Category: Humility, meekness

  • A Fish Tail – Lessons in Humility

    I stared off to the west at an unusually shaped cloud. It looked  just like a giant fish tail. It was as if a big fish was chasing the sun over the horizon.

    I had read Jonah recently, and that story came immediately to mind. When we think of biblical characters we want to be like, Jonah never comes to mind. He does not fare well in the biblical account. He ran from God at the beginning of the story, finally obeys, and ends up pouting because God didn’t do what he wanted.

    I thought about the places where our hearts were more like Jonah than like Christ—far more places than we like to admit. When I say our and we here, I include myself. Sometimes my heart is far more like Jonah than Jesus.

    One of the wonderful things about being a Christian, though, is that we are works in process. We are not yet perfect. Nor do we have to be.

    For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

    And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:9-11

    Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

    That means we can lighten up on ourselves a bit. I am not advocating that we keep our worldly ways, far from it. I am simply suggesting that we lighten up a bit on unneeded guilt. We do need to repent of our sins. We do need to let the Holy Spirit transform us from the inside out. Many changes need to be made in all of us.

    We simply need to accept that it is a process and we are not going to get there all at once. When we are confronted with sin in our lives, we need to take it to God. We need to work with Him to remove it. We do not need to carry the weight of it around our neck.

    True humility is not walking around with the chains of bondage around our neck, clanking like Jacob Marley and moaning about what worms we are. It is about accepting that we are flawed and truly giving those things to Jesus to change. 

    True humility is recognizing that while we are less than perfect, the one who dwells in us is perfect. It is not about being proud of how good we think we are. It is about recognizing that the goodness in us is a gift from Him.

    Take note of your faults. Give them to Christ and move forward. You cannot change the past, but Christ can change your present and your future.

    Until next time, give Him the room to work and change you.

    Kevin

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  • Big Bucks and the Dangers of Pride

    Whitetail buck standing by the treeline on the edge of a field

    I had never seen a whitetail buck that big. He was a large, well-muscled animal with an atypical rack, much larger than the buck in this photo.

    Even though it was hunting season, he proudly strutted from the tree line across the field. He rattled his rack against a tree and snorted loudly several times before entering the clearing.

    He was big and knew he was a prime catch for all the ladies. The buck seemed intent on making an entrance and impressing the couple of does I knew were in the area.

    He knew I was there. I was upwind of him, and he stopped to catch the scents on the wind before he left the trees. He was more interested in the does than he was afraid of me.

    Fortunately for him, I wasn’t hunting. I was only passing through on my way to go fishing. This time, his hormonal focus and pride didn’t cost him his life!

    Pride is a dangerous thing. I’m not speaking of the sense of accomplishment from a job well done. I’m talking about self-focused, rebellious pride.

    Pride is at the heart of all sin. It makes us want to be gods, covet, and rebel. Pride keeps many from accepting the good news of Jesus Christ. They’re too proud to think they must humble themselves and surrender to Him.

    It’s pride that makes us think we can get by on self-righteousness. Jesus had some harsh words about self-righteousness and religious pride.

    He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14 ESV

    Sometimes, we might want to say, “That’s not fair, Lord!”  After all, this Pharisee kept all the rules, and the tax collector was a traitor, a corrupt official, and a sinner.

    Yet, the Pharisee was confident of His own righteousness and pride. He proudly stood front row, centre proclaiming to God how good he himself was. That never cuts it with God. He knows our hearts.

    The tax collector was repentant and threw himself on God’s mercy. He stood off from the temple at a distance, too ashamed to even enter into it or to even look in God’s direction. He knew that on his own merit, there was no hope. God loves a penitent sinner.

    Too often, although I know better, I have a lot of the pharisee in me. I think that somehow, my feeble efforts will impress God and forget that I am saved only by His grace. I know I am not alone in that.

    What are you counting on for your salvation? Are you counting on external religion and self-righteousness? If so, you will be disappointed on Judgment Day. Or are you humbly depending on having submitted yourself to Christ? In that case, Jesus has secured your eternity with him.

    Until next time, may you put aside the stumbling block of pride and walk in humility with Father.

    Be blessed

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

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