Children and Infants

Posted on by korgrocker

“Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.”
Psalm 8:1-2 NIVUK

The Amplified translation of Psalm 8:2 reads, “Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babes You have established strength Because of Your adversaries, That You might silence the enemy and make the revengeful cease”. In a world where strength is associated with the most able and ruthless individuals, David writes that God uses the weakest in society for the strength needed to silence His enemies. After Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem He cleared the temple of the money changers and those selling animals for sacrifices, and healed the “blind and lame”, and in the process He upset the Pharisees and leading priests who, we are told, “were indignant”. Why? We read in Matthew 21:15, “The leading priests and the teachers of religious law saw these wonderful miracles and heard even the children in the Temple shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David.” But the leaders were indignant”. The next verse reads, “They asked Jesus, “Do you hear what these children are saying?” “Yes,” Jesus replied. “Haven’t you ever read the Scriptures? For they say, ‘You have taught children and infants to give you praise.’””

Three chapters earlier in Matthew, Jesus was asked about who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. In the worldly kingdoms, we see the “greatest” as being our politicians, our business leaders, our scientists – we know who they are because their reputations precede them. But Jesus turned things on their heads when He gave a demonstration of who is greatest in God’s Kingdom. We read in Matthew 18:2-4, “Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven”. 

Some years ago, at a children’s church meeting attended by my own children, a child with bad eczema was prayed for by the children around her and to their amazement they watched the eczema disappear before their eyes. They were buzzing that day, their faith built by the works of our gracious healing God. Young children don’t have the hangups and barriers we develop as adults, and God can use them in their humility and innocence to do His work. Interestingly, it was the children in the Temple who were declaring the praises of God. No fear of being thrown out of the synagogues. No fear of what the religious leaders and their peers would think of them. Unwittingly the children knew who Jesus was and they shouted out praises to Him that day, and in the process a stronghold against God’s enemies started to appear. 

In God’s Kingdom it is the weak, those who are childlike, who can be used by Him for His purposes. In 1 Corinthians 1:26-28 we read, “Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important”. Our role model is Jesus, who exemplified a life of Godly obedience and humility but who ended up in the place of highest honour (Philippians 2:9). 

David wrote that it was through children that God’s enemies were silenced. Perhaps our children, and particularly the children’s work, should be the priority in our churches. A common statement amongst Christians is that children are the church of tomorrow. God says that they are the church of today.

Dear Father God. Thank You that Your Kingdom has a place for all believers and not just a favoured few. Please help us to consider and respect those who are younger in our congregations. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Time to Go

Posted on by korgrocker

“Jesus knew the Pharisees had heard that he was baptizing and making more disciples than John (though Jesus himself didn’t baptize them—his disciples did). So he left Judea and returned to Galilee.”
John 4:1-3 NLT

‭Jesus had become aware that He had appeared on the Pharisee’s radar. This formidable group of Jewish leaders were very influential in Jesus’ day and they seemed to be quite popular with the people, though why this should be is unclear. The Pharisees promoted strict adherence to the Jewish Law – all 600 laws as recorded in the Torah – but they also followed the Jewish oral traditions that they believed had originated in the time of Moses. It must have been hard to be a Pharisee, but they were a self-righteous bunch and believed that if they kept all these laws and traditions then God would be pleased with them. Jesus had little time for them, as on several occasions he called them hypocrites, and we read what He said about them in Matthew 23:2-4, “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden”. Jesus respected them to the extent of their knowledge of the Jewish Law, but He saw right through them into what was in their hearts. 

So why did Jesus want to leave a successful disciple-making venture in Judea and return to Galilee? Perhaps He didn’t want to confront and alienate the Pharisees just yet, as He was only at the start of His ministry. Or perhaps His Father communicated other plans. Or perhaps He knew that through His cousin John the Baptist, the baptismal ministry was in good and safe hands, and He was needed elsewhere.

