The case for humility

In II Chronicles 12, Jerusalem was being attacked by Egypt after the people abandoned the law of the Lord. A prophet notified King Rehoboam why they were being attacked. The king and the leaders of the land humbled themselves before the Lord. That caused the Lord to deliver them from the hands of the king of Egypt. 

God loves humility. It activates His arm to action. He gives grace to the humble. He exalts the humble. God saves the humble. He guides them. He crowns them with salvation. Wisdom comes with humility. Humility comes before honor. Humility considers others better than self. Moses was more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth at the time; Numbers 12:3. Jesus Christ’s embodiment is the full measure of humility. He said in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

In contrast, the Lord detests the proud. He opposes the proud. He is able to humble the proud. Disgrace follows pride. Pride breeds quarrels. It goes before destruction. “A man’s pride brings him low,” Proverbs 29:23. King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4 was prideful for he thought he built the city with his own hands. After his experience he wrote in verse 37, “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything He does is right and all His ways are just. And those who walk in pride He is able to humble.” Satan is the source of pride. He wanted to exalt himself above the throne of God; Isaiah 14:12-15. Ezekiel 28:11-19 is to be pondered. The created being cannot be exalted above the Creator.

 It is not about you. It is about who you follow. Follow someone who is humble and you will start to display humility. Follow someone who is prideful, then you will be as well. Some of the consequences are above. The choice is always yours. 

“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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land,” the Lord said in II Chronicles 7:14

Lover of my soul: 5000

Jesus feeds the five thousand in John 6:1-15

A short summary: Many were following Jesus for the miracles. When Jesus saw the crowd, He asked Philip as to where to buy food for the crowd. He already had a plan. A boy was found who had five loaves of bread and two fish. These were small in size. Jesus gave instructions for everyone to sit. He took the loaves, gave thanks, and had them distributed. Jesus did the same with the fish. After everyone had enough to eat, the disciples collected the remains per Jesus’ request. Everyone wanted to crown Jesus king by force, but He withdrew.

There are several points to ponder.

Jesus asked a question before supplying provision to such a large crowd. It was a leading question as if to imply that payment must be made for bread. He also included the disciples in the “we”; as if the group will be buying food. He already knew what He would do. Why ask? It was a test of faith. Jesus foreknew how and what they believe. He wanted them to be aware of what they believe. When God asks you specific questions, He wants you to know what is in your heart. He leaves the burden of responsibility on you as to how to proceed after knowing what is in your heart.

Jesus takes whatever we give Him, whether small or large, and works with and through it. In the above, He multiplied food. What is He asking of you? Are you willing to give it?

Jesus gave thanks for the small loaves and small fish. This triggered the blessing. Have you done this before? Have you tried being thankful for everything and your situation changed drastically?

Jesus requested they’d collect all of the remains. In everything we do and in every experience we have, we are to cherish and learn all we can from it.  We will need the lessons learned for the future to help us maneuver through life. Protect lessons learned in your heart and mind.

Jesus never told them what He intended to do. He just gave small, specific requests / information. He guided them every step of the way. When following Christ, do not expect to know ahead of time what your future entails. That is not how He operates. He will lead step by step. Just be comforted He is guiding you. Can you trust Him? 

Who are you following?

     A little background for II Chronicles 10-11:1-4: Solomon died after gaining wisdom and marrying many, many women. They led him away from his God and from the path that David, his father, has set. Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, became king. Jeroboam who fled from Solomon during the latter’s lifetime returned to Israel. The people sent for Jeroboam to confront Rehoboam regarding the harsh treatment given by Solomon. Rehoboam took three days to seek advice. He solicited his dad’s advisors who counseled he would cooperate with their requests. He inquired of his friends who advised he would become harsher. He paid heed to the young men for this was from the Lord. The people of ten clans rejected Rehoboam as king and made Jeroboam king instead. This fulfilled the prophecy to Jeroboam in I Kings 11:26-40.

Several points are worth pondering. 

