“When the turn came for Esther (the girl Mordecai had adopted, the daughter of his uncle Abihail) to go the king, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested. And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her.” Esther 2:15

One of Esther’s characteristics stands out to me — humility. The above verse reflects the posture of her character. Esther was willing to take and heed her cousin Mordecai’s advice. She assumed that those in authority, and those given charge over her, had wisdom to share. Esther accepted the beauty treatments and the invitation extended to go to the king but she didn’t strive to manipulate the situation so that she would be above the rest and be chosen first.

Esther asked for nothing — nothing special, nothing she felt entitled to, no demands — just a humble acceptance of what the king’s eunuch suggested. Though Esther had obvious outward beauty, there was something beautiful and winsome about the posture of her heart. She won the favor of everyone around her, including the king.

Esther had no idea that what she would be called to do in a crisis would change the trajectory of a nation. Her beauty was stunning but the posture of her own heart and her internal character was possibly why she was chosen by God to save her people.

What can we learn from Esther’s posture? We live in a world of entitlement, demand, striving, and competition to be the best and get ahead — sometimes at the expense of others. As we age, our physical posture needs adjustment. Life happens and the posture of our hearts can also get out of alignment. Ponder Esther’s posture of humility.

Father God, thank you that you are able to adjust the posture of our hearts. We come before you in humility. We open our hearts before you and ask that you would deliver us from any sense of entitlement, striving, or trying to make things happen. We want to humbly trust you. May the posture of our hearts before you and others be pleasing to you. Have your way in our hearts. In Jesus’ name, amen.

By Donna Mitchell
Used by Permission

RELATED READING

How Christ Modeled Humility

Humility with Faith Equals Breakthrough

Humility Toward Each Other

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“Trust in the LORD with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know.  Remember the LORD in everything you do, and he will show you the right way.”  Proverbs 3:5-6 ( GNT)

“What made my interview stand out from the other 27 people you interviewed?” I asked.  “You sat on the foot stool,” the interviewer replied.

At the end of my second year of university I applied to be a resident assistant (RA) in my dormitory. Twenty-seven guys applied for the two positions available. The interview team decided to give interviews to all the applicants. I walked into the head resident’s apartment to face a team of 7 interviewers, and when invited to sit down, I had a choice of a chair and a footstool. I sat on the footstool.  I later learned that I was the only one of the 27 guys interviewed who did that. Yes, there were other things that influenced the decision but my choice to sit on a foot stool caught their attention.

I remember feeling overwhelmed before I went into the interview. I prayed and asked God to direct me and give me wisdom in my responses. I think sitting on the footstool was a “God moment” for me. He is indeed the God of the universe, but He is also the God of small things, so trust Him today for challenges both great and small. Humbly sit on the foot stool before him and express your concerns and desires.

By Mike Woodard
used by permission

FURTHER READING

God does Big Things with Small Deeds

Integrity in the Small Stuff

The Small Stuff

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“If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways: then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” 2 Chronicles 7:14 (KJV)

“Humility is perfect quietness of heart,” Andrew Murray once wrote. “It is to expect nothing, to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me. It is to be at rest when nobody praises me, and when I am blamed or despised. It is to have a blessed home in the Lord, where I can go in and shut the door, and kneel to my Father in secret, and am at peace as in a deep sea of calmness, when all around and above is trouble.”

For years, I have claimed God’s promise recorded in 2 Chronicles 7:14. My emphasis has been on the humbling of ourselves and turning from sin. But recently a minister friend made a passing reference to the phrase, “seeking God’s face,” and it triggered in my mind some new thoughts about this great promise from God.

In a sense, the humbling of ourselves and turning from sin are the by-products, or end results, of coming to know God as He is, by meditating upon His character and attributes. To “seek God’s face” is to meditate upon His sovereignty, His holiness, His power, His wisdom, His love – getting to know Him as He is.

