March 31, 2011 … The Summation of Humility

Passage of the Day: Romans 13: 8 … Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.

My Journal for Today: For an entire month, with the help of John MacArthur’s devotional book, Strength for Today, I’ve been studying and journaling my own devotionals on the topic of “humility,” which has immense implications for the Christian believer. This is the fifth time I’ve been through MacArthur’s devotional series for March on the topic of humility, and there is much I have learned, much I have applied, and still much I need to apply. I can only hope and pray that I’ve been able to convey, for anyone who might read this series from MacArthur or myself, some of those implications.

If you’ve been with me, we’ve learned - or over-learned - that we, as Christians, must follow the very strong exhortation to have an attitude like our Lord’s, as we read in Phil. 2: 5 …

SCRIPTURE: Phil.2: 5 ... Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.

Of course, that means we need to hold humility high in our walk toward Christlikeness because we saw that humility was one of the only two qualities, along with meekness, which Christ described Himself (see Matt. 11: 29).

SCRIPTURE: Matt. 11: 29 ... Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle [i.e., “meek”] and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Furthermore, as Christians we also know that the extent of a Christian’s humility can ultimately be seen in the outpouring of love, or lack thereof, which a believer expresses toward others. See 1stJohn 3: 16 …

SCRIPTURE: 1st John 3: 16 ... This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

And as we also read in that verse, as well as Phil. 2: 6 – 11, Christ was our example and model of humility; and His humility, even unto death on a cross for each and every one of us, becomes the goal of every disciple (more specifically Phil. 2: 5 – 8 - I charge you to look that passage up and meditate deeply on it).

However, we are challenged – even at times debilitated - by the spiritual DNA of our own hearts (see Jeremiah 17: 9), which is wicked and self deceptive. And so, when we see a Christian exhibiting Christlike humility in their loved expressed for all, especially our enemies as Christ commanded, we know that expression of love must be from God (see Eph. 4: 32).

SCRIPTURE: Eph. 4: 32 ... Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

“God-love,” as we could call the love that emanates from humility, turns away from the flesh (see Gal. 5: 13) and demonstrates our surrender to God’s Spirit, which is love personified. And when we can/do surrender completely to God’s Spirit, He can pour Himself, i.e., through His enabling/empowering grace, into our lives as we love others as Christ loved us (see John 14: 21 and Romans 5: 5).

This is the humility which was modeled by Jesus (again Phil. 2: 5 – 8); and it is the humility that we who are in Christ must treasure and to which we must aspire. Yes, it is to this Christlike humility I aspire; and I’ve got a way to go to get there.

My Prayer Today: Oh Lord, help me to be humble and reflect Your love in my life. Please shine Your light clearly on my path ahead so that I can truly deny myself and HUMBLY follow You. Amen

Blogger’s Note: To any who have been following along with me this month – or maybe you’ve just gotten here today, I ask: What is God’s Spirit convicting you to do [pursuing Christlikeness is always a choice!] to develop the humility which reflects Christ and honors God rather than succumbing to the pride which is our human default? Perhaps God is leading you to have a more disciplined devotional life. Maybe He is calling you to a more intimate and abiding prayer life. Or … what about your service to His kingdom? I don’t know where/how you need to decrease pride and increase humility in your life. But now would be a good time to take whatever conviction you’re feeling and turn it into action for God’s glory. If you agree, I’d really love to read a response to my journal entry today via reply here, or on Facebook, or even an email to willieb13@rocketmail.com. Hope to “hear” from you. … wrb

March 11, 2011 … Understanding Who We Are

Passage of the Day: Ephesians 4: 1 – 2 - 1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

My Journal for Today: This business of HUMILITY must be important for John MacArthur to expose and discuss it so frequently in his devotional book, Strength for Today, repeating discussions of Paul’s exhortation in Eph. 4: 2 so often, last month and then again this month. And I understand the need for the redundancy personally because I struggle so to achieve the level of humility which God seeks for His children through Paul’s writing here. One cannot just declare that he/she is humble; because that would openly reveal pride. It is somewhat of a spiritual “catch-22.” And God is not demanding just “some” humility in today’s verse. No, He seeks “complete” humility.