It is human nature that should a person become successful at something, then they want to stay in that zone for as long as possible. This can particularly apply to people in an up-front church ministry, someone such as a worship leader or pastor. They feel that success gives them a right to continue even though God might be saying something else. It is very rare to find a leader with John the Baptist’s humility, as we read in John 3:29-30, “It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the bridegroom’s friend is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success. He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less“. Paul the Apostle also taught humility, as we read in Philippians 2:3-4, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too”.

Very perceptively, John the Baptist said, “ … No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven” (John 3:27). Those in an upfront church ministry are anointed by God for their role but sometimes their conduct will bar them from continuing, as certain televangelists have found. In the Bible too we find the example of Saul who, through his disobedience, lost his anointing as king of Israel. 1 Samuel 15:22-23, “But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols. So because you have rejected the command of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”” 

The lesson to us pilgrims is that we must always be in a position where we are totally reliant on God and obedient to what He wants us to do. There is no other way.

Dear Heavenly Father. Thank You for Your guidance, keeping us on the path to eternal life. While we are here on earth please lead us in Your ways. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Worries and Cares

Posted on by korgrocker

“So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honour. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”
1 Peter 5:6-7 NLT

Is there a connection between the verse on humility and God’s care for us? Is Peter writing down unconnected thoughts or is there in fact something that unites them? We find that we must empty ourselves of pride and arrogance to become truly humble before we can be in a place where God can help us. How many times have we struggled with a problem and then, as a last resort almost, decided to turn to God for help? There is something within us that balks at the thought of seeking assistance from outside ourselves. Well, that is pride, and we have to deal with it “under the mighty power of God”. 

We pilgrims probably had an upbringing that taught us self-reliance. It is a natural way to live and survive in this dangerous world, but one that can get in the way of a total dependency on God. But there is a balance. God wants us to live our lives in accordance with His ways, not ours. And when we overlay His blueprint for living over the one we have developed ourselves, it exposes those parts that are incompatible.

Some people are terrible worriers. Their anxieties are so great that they find that even their health is affected. And if they find they are free from worry, they immediately start worrying again in case they have missed something. Their first port of call is the doctor’s surgery, and then more often than not a downward spiral of dependency on anti-depressants or similar type of drug commences. Others find that for a short time alcohol dulls the pain and brings some form of relief, but addiction can follow and exacerbate the problem. The saddest thing is when this happens to believers. Our lives in this world are inevitably going to bring difficulties and problems. Jesus warned His disciples that “ … Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33b). And that is the way back to sanity from all the worries of life – because Jesus is far bigger than the world and anything it can throw at Him. 

Many people worry about the state of their nation. An oft-quote verse is 2 Chronicles 7:14, “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.” We note that humility precedes the praying and seeking God’s face. There is no other way to pray for our nation.

Both Peter and Paul wrote about worries and cares. Paul’s contribution can be found in Philippians 4:6-7, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus”. His encouragement to the Philippian church was for prayer, honest and persistent prayer, where needs were articulated and thanks were expressed. And a resulting peace was available for the worrier. As we know, the cause of the worries and cares might still be there, but more often than not, God will shine a light into the circumstances and bring a remedy. 

But back to where we started today. Pride and arrogance will get in the way of our relationship with God and will prevent Him from helping us in our troubles. Humility comes first.

Dear God. Thank You for Your graciousness in accepting our stumbling prayers. Please help us to clear out any remnants of pride and arrogance so that we can indeed come into Your presence in the humility that You desire. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Authority of Elders

Posted on by korgrocker

“In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.””
1 Peter 5:5 NLT

Peter moves on in his writings to include the relationship between elders and the rest of the flock. In particular, he singles out the younger members of the congregation, young in either age or the faith. And he says that they should “accept the authority of the elders”. Perhaps in Peter’s days, there was more in the way of respect between generations, but today there seems to be little. Even in my younger days, we respected anyone in authority, be they policemen, or bank managers, school teachers or ministers. But today, if we believe the news reports, there is a reluctance for anyone to assume an authoritarian position in case they conflict with “human rights” or have to challenge bad behaviour, all for fear of legislative hassles. And when it comes to social media, even the most innocuous expression of a view that is different will potentially invite a torrent of abuse. Thankfully, there are still young people today who have a different spirit, and who gain respect because they grant it to others.

