience changed Peter’s outlook on the Gentiles.

Also, we see in Romans 2:11, “For there is no partiality with God.” Neither the Jew nor the Greek were seen as better than the other in God’s eyes. Christ died for both. I was sitting in a coffee shop recently people watching with my wife. Why do coffee shops attract such, should I say, “diverse” people? Green dyed hair, white-faced with black lipstick, homeless, etc. As we sat there, my wife and I were quickly reminded that Christ loves each of these people and died for them.

How about James 2:1? “My brothers and sisters, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.” You should really go to James 2 and read verses 1-7 to get the full picture of what James was saying. We have no right to put ourselves above anyone. We are all the same in God’s eyes.

Be honest! Do you ever think you’re just a little bit better than someone else? I can do that if I am not careful. After all, I am serving God. I give to the church and other ministries. I pray and read my Bible. But I have to remember that none of that makes God love me more. I do all that BECAUSE He loves me. And He loves those less fortunate than us. Reach out this week and show His love.

Father, I am eternally grateful for all the love You have shown me.

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Bible, Blessing, Humility, Obedience, Scripture, Service, Submission, Works

THIS IS TOO MUCH WORK

MALACHI 1:13

“‘You also say, “See, how tiresome it is!” And you view it as trivial,’ says the LORD of armies, ‘and you bring what was taken by robbery and what is lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I accept it from your hand?’ says the LORD.”

I was blessed (yes, I said blessed) as a pre-teen and teenager to have some employers that were very demanding. I worked in the fields harvesting crops. I washed more cars than I could ever count at Walter Pollock and Sons. I hauled furniture for The Hand Trading company. All of these were very physically demanding. There were times I thought the work was too much. But I knew what my bosses expected, so I dug in and finished.

The Lord is accusing the priests in today’s verse of just whining and complaining. Truly, their work must have been tiring. They had to sacrifice all those animals, handle the blood and guts, burn it correctly and dispose of the ashes correctly. In Leviticus, God had laid out detailed instructions for offerings, and He expected the priests to follow them to the letter of the law.

APPLICATION

What is the “work” the Lord has called you to? Maybe you are called to serve full-time in ministry. You may be a doctor or lawyer. Perhaps you are a housewife and mom, struggling to manage the daily grind. Whatever it is, you can do this with the power of God in your life.

Are works necessary for a believer. Well James says this in James 2:20. “But are you willing to acknowledge, you foolish person, that faith without works is useless?” You really need to read more than just this one verse to understand what James in talking about. But obviously, he is telling us we need to do our work.

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 3:12-15, “12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13 each one’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each one’s work. 14 If   anyone’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet only so as through fire.” Your work isn’t too much. Enjoy it for Jesus.

Father, give me the strength to work for You and show joy in the process.

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Abiding, Appearance, Bible, Confrontation, Enemies, Forgiveness, God's Will, Grace, Humility, Kindness, Scripture

THE HIGH GROUND

ZECHARIAH 14:10

“All the land will change into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; but Jerusalem will rise and remain on its site from Benjamin’s Gate as far as the place of the First Gate to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s wine presses.” 

Anyone with any knowledge of battle plans knows the importance of the high ground. From there you can see all around and monitor your enemies. You can defend your camp better from high ground. The downside of that high ground is your enemy can also see you. The high ground has its pros and cons, I guess.

The landscape around Jerusalem is going to change one day when this prophecy occurs. Verse 10 today tells us about this changing landscape. Jerusalem is currently surrounded pretty much with hills. But on this day, all those hills will be leveled a plain. Jerusalem will have the high ground. All will be able to observe the holy city. Jesus, the Messiah, is there for all to see.

APPLICATION

The application for this verse today has to be taken more allegorically. Will you give me some leeway today? Let me encourage you today to take the high ground, the high road, when it comes to conflict. Let your actions in response to your earthly foes be one of above reproach. I am reminded of the question posed by Peter regarding forgiveness. Matthew 18:21-22 tells us this story. “21 Then Peter came up and said to Him, ‘Lord, how many times shall my brother sin against me and I still forgive him? Up to seven times?’ 22 Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy-seven times.’”

The rabbinical law taught to forgive someone three times, so Peter thought he was going above and beyond by saying seven times. Jesus blew his mind with his answer – 77 times! What?! Then Jesus went on to tell a story about a king and a slave who owed him a great amount. You know the story. I bet Peter got the message.

How about you? Can you take the high ground, the high road? Can you be the one to extend forgiveness 77 times? And if others refuse to forgive you, just keep loving them. Let me rephrase that. Allow Jesus to love them through you. Die to yourself. Give it to Him. He can and will accomplish His perfect will in His perfect time.

Father, I want my life to be lived in such a way that I can be observed as if on high ground with nothing to hide.  

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Accountability, Attitude, Bible, Boasting, Clothing, Deceit, Hiding, Humility, Scripture, Truth

NO MORE DISGUISES

ZECHARIAH 13:4

“‘Also it will come about on that day that the prophets will each be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies, and they will not put on a hairy robe in order to deceive;’”

People are so good at wearing disguises when it comes to their walk with Christ. We wear masks that show us smiling, when inside we are crying. We tell everyone we are fine, but really we are beaten down and low. Why do we do that? Why can’t we be real to each other? God sees right through these disguises. You can’t hide your true feelings from Him.

The prophets who had confessed their sin of falsehoods would be repentant, according to the Lord here in verse 4. They would not wear the traditional rough, hairy robe as a sign of humility. They had done that far too many times falsely. They wore that in the past to deceive the people. They had really been proud and arrogant, claiming to speak for God, when He had not spoken.

APPLICATION

I am reminded of Jesus saying in John 8:31-32, “‘31…If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” Jesus did not expect us to hide our true feelings. There was no need to pretend with Him. Because He is the Truth, He expects us to live in the Truth. That means not wearing those disguises.

We do not need to pretend to be something we are not. But living this way makes you vulnerable. I know that is a risk. Revealing your true self can be risky. Do you trust the Lord? Do you think He wants you living in a way that is not true? I love what Peter says in 1 Peter 5:5. “…and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another,…”

Ah, there’s the risky part – being humble. See, those prophets the Lord was referring to in today’s verse were anything but humble when they were prophesying falsely and wearing that false robe of humility. Don’t go around wearing that either. But clothe yourself with true humility. Trust the Lord with your feelings. He can handle them.

O Lord, it is hard to let our guard down. Give us boldness to do so.

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