Ouch! How could I ever get there?

Well, short of glory, I won’t! However, as a believer and a follower of Christ, I can follow Christ’s mandate in Luke 9: 23, seeking after Christlikeness, and choosing to radically pursue His attitude and lifestyle of humility as my goal for living as God’s word commands in Phil. 2: 5. I believe that was what Paul was searching for when he wrote such words as those found in Phil. 3: 13 – 14 or when he recognized his own tendency toward sin in 1st Tim. 1: 15.

SCRIPTURE: Phil. 3: 13-14 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
SCRIPTURE: 1st Tim. 1: 15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners — of whom I am the worst.

Of course, all of us who believe and follow Christ as Lord and Savior still have a sin nature (see Rom. 3: 23); but to the degree that I recognize that reality and press on to the goal of Christlikeness, keeping short accounts of my sin and confessing when I’m convicted by the Holy Spirit (see 1st John 1: 9 and James 5: 16), I can expect that God, the Holy Spirit, is going to fulfill His promise of Phil. 1: 6 … to shape and complete me into the mold of my Lord and Savior. And as long as I keep God, The Son, as my Standard, not comparing myself to others (see 2nd Cor. 10: 12) as it is so easy to do at times, I will always see MY light in the Light of God’s Holiness – an ever humbling mirror for my attitude and way of life.

My Prayer Today: When I seek You, Lord, I am humbled. Amen

March 10, 2011 … Humility On Display

Blogger’s Note: I’m going to do and post two devotional journal entries today [3/9]; because on Ash Wednesday (God's timing), during my normal devotional quiet-time, I will be entering the hospital for a full-hip replacement surgical procedure. So, if you happen to be reading along here on 3/9, I would covet you lifting up a brief prayer for good surgery, no complications, and unfettered rehab; and I dearly thank you if you feel so disposed. If you come by to read this on 3/10, a prayer for the rehab with no infections or problems would be deeply appreciated. Bill Berry

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Passage of the Day: Ephesians 4: 1 – 2 - 1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

My Journal for Today: Well, for those who’ve been following my devotionals this year, here we are back at Ephesians 4, versus 1 and 2; and one which also exhorts Christians to “Be completely humble …” as we “…live a life worthy of the calling you have received [which, of course is Christlikeness].” Like the ancient Romans and Greeks, our culture does not elevate the quality or attitude of humility. In fact in writing Eph. 4: 1-2 in the Greek language, Paul had to make up a compound word for “humility,” … the Greek term “tapienophronsune,” which is a compound concoction from two other Greek words having the meaning of thinking of one’s self as lowly. The Greek language simply didn’t have a word for the attitude of humility, showing how much that culture denigrated or looked down on this human quality. And today we Americans certainly don’t honor humility in our world as much as we do prideful self achievement. During this time of year, the Golden Globes and the Oscar Awards get much attention. And we also have a reality TV show called “The American Idol.” Certainly, all one has to do is look at these media events in our culture to see that humility is not a quality in great demand.

Jesus was/is the ultimate example of a chosen lifestyle of lowliness or humility. He CHOSE to be born a babe in a lowly manger; and it would be good to pause and meditate on my favorite passage about the spirit of Christ’s incarnation. So, from another of Paul’s prison epistles, let me exhort you to read Phil. 2: 5 – 11, which I’ll even post for you to read here …

SCRIPTURE: Phil. 2: 5-11 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, 10 that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Besides God’s choice to set aside His full glory to become a man in the flesh, Jesus owned almost nothing by worldly standards; and He was, by choice, almost totally dependent on others for His sustenance during his three year ministry walk on this earth. We read of Him washing the feet of the Disciples in the upper room (read John 13: 3 – 11), which was His way of teaching His followers about the importance of lowliness of attitude and action [i.e., HUMILITY}. And again I repeat (as I reflected in past devotionals) that the only two adjectives that Jesus was ever quoted as using to describe Himself were “humble” and “meek.” [see Matt. 11: 29]

