Study from God’s Word… Isaiah 48: 16 – 50: 11 … Passage for Reflection: Isaiah 50 : 6 – 7 … NIV 6 I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. 7 Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.
My Journal for Today: In today’s highlight passage from Isaiah’s teaching/preaching/prophesying, Dr. Smith, presents one of the hardest lessons we must learn as followers of the One Who would come to redeem God’s people from their sinful disobedience. And here today Isaiah is preaching this lesson to hard-headed, stubborn children of God who found it almost impossible to “get it,” … to understand and internalize the one lesson which their one-day Messiah would model for them; and that was the lesson of humility.
I don’t know about your story, but my story of rebellion from God and my choices – for years of my young adult life – was one of walking away from the teachings and life-modeling of Jesus Christ; and my life was replete with the opposite of humility; and that, of course is prideful and arrogant, self-directed living. And that was both Israel and Judah in the days that God had to turn them over to the Babylonians so that they could learn humility, the days where Isaiah was prophesying and teaching about humility.
As Dr. Smith points out from the passages he had me read and study from God’s word today, we need to learn the lesson of humbly learning and following God … #1 when we absolutely know that we’re deserving of the punishment/circumstances we incur because of our disobedience or rebellion. However, #2, we have to also learn the tougher lesson of being humble and following God even when we have lived right before God and the circumstance we incur are unjust or “just not right!” And it is the latter where Jesus, our Messiah and Redeemer, gave us the perfect model as, during His passion, He walked to the cross, humbly following the path His Heavenly Father had place before him, … a path of unjust mocking and even death as the Lamb of God. If you’ve seen the movie The Passion of The Christ, you’ve gotten just sampling of what that must’ve been like. And that is the humility which is our model that the Apostle Paul wrote about in Phil. 2: 5 – 11 [linked]; and it is the model which Isaiah prophesied by today’s passage which would be followed by their Messiah centuries later.
Now, on to application, we have to ask ourselves whether we really believe and live by such God-written truths as Prov. 3: 5-6 and Romans 8: 28 - which I hope you already have memorized) which require absolute humility and surrender to a God Who ALWAYS loves us – no matter what the circumstances of life are in our lives. And we must ALWAYS allow God the latitude to lead us into and through the valley of the shadow of death in our lives so that we can/will get to the green pastures He has promised us (see Psalm 23). The challenge is that we don’t know whether those green pastures will occur in this life or gloriously in the New Jerusalem (i.e., heaven); but even if our life involves unjust mockery, punishment from an anti-God world, or even death in Christ’s Name, we just walk as did Jesus to the cross, … in absolute surrender to the Father … and as Christians, to our Lord and Savior and Messiah, Jesus.
Hence, I am challenged by the lesson today; because my selfish heart (see Jer. 17: 9) so often causes me to think “Why me, Lord?” And my flesh gets me hung up as it did the Apostle Paul writing about his weaknesses in Romans 7: 14 – 24 [also linked]. But then I read and internalize the truth of Romans 8 [I hope you know the hope we glean from humbly internalized this passage]; and I’m lifted to realize that I may not have the strength to be humble, as it says in 2nd Cor. 12: 9; but God will give me, through His grace, His strength to cover my weakness [i.e., also the promise of 1st Cor. 10: 13]. The question will always be can we humble ourselves in surrender to these truths.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I pray that any who read with me today, will join me in the trek of humility, seeking Your strength to help us walk humbly on the path where You lead us. Amen
Showing posts with label anti-pride. Show all posts
Showing posts with label anti-pride. Show all posts
Friday, July 16, 2010
Monday, September 28, 2009
2009 – Day 270.Sept 28 – Humble Yourself NOW
Passage of the Day: Job 42 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: Sometimes, when I’m touched by a certain passage of Scripture or I feel personally convicted by said passage, it helps to go back and read that passage from several versions of scripture to get the various colorations from the various English translations that passage. The one verse, which is the focus verse for Chuck Swindoll’s devotional today, is Job 42: 6, which reads as follows in the NASB, which is the version Swindoll uses. It says in the NASB, “Therefore, I retract myself and repent in dust and ashes.” But let’s take a look at this same passage in several other versions of Scripture.
For example from the version I usually use in my devotional study. From the NKJV ... “Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” And in that reading I think you can see that the interpretation of that verse takes on a little different color. Well, at least it does for me.
Let’s try the NIV, which states, “Therefore, I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” … Or from the NLT, which puts forth, “I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”
I think taking all of these versions into my view helps me see the montage of truth being presented by God’s word and the point being made by Swindoll concerning Job’s attitude as he [Job] finally HUMBLY realizes where God stands and where he is at this point in his life. And the key here is the timing of Job’s attitude – just prior to God’s mercy of restoration being displayed.