But cutting through all of this is God’s model. He has laid down an authoritarian structure in His church, and the elders are responsible for implementing it, admonishing or correcting the younger members if necessary. And the “young” are told to accept what the elders say.

But Peter didn’t stop there, and went on to say that all the church members should dress in humility. Did he mean that all clothes should be similar in style using dark colours, preferably black or grey? Was Peter promoting at least one of the features of the Amish people? I don’t think he meant physical dress at all, but rather was promoting humility in the relationships we have we each other. And he quotes Proverbs 3:34 from the Greek Bible version. But from the Amplified translation this proverb reads, “Though He scoffs at the scoffers and scorns the scorners, Yet He gives His grace [His undeserved favour] to the humble [those who give up self-importance]”. Paul wrote a lovely few verses in Philippians 2, and amongst them is verses 3 and 4, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too”. By reading this passage from Philippians again I find a witness in my spirit, confirming God’s model for His children. But the verses that Paul wrote are hugely different from world group-think, a counter-cultural presentation showing how far our societies have moved away from God’s relational model.

A good Bible verse about humility is Proverbs 11:2, “Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom”. Solomon wrote that many centuries ago and it is amazing that it still applies as much today as it did then. The Apostle James wrote, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honour” (James 4:10). Showing humility before God and the human beings around us can be hard because something within us rises up and says, “What about me!” But that’s not God’s way. If there’s any promotion of an individual needed, then it is best left to God. He will do the honouring.

Dear Father God. We bow before You today in all humility and worship. It’s all about You, Lord, not about us. Amen.

One Mind (1)

Posted on by korgrocker

“Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathise with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.”
1 Peter 3:8 NLT

“One-mindedness” in any group of people is an elusive quality very much in short supply. It seems in these days that everyone has an opinion about themselves and others, and they expect that opinion to be ratified and supported by everyone else. Those who don’t agree with their opinions find out that they are accused of being some sort of “-phobe” and cancelled from whatever forum or meeting place they frequent. And that often applies to Christians who adhere to Biblical views of morality and ethics. But Peter wasn’t writing to disparate groups of people, struggling in their own secular fogs. He was writing to those early Christians located in the Five Provinces in what is now modern Turkey. 

Being of “one mind” is important for a Christian fellowship. Imagine a football team that lacked a sense of unity, with each player intent on following their own strategy and game play. Chaos and ridicule would result and their future together would be in doubt. Just as in any team, sporting or otherwise, unity, one-mindedness, is an essential quality in Christian fellowships. The members must be of one mind when it comes to strategic fellowship decisions. One church I was in had a vision statement stencilled in big letters on the church wall. It was derived from a Bible verse, and there was no doubt as to why that particular fellowship of believers were there. In Romans 15:5-6, the Apostle Paul wrote, “May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ“. Unity between believers leads to corporate praise and worship of God. And Paul emphasised that this is what believers must do. Of course, it goes without saying, that an act of corporate worship genuinely and lovingly focused on God will override any internal strife and discord.

Paul also used the analogy of the composition of a human being when he described the importance of unity in a church. In 1 Corinthians 12:12 he wrote, “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ“. Referring to our own bodies he continued, “But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body” (1 Corinthians 12:18-20). So the picture emerges of a fellowship of believers made up of different people with different giftings, but all heading in the same direction and functioning together as they are united by their relationship with each other. They are of “one mind”. So we pilgrims must ask ourselves if we are one-minded with our fellow believers. If we find ourselves out of step and disagreeing with them then we need to sort out the issues with “a humble attitude”. A disfunctioning believer is a toxic influence in a church and something to be avoided at all costs, for Jesus’ sake.

Dear Father God. We know that through Jesus we are united. His saving grace brought us together, and we are truly thankful. Amen.