Note the underlined verse above in Phil. 2: 5 above, where Paul exhorts us all to have the same attitude as that of Christ; and that’s what he’s saying (or rather God is saying) to you and me in today’s passage. So, I must ask myself: … “Just how much does my prevailing attitude mirror that of Christ?” In other words, I must ask these two pointed questions.

Just how humble am I? … AND … Just how meek am I?

And if you’re asking yourself into those same questions as you read this, maybe you’re like me and you have some ways to go to become Christlike in reflecting these two attitudes; and for me, the most difficult is that of HUMILITY.

My Prayer Today: Lord, again I know the risk of this prayer; but help me to be humble. Amen

2009 – Day 294.Oct 22 – Stubborn Independence

2nd Passage for Study: Acts 9: 28 – 31 [NKJV] ... 28 So he [Paul] was with them [Christ’s disciples] at Jerusalem, coming in and going out. 29 And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists, but they attempted to kill him. 30 When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus. 31 Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.

My Journal for Today: The title of my journal entry for today, Stubborn Independence, all too often reflects the attitude of many Christians; and once again we use the passage from Acts 9: 28-31 to illustrate that Paul had to be knocked off his high-horse of stubbornness and independence of spirit by the very Lord who needed him to be in humble reliance to do The Lord’s work.

Chuck Swindoll, in his devotional for today, quotes the great Christian apologist, Francis Shaeffer, who taught this: “The Lord’s way must be done the Lord’s way.” Well, that sounds right, doesn’t it? But what does that truth imply? Well, duh! … It is this: “The Lord’s way cannot be done Bill Berry’s way?” Ergo, I’ve got to either choose to get down off my high-horse of stubborn independence and surrender to God, the Holy Spirit, or like Paul, I can expect that God will knock me off that high-horse so that I can see Him for Whom He really is and do life His way … not as the famous song implies, “My way.”

As I said yesterday, we either CHOOSE to humble ourselves to God’s way; or He will humble us for His purpose; … and as I also put forth, it’s a lot less painful do the humility bit ourselves, voluntarily, rather than having God do it for us. … Been there, done that, … and I have the T-shirt of surrender.

I love the stark, and very true statement from the Apostle, whom we’re studying, Paul, in Phil. 2: 5, stated right before he exposes the humility model of Christ’s life. It reads, quite simply in the NKJV it reads, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, …” In the NIV it reads, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:… " And of course, in the context of Phil. 2: 5 – 11 [linked for your study], that attitude is HUMILITY.

So, are you resisting “God’s way,” trying to get God’s purpose done as best YOU can, rather than surrendering to God’s Spirit and let Him lead you to do what Francis Shaeffer spoke of earlier … doing God’s way, God’s way! Personally, I’m one who’d really like to humble and surrender myself to do life God’s way; but so often I find myself, when I’m feeling the conviction and direction of God, reverting to my default human mode; and that is pridefulness and/or selfishness. And when I go there, I try to do God’s will my way; … NOT GOOD! But when I finally come around – sometimes from a Damascus road knock-down – I find that when I go the humble route voluntarily, God pours His grace into me doing life His way; and though life still may be tough, God gets the glory when I’m doing it His way rather than … “MY WAY.”

How about it, my friend? How about we just do what Christ commanded His disciples to do in Luke 9: 23; and I’m not going to link you to this one because I’m assuming you know it by now. So, let’s just agree today to surrender and move forward as Nike says it; and … “just do it” … God’s way!

My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to do it Your way … not as Frank Sinatra would have sung it, … “My way!” Amen

PS: I’ll bet you never heard Frank Sinatra mentioned in a prayer before, did you? ;) <’BB><