•  God’s promises come with conditions. He promised David the kingship. He also promised that as long as David’s descendents follow God, the kingship would not depart from the house of David. God made the same promise to Jeroboam. However, neither was able to keep and cherish the promise. David followed God during his lifetime. But Solomon did not. To keep His promise to David, God allowed Solomon to die first before taking from the house of David the majority of the kingdom. He allowed them to have just one tribe as their inheritance or as a light for David’s sake. It was the tribe of Judah. God removed the other tribes from the hands of Rehoboam, David’s grandson. Similarly, the kingdom was taken from Jeroboam’s son. Jeroboam was not faithful to God so He yanked the kingdom form his son’s hands. Has God made promises to you? Do you know and understand the conditions to fulfill them to keep the promise? 

• Neither wisdom nor foolishness is inherited. Solomon was wise, yet his son did not demonstrate the wise trait. Wisdom is from the Lord and cannot be inherited. If we do not have wisdom, we are to ask God. He gives us according to His generosity. We are to be and remain thankful for His grace and His gifting. 

• God has the final word. He gave His word to Jeroboam and it was carried out. He caused Rehoboam to be obstinate with the people. This led To Jeroboam being king and fulfilling prophecy. So no matter how difficult a situation is, God is still in control. Do you believe and trust Him? 

• Finally, we resemble whom we follow or admire. A student cannot be better than his teacher. When we attend classes in university, we are studying to become a worker in a specific field. Most of our teachers have studied the same field. So I cannot become a business person being taught by engineers. As it is in the natural, so it is in the spiritual. Do you know who you are following?

Lover of my Soul X

All About Jesus

The next reference is John 5:16-47. This section is loaded with a lot of information. It can be divided into two sections: 16-30 which talks about life through Jesus and 31-47 which states testimonies about Jesus.

A quick summary of verses 16 through 30 can be the following. Jesus was persecuted for doing miracles on the Sabbath. He declared His Father is always at work and the Son does likewise. This afforded Him more persecution for He made Himself equal to God. In reply, He listed the many things the Son can do because He sees the Father doing them. The miracles, the judgments, and the giving of life are among His work. The last sentence in this section states a fact worth pondering, “for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.”

In verses 31 through 47 can be summarized as Jesus listed three testimonies about Himself; God the Father, John the Baptist, and the works of Jesus which entail the miracles, the upcoming cross and resurrection. He also revealed their hearts to them. They considered themselves obedient to God and love God (by following the Sabbath, fasting, washings, etc…) yet, they did not recognize that Jesus was sent by God because they did not care to please God. They wanted to please men.

There are some in the churches who perform well in their worship and in their service. But outside of church and church activities, they do not reflect the doctrine they are to upkeep.  Their words, appearances, and actions are almost … hypocritical. They act like the Pharisees in Jesus’ time. It was all an act in a grand play of deception. This deception was concocted by the devil. It is a means to keep people busy doing church stuff without actually getting any closer to God via Jesus Christ. They are blinded with pleasing men instead of pleasing God.  Are you one?     

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2 NIV

Praise - Take 6 Solomon

In II Chronicles chapters 1 through 7, we learn about Solomon’s first years as king. We all know Solomon was the heir to the throne. He asked God for wisdom to rule the people. God granted his request. Prior to his death, his father David made extensive preparations for the temple building. Solomon continued with the preparations. He built the temple, brought the ark of the covenant and placed it inside, and dedicated the temple. All throughout, praises were lifted up to the Lord. In turn, the glory of the Lord filled the temple.

When we, as humans, miss our family or friends; we can call, write, or visit them. We want to spend time with them. We want to enjoy their company. Few hours seem like mere minutes. If they are coming over for a visit, we ensure our dwelling is in tip top shape. We prepare their favorite foods and drinks. We greet them with a huge smile, hug, and kiss when they arrive. We ensure they do not need anything while in our home. How is God different? When we praise Jesus Christ, His presence is sensed. He fills us with His Spirit. I Corinthians 3:16, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” We are the vessel the Holy Spirit indwells. Ephesians 2:22, “… in him (Jesus) you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” Is the vessel clean and welcoming? Does the vessel feed the Holy Spirit and starve sin and the flesh? Is the vessel longing for the Holy Spirit to visit and reside within? Does the vessel enjoy God’s company? If so, then the Holy Spirit will feel right at home in the vessel. If not, He will reveal what needs to be changed when asked.