Self Honesty

Posted on by korgrocker

“Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us”. 
Romans 12:3 NLT

This is a difficult one. What do we think of ourselves and our abilities? And how do we know? There are some empirical ways of assessing our abilities, and academic exams are one of them. We might, for example, think we are good at arithmetic, and we can prove it by passing some sort of test. The same would apply to a driving test, where we can demonstrate to an external examiner our ability, or not, as the case may be. Similarly, we might think we are good at speaking a foreign language, something that is easily confirmed by a visit to that country. But these are all specifics. The problem comes when, for example, we say we are good at a subject like art just because we can pass an arithmetic test.

I used to work for someone who was an expert in his vocational field. He wrote for scientific and technical journals, and people consulted him about their theories and projects. So he started a company to market his products, thinking that he would have the same expertise and abilities when it came to business matters. Sadly he didn’t, and the company collapsed. Now here’s the reason – he didn’t have an honest evaluation of himself. He should have read the verse we are looking at today. The problem in much of today’s employment, particularly in white collar environments, is that those who climb the promotion ladder have to make claims about how good they are, by talking up their abilities. I was once in a project meeting with a very confident manager, who impressed the project sponsor by his apparent knowledge of the subject in hand. Afterwards I complemented him on his knowledge, to which he replied, “in a land of blind men, a one-eyed man is king”. The reality was that he had a good grasp of all the buzz words, but little else. But life isn’t like that for most of us.

At the other end of the scale, I have known people who are really good at something, but they lack the confidence to leverage their abilities, failing to make them a useful addition to their lives and the lives of others. But the emphasis in Paul’s message would indicate that this is less of a problem then being overconfident, by thinking that “you are better than you really are”.

Was Paul merely applying what he was writing about to spiritual matters or everything that the person, the “each of you”, was involved in? He was probably, in my opinion, referring to life, everything the person was involved in as they went about their everyday lives. Paul also included some guidance in his letter to the Philippians. “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too” (Philippians 2:3-4). He continued, “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. …” (Philippians 2:5-7). The world has got it wrong. Society demands that self-promotion is necessary to get on, and be better than anyone else. The Christian way is the opposite, one of humility and preferring one another. A way where we step back and allow God to do the promoting. Because of Jesus’ humility, He was honoured, “Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honour and gave him the name above all other names” (Philippians 2:9).

Paul writes about self-evaluation through the faith that we have. To present this as an example, perhaps someone who claims to have a healing ministry, but doesn’t see the fruit of it, may not have the faith to make their claim. There is a partnership between a person’s spiritual and natural abilities, seasoned with the faith that comes from a lifetime of service to God.

So we pilgrims, humbly in God’s presence, work with Him to maximise our potential for His kingdom. Through our faith in Jesus, and through the Holy Spirit working within us. “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13). And, in the end, that is what we really want to do – please our loving Heavenly Father.

Dear Father God. We praise and worship You today, deeply grateful for Your presence in our lives. Please help us, we pray, to serve You with faith and in truth, trusting that it is only through You and Your Son, Jesus, that we can really succeed in all that You have for us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.


No Boasting

Posted on by korgrocker

“Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.”
Romans 3:27-28 NLT

In this life, it is easy to find people who boast about their achievements. The general on a battlefield. The captains of industry who claim that they have built their companies from nothing, through sheer hard work. The aid worker who has helped large numbers of people. A charity that has influenced government legislation. The neighbour down the street who has purchased a new car. The list is endless. But all these achievements have one thing in common – a boast that their claims depend on human effort, and particularly theirs. 

What does this word “boast” mean? A dictionary definition is to “talk with excessive pride and self-satisfaction about one’s achievements, possessions, or abilities“. There are two words in this definition that are worth noting – “pride” and “self“. In God’s eyes, both of these can be considered to be sins. There are some Bible verses warning against boasting. James wrote some words about misplaced self-confidence in James 4. Here is one of the verses he wrote, verse 16, “… you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil“. But James was not the only Biblical writer warning about boasting. Another verse from Proverbs 27:1, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring“. Boasting is associated with evil people. Psalm 94:3, “They pour out arrogant words; all the evildoers are full of boasting“. 

