Humble Yourself

"Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up" (James 4:10 NIV).

What do you think of when you hear the word "power?" Webster defines power as an ability or faculty, control, controlling influence, authority.

In the Greek, the original language of the New Testament, the word is dunamis and is that which manifests God's power.

It is where we get the English word dynamite.

In the Bible, Jesus told the disciples that they would receive power after he had died and the Holy Spirit came to live in and through them (Acts 1:8). "It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you" (John 16:7).

In the disciples' minds, that did not make sense. Why would it be better for Jesus to leave them? How could they possibly have more power if He were gone? The disciples would have planned Jesus' reign in a different way.

They did not know the BIG PITCURE.

Even Peter, when Jesus foretold of his imminent suffering, death, and resurrection said, "Never Lord! This shall never happen to you!" They did not understand God's economy: the first shall be last, we gain our lives by dying to self, we receive by giving, we become powerful by being weak, and we are lifted up when we humble ourselves before God. In Jesus' first recorded sermon, He began with a list of seeming contradictions.

Blessed are the poor in spirit,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,

For they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek.

For they will inherit the earth.

Who are the poor?

Someone who must scrimp and scrape to get by, someone without favor. We may call some one like this a beggar: a person who is dependent on others for their very existence. Life depends on the kindness of another. No hope of survival without intervention.

Not believing that this is meant just for thoses without money, but maybe the spiritually bankrupt. Apart from God's intervention with his GRACE and LOVE we are all destitute and doomed for failure with no hope for life.

So begs the question: Who are the poor?

Listed below are scripture submitted for you consideration:

"Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:26-28).

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.

"Then he said to them, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.

"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me" (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up." (James 4:10) · "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).

We tend to think our scars hinder our service for God when it is our very scars that often render us able. Through our weakness, He makes us strong. Through our dying, He makes us alive. Through our wounds, He makes us whole. "For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10).

Dear Heavenly Father,

I am so weak, and yet, through the power of the Holy Spirit I am strong.

I am constantly amazed at how You take the weak things of this world and make them strong. You take the humble, lift them up, the uneducated, make them wise, the broken, and make them powerful vessels.

Thank You for taking the wounds in my life and transforming them into beautiful scars that tell a story of hope and redemption.

This is my testimony:

I never felt worthy, I never had enough, I was spiritually bankrupt, I was a bleeding mess. Setting at my dinning room table The Holy Spirit spoke in an audible voice. I turned and looked around, I knew some had to be in the room with me. Someone was there.

The Great Comforter, the Great I AM had come to reassure me. This was the moment I understood : I was worthy because He had made me worthy. I had enough because He gave me everything that was important, and it was enough. With his cleansing my pain would subside and my bleeding wounds would begin to heal. Some scars remain in places where the cuts were deep, but I do not bleed over my failures anymore. Christ filled my bank account and he is sufficient. He gave me antibiotics (Love and Grace), He gave me bandages (His Blood) I submitted and He received me; Just as I was. I need not be reminded of those failures for they have been forgotten and covered with the Blood of my Precious Christ Jesus.

If there are those of you out there bleeding and begging. Stop in your tracks, fall down, look up, sumitt your heart and be recieved by Christ. Yes; it is that simple. You do not need to know anything, verses or fancy words. Just ask Jesus to transform you life: He will do the rest.

Amen

I feel better do you?

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