Lessons For Christian Ladies

YOU’RE THE GREATEST….OR ARE YOU?

Recently, I heard about a man in our community who is building a three million dollar house; that information in itself was mind-blowing, but then came the news that he was broadcasting the price tag for his front door…$37,000!  From my perspective, that’s not real classy….class is having a $37,000 front door and not letting anyone know what it cost!

Back in the 60’s a young, vibrant boxer burst on the scene, ultimately changing his name from Cassius Clay to Mohammed Ali and proclaiming, “I’m the greatest!”

The mantra of today’s child-rearing gurus is to instill in a child the notion that they are capable of being whatever they want to be, and that absolutely no one be deemed a “loser” whether it be in life or a simple game of soccer.

All this leads me to ponder the blatantly missing commodity in today’s world…humility.  Think about it--- when was the last time you saw a politician, movie star or even the average citizen express even a degree of it?  So as you would expect, the Bible regards it as a valuable trait and says much about it.

Instructions regarding humility:

(Micah 6:8) – As you read the verses preceding (vs.8) you find that God had a controversy with Israel which could be solved by the implementing of three actions:  “to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God.”  These three sum up the successful Christian walk today, and we could repair our own relationship with God if we put these instructions into effect.

(Prov. 16:19) – Throughout the Bible we are reminded that becoming rich is not the aim of a child of God.  According to Proverbs, it is more advantageous to be hanging out with the lowly in a humble state than to be sharing wealth with the proud.  Now that is totally contrary to the philosophy of this day and age.

(Prov. 18:12) – Many times in Proverbs an attitude of pride proceeds destruction, and you only have to take a look at mankind today to verify that.  Conversely, just as often the writer of Proverbs notes that humility can precede honor.

(Col. 3:12-13) – As a church age saint, Paul gives us several traits we are to “put on.”  In addition to mercy, kindness, meekness, longsuffering and forgiveness, we are to have a humble mind….a necessary ingredient to make the other traits attainable.

So we have proven through the Word that humbleness or humility is valued by God and a requirement for us.  The next lesson comes from Biblical examples of this attribute…or the lack of it:

[1]. (II Chron. 32:26) – King Hezekiah initially operated by the pride of his heart and nearly brought destruction on himself and Israel.  But the wrath of God was prevented when he and the people humbled themselves.

[2]. (II Chron. 33:13) – Hezekiah’s son Manasseh followed his father to the throne, and, according to chapter 33, created all kinds of abominations which provoked God to anger.  In fact, he helped the children of God to be worse than the heathen….what a great leader!  But affliction came in the form of the Assyrians, and in affliction, the king sought the face of God.  Because the Lord listens to the honest prayer of a contrite, humbled heart, Manasseh was forgiven, he cleaned up his act and finished his reign.

[3]. (II Chron. 34:27) – In considering the kings of Chronicles Josiah stands as one of the good guys and dispels the idea that rotten parents beget rotten kids.  Upon finding the law of Moses in the ruins of the temple and being informed of the wrath of God which was about to descend, Josiah is reduced to a humble state of weeping and the renting of his clothes.  And that got God’s attention.  The result was a promise from the Lord that Josiah would not see the evil that would eventually come.

[4]. (Phil. 2:5-8) – The greatest example of a humble spirit is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.  What an unbelievable scenario:  God in the earthly form of Jesus became a man, and more than that, a servant in the humblest sense, submitting to death on the cross.  What a supreme example for us to follow!

Just as there are individuals in the Bible who exhibit humility and were rewarded accordingly, so are there those who didn’t.

[1]. (II Chron. 33:23) – Amon, son of Manasseh, obviously learned little from his father’s example; his short reign was filled with idol worship and pride.  The reward for his deplorable behavior was death in his own house at the hands of his own servants.  His one good act was the begetting of Josiah.

[2]. (II Chron. 36:12) – The evil actions of Zedekiah and his refusal to humble himself before the prophet Jeremiah led to the Babylonian captivity for the children of Israel.

[3]. (Prov. 13:10) – The words of this verse are indeed sobering when we recognize that pride or a lack of humility is the only source of contention.  Take stock for a moment of all the personal relationship problems you’ve encountered, and then consider them in the light of this verse.  It gives you a greater appreciation for the value of a humble spirit.  Any contention comes from your pride, another’s pride or a combination of the two!   The absence of humility leads to a life fraught with strife.

[4]. (I Pet. 5:5/ – Peter admonishes the younger person to give due respect to the elder, but he tells all to be clothed in humility lest God resists you.  Resistance is more than simply being ignored; it suggests a force working against you.  Life is tough enough without having God on the opposing team!

Benefits of humility: 

Conclusion:  So, according to God, it’s prudent to be humble and dangerous to be governed by a prideful spirit.  Returning to our original examples of pride, we would be wise to consider the fact that the $37,000 door in that three million dollar house will someday be dust and ashes.  And we all know that the man who once called himself “the greatest,’ is now incapable of putting a complete sentence together.  In regard to the child-rearing principle cited earlier, the “you can do anything” philosophy more often than not produces a false pride rather than a successful adult.

Undoubtedly, we would all be much happier and far more productive if we beat down the demon of pride and adopted the humble spirit exhibited by the Lord.