In our verses from Romans 3 today we see that, in our relationship with God, we have nothing to boast about. The Apostle Paul wrote a list of all the challenges he had experienced in his life, and how he could boast about them, if he wanted to. We can read about them in 2 Corinthians 11. But in verse 30 he comes from a different angle. He wrote, “If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am“. In the following chapter, he referred to having “a thorn in [his] flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7). After asking God to take it away, he wrote ““Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me” (2 Corinthians 12:9). 

Somehow, it’s not possible to boast about our faith, and not just because those worldly people around us perceive it to be a weakness. Why would we want to boast about such a thing? We can do nothing to earn our salvation. Through faith in Jesus, we accept the free gift of God, His salvation. The very essence of our faith is God. It’s all about Him and what He has done for us, and not about us at all. In Philippians 2:3 we read, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves”. Humility is the way forward for Christians. We have an inner strength that comes from knowing that God loves us personally and individually. And because of that we don’t have to puff ourselves up in front of our peers. We don’t have to make inflated claims about our worth, to try and make those around us look up to us. The Lord Himself will lift us up at the right time. We read in James 4:10, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honour”.

Living in God’s Kingdom is counter-cultural for most of the time. The world’s values and virtues mostly don’t exist in God’s world. And boasting is one of them. 

Father God. Please help us to have a Godly perspective of ourselves, and not one dictated to by worldly people and values. Amen.

Speaking the Truth

Posted on by korgrocker

“Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.”
‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Truth. In John 18, we read that Jesus came before Pilate and the subject of truth came up. We read, “Pilate said, “So you are a king?” Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.” “What is truth?” Pilate asked….”“. Pilate expressed, perhaps cynically, the uncertainty of “truth” from a human perspective. Absolute truth is a quality that eludes us, because we don’t have access to absolutes. For example, a witness in a court case promises to say “the whole truth and nothing but the truth”. But what he says is only his perspective of the truth, based on his observations at the time the crime, was committed. Dictionaries don’t help much either – one definition of “truth” is “the quality or state of being true”. 

In John 14:6, Jesus said He is the truth. We read, “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” Only Jesus is the absolute truth. What He said was true. True then and just as true today. And this gives a baseline of truth, against which all other “truths” can be compared.

So what was Paul meaning when he said, “we will speak the truth in love”. The previous verse in Ephesians 4 mentions the danger of lies appearing to be so convincing that they could be interpreted as truth. And the previous verse to that highlights the opportunity we have to grow in our knowledge of Jesus, a theme also in our verse today. The reality is that the closer we get to Jesus, the closer we will get to the truth. Truth becomes accessible to us, and this is a powerful place to be. Paul then cautions us to only speak the truth in a spirit of love. Earlier in chapter 4 of Ephesians, Paul encourages us to always to “be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love“. And from that perspective, with a humble and gentle love that seeks the other person’s highest good, we can deliver difficult truths to help the other person to grow “in every way more and more like Christ”. 

So how does the pilgrim today speak out truths in love? We are all on our journeys through life; all at different stages. And one quality we must have is our love for fellow pilgrims. Then we can meet the criteria to say to someone, who is perhaps further behind on their journey, what they should, or shouldn’t, do. For example, someone who is engaging in some form of sinful activity would perhaps be helped by a fellow Christian lovingly pointing out the error of their ways. And we must also be aware that we too can be corrected in a similar way. But over it all, there must be a bridge of love, a relational bridge, over which we can walk with the other person, walking into truth together. Jesus said He was the Truth. He is the Truth. And as we grow to be more like Him, we too can perhaps get a glimpse of His loving truth as it works through our lives.

Being Humble

Posted on by korgrocker

“Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.”
Ephesians‬ ‭4:2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Being humble. If there was ever a life-condition that is truly counter-cultural then this is it. We live in a world where self is king (or queen!). Where we are told it’s all about “me”. Companies run courses in “self-assertiveness”. Children are encouraged to “stickup for themselves” in the classroom and playground. We’re told not to let people “trample all over us”. We score points if we get “one over” someone else. Our politicians look for opportunities to further their own ambitions, if necessary to the detriment of their colleagues. “Ruthlessness” is a quality often revered in others. But Paul says, “Always be humble and gentle” – living life the Jesus-way involves a lifestyle of humility. 