Yes, it would be easy for Job to be humble AFTER God restores him; but verse 6 is stated while Job is still childless, homeless, penniless, powerless, and covered in boils. And therefore, in abject personal humility, Job surrenders himself – ALL of himself – to God’s will; and he is totally and utterly repentant. He pulls back and sees that all his questioning and confusion have been for naught. He sees that he can grieve his loss; but must return to his early attitude and personal psalm, which stated, (see Job 1: 21) “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, … Blessed by the Name of the Lord.”
How often in the course of my devotionals this year, as I have, with Chuck Swindoll’s help, studied the lives of such heroes of the faith as Joseph, Moses, Elijah, Esther, and now Job has the attitude of HUMILITY been raised? Well, the answer is in every one. And the reason for that is simple. In every one of these paragons of the faith, humility is the key attitude which makes them like Christ, … which separates them from the attitudes of “natural man,” where pride is the mark of our nature.
Swindoll, in closing his devotional for today, states a biblical command from God, taken from James 4:10, which I’ll quote from the NASB, “Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” And this is just after James has quoted (see James 4: 6) from Prov. 3: 34, which states, “God opposes the proud but gives (His) grace to the humble.”
Oh, how I will now pray that we get this truth, my dear ones. If we cannot choose humility, as Job learned, God will put us or allow Satan to lead us, into such humbling circumstances that we will have to humbly repent and declare our submission to God’s will. Personally I think it wise to choose humility and surrender on the front end of life rather than having to go through the valley of the shadow of death to find God’s way in this world ... or to have to succumb in hell for eternity. As the kids now say, “Been there, … done that, … got the T-shirt.” And I have; and let me tell you, it’s far better to be proactive about this humility business rather than wait for God to humble you. Job will tell you. It’s a lot less painful to humble yourself NOW.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, You had to take job and me through hell to find a glimpse of heaven. But praise Your Holy Name that You did. Amen
My Journal for Today: Sometimes, when I’m touched by a certain passage of Scripture or I feel personally convicted by said passage, it helps to go back and read that passage from several versions of scripture to get the various colorations from the various English translations that passage. The one verse, which is the focus verse for Chuck Swindoll’s devotional today, is Job 42: 6, which reads as follows in the NASB, which is the version Swindoll uses. It says in the NASB, “Therefore, I retract myself and repent in dust and ashes.” But let’s take a look at this same passage in several other versions of Scripture.
For example from the version I usually use in my devotional study. From the NKJV ... “Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” And in that reading I think you can see that the interpretation of that verse takes on a little different color. Well, at least it does for me.
Let’s try the NIV, which states, “Therefore, I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” … Or from the NLT, which puts forth, “I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”
I think taking all of these versions into my view helps me see the montage of truth being presented by God’s word and the point being made by Swindoll concerning Job’s attitude as he [Job] finally HUMBLY realizes where God stands and where he is at this point in his life. And the key here is the timing of Job’s attitude – just prior to God’s mercy of restoration being displayed.
Yes, it would be easy for Job to be humble AFTER God restores him; but verse 6 is stated while Job is still childless, homeless, penniless, powerless, and covered in boils. And therefore, in abject personal humility, Job surrenders himself – ALL of himself – to God’s will; and he is totally and utterly repentant. He pulls back and sees that all his questioning and confusion have been for naught. He sees that he can grieve his loss; but must return to his early attitude and personal psalm, which stated, (see Job 1: 21) “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, … Blessed by the Name of the Lord.”
How often in the course of my devotionals this year, as I have, with Chuck Swindoll’s help, studied the lives of such heroes of the faith as Joseph, Moses, Elijah, Esther, and now Job has the attitude of HUMILITY been raised? Well, the answer is in every one. And the reason for that is simple. In every one of these paragons of the faith, humility is the key attitude which makes them like Christ, … which separates them from the attitudes of “natural man,” where pride is the mark of our nature.
Swindoll, in closing his devotional for today, states a biblical command from God, taken from James 4:10, which I’ll quote from the NASB, “Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” And this is just after James has quoted (see James 4: 6) from Prov. 3: 34, which states, “God opposes the proud but gives (His) grace to the humble.”
Oh, how I will now pray that we get this truth, my dear ones. If we cannot choose humility, as Job learned, God will put us or allow Satan to lead us, into such humbling circumstances that we will have to humbly repent and declare our submission to God’s will. Personally I think it wise to choose humility and surrender on the front end of life rather than having to go through the valley of the shadow of death to find God’s way in this world ... or to have to succumb in hell for eternity. As the kids now say, “Been there, … done that, … got the T-shirt.” And I have; and let me tell you, it’s far better to be proactive about this humility business rather than wait for God to humble you. Job will tell you. It’s a lot less painful to humble yourself NOW.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, You had to take job and me through hell to find a glimpse of heaven. But praise Your Holy Name that You did. Amen
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