Do you need to humble yourself before the Lord?

 3 Jun 26

Today's devotional: taken from YouVersion, Devotions on F.I.R.E. Year One

Readings:

2 Chronicles 10

2 Chronicles 11

2 Chronicles 12

John 13:18-38

When he humbled himself, the wrath of the LORD turned from him, so as not to destroy him completely; and things also went well in Judah (2 Chronicles 12:12).

Do you need to humble yourself before the Lord?

King Rehoboam exudes arrogance when Judah becomes strong. The Lord takes him down a notch by sending the Egyptians to chasten his kingdom “because they had transgressed against the LORD (2 Kings 12:2). “God resists the proud,” writes Peter, “but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5). He approves of those who exhibit the following three characteristics: “On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word” (Isaiah 66:2). To be “poor” conveys to be bowed down while “a contrite spirit” means to have a crushed or smashed spirit. The term “crushed” is used of Mephibosheth on account of his nurse dropping him, which crushed his feet (2 Samuel 4:4; 9:3).

Employment Point: Remain humble before the Lord to receive His approval of your life.

————————-

Reflections

As a child of God, I soon learned that being proud or arrogant brings us nowhere. In fact, those are the places where the Lord will humble us and bring us down. Not in a bad way but helping us to stay grounded and not have a big head. That we shall not boast of anything but if we do, to boast in the Lord. Not who we are, what we had done, what achievements we attained, etc. Praise the Lord instead, for all these skills, knowledge, blessings that He had given to us. We would not have done or achieved anything if not for His will.

“The king answered them harshly. Rejecting the advice of the elders, he followed the advice of the young men and said, “My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.” So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from God, to fulfill the word the Lord had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.”

‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭10‬:‭13‬-‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

• would you reject the elders advice and follow those of the young men? I think pride plays a certain role as well. The King may have his own thinking and wanted things done his way instead of following godly advice. However, we also know that he is destined to fail for the Lord’s hands are on him.
• Just nice I was reading a passage sent to me on a daily basis. It reads “A child may grow taller than his father, but he can never be older than him. In the same way, no matter how far we rise in life - through knowledge, success, or strength. We must never forget those who came before us. Our roots matter. Honor, humility, and gratitude keep us grounded. In the Bible, Joseph rose to great power in Egypt, yet he never forgot his father Jacob. Despite his high position, Joseph honored and cared for him, showing that true greatness is not just in rising high, but in staying humble. Beloved, Growth should never erase gratitude. Respect for parents and elders reflects a heart aligned with God. When we honor our beginnings, God blesses our journey forward.”

“Then the prophet Shemaiah came to Rehoboam and to the leaders of Judah who had assembled in Jerusalem for fear of Shishak, and he said to them, “This is what the Lord says, ‘You have abandoned me; therefore, I now abandon you to Shishak.’ ” The leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The Lord is just.” When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, this word of the Lord came to Shemaiah: “Since they have humbled themselves, I will not destroy them but will soon give them deliverance. My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak. They will, however, become subject to him, so that they may learn the difference between serving me and serving the kings of other lands.””2 Chronicles‬ ‭12‬:‭5‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

• the Lord is just and is just indeed. Anyone who did wrong, he will deal with them but if they turn and repent of their sins, we see that the Lord has mercy and will usually be more lenient to them. Thank You Father for Your mercy and compassion on us all. Thank You for reminding us too, that staying humble is the way to go.

““A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.””

‭‭John‬ ‭13‬:‭34‬-‭35‬ ‭NIV‬‬

• Acts without love is dead and love is often proven by action, not by mere words that are spoken. For whoever may also speak words of love but hardly everyone can live by it.
• Each of us are called to love and to love our enemies even.

———————-

“The Secret of the Lord”

BY OSWALD CHAMBERS

June 03

The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him… —Psalm 25:14

What is the sign of a friend? Is it that he tells you his secret sorrows? No, it is that he tells you his secret joys. Many people will confide their secret sorrows to you, but the final mark of intimacy is when they share their secret joys with you. Have we ever let God tell us any of His joys? Or are we continually telling God our secrets, leaving Him no time to talk to us? At the beginning of our Christian life we are full of requests to God. But then we find that God wants to get us into an intimate relationship with Himself— to get us in touch with His purposes. Are we so intimately united to Jesus Christ’s idea of prayer— “Your will be done” (Matthew 6:10)— that we catch the secrets of God? What makes God so dear to us is not so much His big blessings to us, but the tiny things, because they show His amazing intimacy with us— He knows every detail of each of our individual lives.

“Him shall He teach in the way He chooses” (Psalm 25:12). At first, we want the awareness of being guided by God. But then as we grow spiritually, we live so fully aware of God that we do not even need to ask what His will is, because the thought of choosing another way will never occur to us. If we are saved and sanctified, God guides us by our everyday choices. And if we are about to choose what He does not want, He will give us a sense of doubt or restraint, which we must heed. Whenever there is doubt, stop at once. Never try to reason it out, saying, “I wonder why I shouldn’t do this?” God instructs us in what we choose; that is, He actually guides our common sense. And when we yield to His teachings and guidance, we no longer hinder His Spirit by continually asking, “Now, Lord, what is Your will?”

2 Chronicles 19-20; John 13:21-38

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

Sincerity means that the appearance and the reality are exactly the same.

————————

Reflections

What makes God so dear to us is not so much His big blessings to us, but the tiny things, because they show His amazing intimacy with us— He knows every detail of each of our individual lives.- I so agree with this sentence because the most amazing thing is that He answers the most simplest and most intimate prayers. He speaks to us even on the smallest and also insignificant matters. The amount of care and love is beyond my understanding.

Like what Oswald mentioned, when we grow spiritually, we become fully aware of what His will looks like and what the choices we must make in order to stay on the correct path. The Holy Spirit will guide us and prompt us in decision making so we will not need to guess.

It just seems like our spiritual life are strongly tied to abandonment of self and a high reliance on the Lord. It’s no longer our usual self that lives but one transformed life that lives for the Lord.

Let’s pray: 

Abba Father, we are indeed grateful for Your love and for guiding us on the right paths for Your name’s sake. Thank You for giving us the opportunity to grow in Christ and to live a risen life with You and for You. Even in our daily walk, we pray that Lord You continue to hold our hands and prompt us when we have gone wayward and not grounded. Help us to be anchored in You and Your Word so we will never fall. In Jesus’s name we ask and pray. Amen 🙏🏻