Jesus taught us how to be humble. In John 13 we read how Jesus, the disciples’ Lord and Master, did the most menial of tasks – He washed the dirt and grime from His disciple’s feet. This was almost too much for Peter – he couldn’t understand how Someone he looked up to, who he recognised as the Messiah, who he had placed on a pedestal occupied, in his mind, by the greatest Person who had ever lived, could wash his feet. This amazing Person kneeling before him, taking each foot in turn, washing away all the detritus from his feet and between his toes, wiping over the corns and callouses, and then drying them carefully on a towel. But that is what Jesus did in an eternal act of humility that was just as counter-cultural in those days as it would be today. Throughout His ministry, Jesus confronted those who were proud and arrogant; the door into the Kingdom of Heaven will be closed to such people.

Paul picked up this theme again in Philippians 2. We read, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had“. (Verses 3-5). 

So why is humility so important in the lives of Christians? And what does a humble lifestyle look like? The very essence of the Gospel is looking out for the needs of others instead of our own needs. We have a message of hope, a message that is counter-cultural in a war-torn and unhappy world. But to be delivered effectively it has to be supported by the right attitude. An attitude of love. An attitude of grace. An attitude of acceptance. An attitude of humility. We must always deliver our message gently and respectfully. Not rising to insults and rudeness. 

We all have faults. Don’t believe it if someone says they don’t. But we have a tendency to ignore our own faults and only see those in others. Paul reminded us in the second part of today’s verse that we must overlook the faults we see in our brothers and sisters in the faith, because we love them. Humility and gentleness leads the way in all our relationships, both inside and outside the Church. We pilgrims must remember that we are all “damaged goods”, damaged by sin, damaged by negative influences, damaged through contact with those in the world around us, damaged by our own misguided mistakes and choices. But, thanks be to God, He hasn’t finished yet in rebuilding our lives. We are being reborn and in the process we are becoming more and more like Jesus. And underpinning it all is love. Through our love for our brothers and sisters we must always treat them with humility and respect, mentally washing their feet every time we meet them.

Humility

Posted on by korgrocker

“Lord, my heart is not proud; 
my eyes are not haughty. 
I don’t concern myself with matters 
too great or too awesome for me to grasp.”
Psalms‬ ‭131:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

David is back in the writer’s chair. Scratching away with a quill pen on parchment or something similar – no ancient keyboards available. His thoughts for this Psalm have turned to humility. A quality much respected by God – we read in James 4:6, “And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”” In this Psalm, David declares that he is not proud, and neither is he arrogant. These are both qualities that are accepted, if not respected, in our worldly societies today but are anathema to the Kingdom of God. David continues by saying that he doesn’t get involved in matters that don’t concern him, or that he knows nothing about. As we delve down into the substance of this verse, perhaps there are uncomfortable feelings starting to emerge deep within us. When have we been found guilty of being too proud to ask for, or accept, help? Even when we desperately needed it? When have we looked down on others, thinking that we are so much better than them? And in our societies, everyone has an opinion. We pontificate on just about every subject that comes into our minds. 

“I can run the country better than our politicians”. 

“The Covid emergency would be nowhere near as bad if the public health authorities listened to me”. 

“The boss doesn’t have a clue about the best way to make widgets”. 

The list of our arrogant declarations knows no bounds. 

David continues in this Psalm by sharing what works for him – he told himself to “calm down”. The analogy with a weaned child is interesting – perhaps a child leaving behind their need for a mother’s milk is like us leaving behind our dependence on others for our spiritual sustenance, instead encouraging us to work out for ourselves our relationship with God and His Word, feeding our souls with the richness of God’s food. And in His Word we will find what God really thinks of pride and arrogance.

Paul wrote these words in his Roman epistle, “Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.” (Romans 12:3 NLT). Hmmm…

So to our inevitable question – how does this Psalm help the 21st Century Pilgrim? By encouraging us to look to Jesus. Back to Paul again. He wrote to the Philippian church (2:5) – “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” If we follow Jesus and His example of how to live, we can’t go wrong. So we pray, “Please help me, Lord!”