If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. - 2 Chronicles 7:14
Humility
Can you remember to the time when your children were very
little, especially when they were sleeping (all children are angels when they
are sleeping)? I remember thinking that I
really didn’t know the depths of love before then.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does
not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It
does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily
angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love
does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It
always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love
never fails. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
Patient, kind, not envying, not boastful, not proud, not
dishonoring others, not self-seeking, not easily angered, and not an unforgiver
– all descriptions of humility. Can you
imagine promoting yourself seemingly backwards?
Society pushes for the opposite of all of these to be goal worthy. We live in the age of self-promotion which
has to include boasting, pride, self-seeking, dishonoring others (by showing
how great I am or what I’ve done is), and envying (it is everyone’s internal
hope that others seeing how great their life is or the things they’ve done are
will admire them).
When I looked upon my young children, realizing how much I
loved them, I was also humbled knowing I could not give them everything they
would have to have to be complete. In
order to love others, those who follow God must be humble, doing what God would
do and seeking God’s Way.
Sinful Self
In Revelation, the mark of the beast is on the hand and on
the forehead.
16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and
poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their
foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell
unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of
its name.
18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight
calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That
number is 666. – Revelation 13:16-18
While we want for this to be an obvious sign on a hand or
forehead, this is most likely a reference to a person’s actions and thoughts, desires,
yearnings, beliefs. Since most people
are right handed, the right hand is a symbol of strength. Here it is the representative of the root or
foundation of someone’s actions. In
other words, their actions will represent who they follow. Similarly, the way they conduct their life,
their words, their desires, their decisions, and their purpose will show upon
their foreheads. It is evident by their
countenance and direction. Those who
follow Jesus will be different than those who follow man and it will be obvious
by what they do and how they are as people.
Jesus said the greatest commandment is to “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all
your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Mt
22:37-38) The number of man is the
opposite. It is to not love God with any
part of the heart, soul, or mind. The
number of man is: man-man-man.
When man honors and worships himself, there is no love, only
lust. Therefore, there is no true
humility or serving others. Every action
is an action that serves himself in some deceitful manner. How can he get what he wants from this person
and have other persons see how good he is while doing it? How can he have that person, giving him what
he wants, to do it to honor him? Everything
is manipulation, calculation, and self-seeking.
Yet, it is sold as the opposite. You
will give me what I want because it will help you. Others will see how you’re helped and how you’ve
helped yourself and they’ll want to help themselves.
There is no God in a sinful man helping another sinful man
be a better sinful man. It’s pigs wrestling
in a mudhole over who’s the cleanest.
Pursuing Ministry
12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do
the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than
these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I
will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified
in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything
in my name, and I will do it. – John 14:12-14
As those who believe in Him do the works that He has been
doing (the works of their hand) ask for anything in Jesus name, He will do it,
so the Father can be glorified in His only Son.
4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can
bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit
unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and
I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If
you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers;
such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.7 If
you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it
will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s
glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
– John 15:4-8
No one and no church can be a useful ministry if they do not
remain rooted to the trunk of Christ.
His teachings and His Words must be the foundation of all ministry (the
marks on our foreheads). Changing His
Words or following our words will only cause the destruction of our purpose.
18 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the
city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the
road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to
it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.
20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the
fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.
21 Jesus replied, “Truly I
tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was
done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw
yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If
you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” – Matthew21:18-22
Christians have no right out of humility. That should always be our place knowing that
without Jesus, our Savior, there is little we can do to love others. We will be marked with the marks of man
actions and man thoughts. Without
Christ, we are one of the pigs in the mudhole.
But, Jesus clearly says, do ministry rooted in His Words and ask while
doing and it will be done. The work of
our hand and the way of our going (forehead) should be clearly aligned with His
Way and not with the ways of man worshipping.
If we are focused on His way, we should be able to ask clearly and
expect an immediate answer.
Ask for humility today, so you can love. Focus on your heart, soul, and mind seeking Christ. We
demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the
knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it
obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5)
- Ask God through Jesus for God’s glory what must happen for His ministry in you to prosper.
- Pray for those roadblocks to be shattered, destroyed, decimated.
- Live victoriously humble glorifying Christ while earnestly praying for those He loves to come to Him.
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