The disciples of the first – century church were mightily used of God because of their exalted view of Him. There was nothing too great for Him. God could do anything. The church today can once again experience that same dynamic that characterized those first believers if we, too, become totally absorbed in the character and attributes of our great God.

It is then that we will truly begin to believe God for supernatural, impossible things and make a great impact for good on the world.

Question: What part of the promise recorded in 2 Chronicles 7:14 speaks most to you and your situation today?

By Dr. Bill Bright
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

• Seeking God
• SEEK MY FACE
• If I Could Just See Jesus

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“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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“For I swear, dear brothers and sisters, that I face death daily. This is as certain as my pride in what Christ Jesus our Lord has done in you.” (1 Corinthians 15:31)

If I told you this was your last day on earth, would your priorities and your attitude towards others change? We believe on most levels that we control some things in our lives. This control is part of our flesh – it is the battle between our fleshly sin and God’s Spirit that is alive in us through His Son Jesus Christ.

Paul told the Corinthians that he died daily, for Paul lived daily in Christ Jesus not in himself. This is true humility. Humility is to die to ourselves, our flesh, our control, all worldly desires so that we may live in Christ Jesus alone and alone in the will of our Father in Heaven.

Jesus taught us to pray that Father’s will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Is your life lacking a life-altering experience? Could it be due to a lack of humility in your life?

This morning, thank God for the day and die to yourself. Live with the uncertainty of anything you do and give up your control. Let the Spirit of God be your guide, let Him who created all on this earth and the entire universe be the one who steers your life today. Only in true humility can we allow God to lead us. Only in true humility can we really hear His Spirit guiding us in all our circumstances and relationships. To impose ourselves on others is not humility; it is pride, and it is control.

Lord, open our eyes to see how much we inflict our own personal agendas upon our circumstances and all the relationships that you put in our lives. Help us to truly be humble as You were. Let our flesh pass away this morning and let Your Kingdom shine as a light through us into the darkness of this world. Let the words that come from our lips be of Your Spirit and not of our flesh. Lord we ask this in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.

Questions: What does this kind of humility look like on a practical level? How will it change the way you live?

by Rev. Daniel Forster
used by permission

FURTHER READING

How to be Filled with the Holy Spirit

Spiritual Oxygen: Are You Getting Enough?

Stepping Into a Personal Revival

The post Death and Humility appeared first on Thoughts About God.

When we envision the idea of seeking God with our face down, the picture that comes to mind is one of bowing low before our heavenly Father, and thus it should be. We are approaching Him with abject humility. As representatives of the nations, we are confessing our sins and the sins of our cultures to God, beseeching Him to extend mercy and forgiveness, asking Him to move in His compassion and heal our land.

Yet in the humbling of our souls, let us not discard the reality and power of faith. For without faith it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews. 11:1-6). Yes, let us bow low, yet let us also stand in faith, for the mixture of humility and faith is a potent fragrance.

According to examples in Scripture, this humble yet audacious faith truly moves the heart of God. Consider the Canaanite woman who answered what appeared to be an insult from Jesus: “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs feed on the crumbs” (Matthew 15:27). Hers wasn’t an arrogant reply, but the voice of a desperate woman for her daughter. Jesus’ answer tells me she had the perfect attitude of heart: “O woman, your faith is great” (v.28).

Or recall Elijah as he climbed Mt Carmel and, with his “face between his knees,” prayed seven times that an extended drought in Israel might end. The cloudless sky presented the illusion that the Almighty was unmoved by Elijah’s intercession. Yet when Elijah’s servant reported that there was, in fact, one cloud, a tiny wisp of a cloud the size of a man’s hand, Elijah’s faith recognized God’s answer to prayer. Within a few minutes, this tiny cloud, activated by Elijah’s faith in God, was transformed into a massive downpour that ended three-and-a-half years of national drought.
(See 1 Kings 18:42-45.)

The Bible has many examples of the power of faith when coupled to humility. If we will see a spiritual outpouring in our land, we will need to stay low in the act of intercession. Yet we will also need faith in the goodness of God. Humility empowered by visionary faith equals breakthrough.

