“All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord.”  Proverbs 16:2

You’re at a party and your husband or wife (or good friend) begins to tell a story about an event in which you both had participated. There is a reason for telling the story—perhaps to describe the beauty of a scene or a person whose presence made a lasting impact on your lives. “Last year when we were on our way to California…” You interrupt with, “No, that was two years ago and we were going to New York…” The story continues: “We had driven about five miles that morning and stopped at this little blue store…” “No, remember it was midday and we had gone well over fifteen miles and the store was red…

What happens to the story? To the audience? More importantly, what happens to the storyteller? First, the story has lost its purpose. Those listening have been distracted by your insistence on accuracy of detail. The storyteller begins to experience frustration, anger and perhaps even a sense of unworthiness. Anger is evident when the storyteller somewhat heatedly says, “OK, you tell the story.” Disguised anger is revealed when the storyteller says ‘sweetly,’ “Oh, honey, you always tell the story better than I do…”

In her book, Invitations from God, Adele Ahlberg Calhoun addresses this demand to be right: I often hear couples debating who is right about what happened. Each one refuses to admit that she or he might be wrong about some detail: how far they walked, how long ago it was, who was there. One of them may be a stickler for accuracy, while the other is after the big picture and not too concerned about details.

Perhaps you see yourself in this description. Do you find yourself constantly correcting people in conversation? Or maybe it’s just always adding a bit of information to the discussion you think absolutely necessary. If someone says, “I hear we’re having a snowstorm tomorrow,” must you add, “But it won’t be anything like the one two years ago”?

This sometimes happens in a Bible study. People can become so passionate about the subject under discussion that they feel they must always add their insight or knowledge. While this may add color or detail to the general theme, often those in the group less willing to ask questions or who feel they have less “knowledge” remain silent.

These words from Ahlberg struck a chord in my soul: The type of humility that admits you are wrong when you know you are wrong is confession. The humility that admits you might be wrong when you’re pretty sure you’re right is maturity.

by Marilyn Ehle
used by permission

FURTHER READING

• How Christ Modeled Humility
• Humility Toward Each Other
• Humility by Phil Ware

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The post I Demand to Be Right! can be found at Thoughts about God.

Of all virtues, Jesus elevated meekness above the rest.

Why humility?

It is the door opener to grace, and no virtue enters our lives except that humility acknowledges our need and requests virtue to come. Without humility, we see no reason to change or appropriate future grace.

Yet, humility not only hosts the other virtues, it is also the life essence that sustains them. It is humility that recognizes when love is growing cold and humility that confesses our need for greater purity. Without humility, our virtues harden into lifeless statues; we are outwardly religious, but inwardly unable to change.

Humility is the taproot of true nobility. For it provides increase to wholeness, and life and maturity to all other virtues. It is the antidote to Pharisee-ism and the cure for a Jezebelian attitude.

A Child

Consider: when Jesus was asked by His disciples,

“Who then is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”

He put a child in their midst. He said,

“Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mathew 18:1,4).

What a sublime wonder! In Heaven, the height of greatness is measured by the depth of one’s humility.

Consider Wuest’s Expanded Translation of Jesus’ statement:

“Therefore, he who is of such a nature as to humble himself like this little child, esteeming himself small inasmuch as he is so, thus thinking truly, and because truly, therefore humbly of himself, this person is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.“

Jesus came to establish Heaven in the lives of His followers. Thus, He introduces the realm of God to His disciples with the words,

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:3).

Beloved, the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to the “poor in spirit.” Who are these poor? They are people who “know their need” (Godspeed Translation). Beloved, there are people in Heaven who were sinners on Earth. The streets of God’s kingdom are filled with people who, at some time or another, failed and fell short. There are adulterers who’ve been washed and cleansed by Christ’s blood, ex-drug dealers and prostitutes whose hearts are filled with praise to God – all who came face to face with their need, repented and found forgiveness of their sins.

But there is not one proud individual in Heaven. There are no self-righteous beings in Heaven.

Here on earth we see the strutting pride – the air of self-importance – manifest in leaders and celebrities. Again, we behold the air of false superiority in our cultural prejudices. We see unrepentant pride in the conflicts that lead to divorce and the offspring of pride – envy and jealousy – in the inordinate desire of men to be glorified before other men.

Jesus said the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to the poor in spirit! Not the perfect, but the poor. Yes, we are called to standards of perfection, and strive we must toward that upward call. Yet, perfection in Heaven is measured, not in degrees of self-sufficiency, but in degrees of dependency and surrender. We can search for an eternity and we will observe truly: there dwells not one proud soul in all of Heaven.

Today, we cry for revival and pray for breakthroughs, and persevere we must. Yet the Lord’s eyes are upon a certain individual. He says,

“For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, ‘I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite‘” (Isaiah.57:15).

The disciples were arguing about who is greatest in the Kingdom. Jesus placed a child in their midst.

This is greatness in the Kingdom of Heaven: to possess a humble heart.

By Francis Frangipane
used be permission

Francis Frangipane
info@frangipane.org
www.frangipane.org
www.icitc.org
www.arrowbookstore.com

The post The Greatest in God’s Kingdom can be found at Thoughts about God.

With a Humble Heart

Seek the Lord with a humble heart.
Seek Him on your knees and pray.
Worship Him with truthfulness and in spirit.
Don’t just sing for the sake of singing
for its displeasing to the Lord.

He’s your everything.
Do not stray away from Him.
Without God, life’s meaningless and empty.
Do not murmur or complain.

Be holy in the presence of God.
Treat God with full respect,
and with the fear of the Lord.

Do not take advantage of His grace and mercy.
Do not take Christ lightly.
Repent from your old ways.
Be convicted of your wrong doings.
Open your heart and ear to hear
the Lord’s still small voice.
Be wise in everything you do,
and practice justice.
Do not judge your brother.
Always think positive,
and love one another.

Spend more quiet time with the Lord.

by Joshua Chin Hong Lim
Used by Permission

Further Reading

•  More Christian Poems

•  Keeping Yourself in God’s Love – even during painful times in your life

•  Salvation Explained

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The post With a Humble Heart can be found at Thoughts about God.