Scripture
Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the Lord,
and humility comes before honor.
~Proverbs 15:33, NIV
Quote
The ultimate Power in the universe showed that He was strong enough to become weak.
~Timothy Keller
It is incredible when you think about it: Jesus, the Son of God, the Lion of the tribe of Judah gave us the ultimate demonstration in HUMILITY. He could have been born in a palace; there was such a palace four miles from his birth place. It had hot and cold water, indoor pools and restrooms but yet God’s son was born in a barn, a stinky stable. His earthly parents were peasants. He was raised in poverty and earned a living by the sweat of His holy brow. No one personifies the role of “servant” like Jesus. He spent those brief 33 years on this earth serving others. Paul teaches us in Philippians that although Jesus had all the rights and privileges of God, He refused to indulge in those rights. His temptation was the opposite of ours: we are tempted to rely on the flesh and shun the divine nature whereas He was tempted to use His divine power, instead of suffering weakness. Wow! What a Savior.
But the principle in today’s verse is for us. Many of the Proverbs are comparisons. Just as PRIDE GOES BEFORE A FALL–HUMILITY GOES BEFORE HONOR. Nothing is so hollow and empty as self-praise. I had preacher friend [45 years ago] who gave himself a PASTOR APPRECIATION PARTY. I cannot see how such a party would edify my soul and spirit. Honor cannot come from within; it must be conferred on us by others.
But there is one other point I wish to make: God chooses to work through the humble and in humble ways. We all know the story of Rachel and Leah. Rachel was knock down gorgeous and Leah was homely. The KJV says she had “weak eyes.” I don’t think she was cross eyed, I just think that humanly speaking, she was unattractive. Jacob chose Rachel over Leah. Rachel was Jacob’s choice. But when it came to producing the Messiah, God choose to work through Leah, not Rachel. Who would have imagined. Esau was a brute beast and a fierce warrior but God choose to work through the weaker Jacob who was a sissy. What do you call a man who had rather stay in the house with his mother cooking and sewing rather than being outside with a football or a gun? That’s what I mean, the man was a sissy. David had six brothers who were older, bigger, and more experienced, yet God choose David. God chooses the weak things to confound the know-it-alls of this world. The very people that the world despises are the ones God uses.
You have heard me say it one hundred times: Humility is the most illusive virtue: once you think you have it, you don’t.
I have three words I need to say–GOD IS GOOD or I could make that four, GREAT IS THE LORD or I could narrow it to two–JESUS IS– which says it all. I just want to thank the LORD for His wonderful mercy and His marvelous grace.
I do praise HIM that everything went well yesterday with Charles Edward {Curly} Turrentine’s COLS. Joe David, Brad, Eddie and Teddie did an excellent job in remembering Curly. I was thankful to be there and to be a witness: I would not have missed it for the world. I could have used Curly as an example in today’s blog. It is amazing what God in His grace had accomplished through this family. A company that employs half of DBC and a MISSION ORGANIZATION that reaches thousands. Are you kidding me! Only God could do such a thing. I would be thrilled and am to have one preacher of the gospel from my lions but I am waiting to that second generation MISSIONARY COUPLE like Deidra and Soy. Wow, what a legacy.
I did something this past week that I don’t normally do: I got my iron in way too many fires and I had four days of 20,000 steps are more. Ten thousand is a normal day for me. I was also in a quandary about today’s message and although I have been thinking about it for weeks, I had no outline, no way to present it. Last night when I came to my study and began reading, I found that I was too weary to think. So I went home and went to bed at 7:14 which is not normal for me. Thank God for a restful night of sleep and this morning I felt great and got to my study early. So help me Hannah, the LORD gave me an outline that was as clear as glass and I must praise Him for it.
We are entertaining the BAILEY and MARBUT clans tonight. Sunday nights have become FAMILY TIME for us. We have a picnic and party every Sunday night. Next Sunday night, LORD willing, GRACE POINT is coming to our Sunday night party. We may have one for all the BLOG readers here in a few weeks. I love a good party!