Lord, like Elijah, I too bow low before You. I humble myself before You. Forgive our sins, Lord God, for they are many. Show Yourself mighty against our enemies. Master, even as we bow low before you, we refuse to give up on our nation. Lord, forgive, heal and then empower us to bring the lost to You. Let Your name be exalted throughout the land and Your mercy lifted to the heavens. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

By Francis Frangipane
Used by Permission

Francis Frangipane
info@frangipane.org
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“All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5

What do you do when you hear that someone was hurt by something you did?

I heard through some friends that another friend was upset with me. When they told me the reason why, I rolled my eyes and thought, “Seriously? That’s ridiculous! I was trying to help!”

Have you ever had a similar experience? Despite your best intentions, have you ever upset someone else? It’s likely we all have. So as a Christ-follower how do we handle it?

It’s easy to get defensive and express our frustration with the other person. But, in Scripture, God calls us to humble ourselves toward each other. The indignation we might feel is merely pride, which rubs against our relationships and is contrary to grace.

Now, God does not call us to be doormats or to be manipulated. The difference is, when we are humble, we choose to value other people as much as ourselves.

In the situation with my friend, I apologized in front of the group in case I’d done anything to overstep my bounds. Another member of the group said to me privately, “You didn’t have anything to apologize for. She was being overly sensitive.” I nodded. “Maybe so. But she is struggling right now and my relationship with her is more important to me than being right.”

When dealing with the Body of Christ, we have to take the attitude of our Savior Jesus who knew His rights as God, but chose to humble himself to be in right relationship with us.

Lord, guide me in my relationships with others. You said that the world will know we are your followers by the love we show to each other (John 3:35). Help me to set aside my pride and to act in humility. Amen.

By Debbie West
Used by Permission

Further Reading

• Stronghold of the Godly; Humility  by Francis Frangipane

• Humility – Devotional by Phil Ware

• How Christ Modeled Humility –  by Charles Stanley

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Jesus’ very act of coming to earth meant exchanging heaven for a human life on earth.

I love that the Son of God didn’t seek out only environments and places to visit worthy of his heavenly identity. After all, his very act of coming meant exchanging heaven for a human life on earth. He deliberately chose simple environments, like a stable, to display the power of the Kingdom of God. For me, his visit to the Pool of Bethesda stands out. It was a place where “a great number of disabled people used to lie, the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.” (John 5:1-3) It struck me that this was probably not the most hygienic place around.

Imagine the smell. Most of these people couldn’t make it to the bathroom on their own. I imagine most regular people didn’t frequent this pool and yet Jesus chose to enter into this humble environment and bring healing.

Who and what do I surround myself with? Which places do I frequent? Is this where Jesus would go? Perhaps it’s time to consider the positions we have created for ourselves and our thoughts about where we belong on this earth, and then, just like Jesus did, let’s lay these down.

Thank You, Jesus, for coming to earth and laying down Your divinity. Today, I lay down any concept of self that excludes me from entering the humble, stinky places where you would hang out. I ask for the grace to walk where You go. Amen.

By Idelette McVicker
Used by Permission

Further Reading

•   A Poem of Hope

•   The Healing – A  poem by Katy Kauffman

•  Salvation Explained

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“In humility consider others better than yourselves.” Philippians 2:3 (NIV)

Columnist Rick Reilly gave this advice to rookie professional athletes: “Stop thumping your chest.  The line blocked, the quarterback threw you a perfect spiral while getting his head knocked off, and the good receiver drew the double coverage.  Get over yourself.”

The truth is, every touchdown in life is a team effort.  Applaud your teammates.  An elementary-age boy came home from the tryouts for the school play.  “Mommy, Mommy,” he announced, “I got a part.  I’ve been chosen to sit in the audience and clap and cheer.”

When you have a chance to clap and cheer, do you take it?  If you do, your head is starting to fit your hat size.

By Max Lucado
From: Traveling Light
Used by permission

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