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"Humble, not Proud"The scriptures command us to humble ourselves. There is an obvious underlying assumption.We all reek with pride.

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God..." (1 Peter 5:6).

It is like standing on a cliff looking across the valley far below and hearing God tell us to keepgoing. The valley was made for us to cross it, but it is such a long way down! Most peopledecide not to cross. They, like Nebuchadnezzar, refuse to listen to God's warning and chooseto persist in their pride instead. For Nebuchadnezzar, it was only twelve months later whenGod confronted him and tossed him from earth's highest cliff to its lowest abyss. For sevenyears, he went across the fields as a beast (Daniel 4).

Numerous leaders, fathers, mothers and an endless stream of children have fallen intoadulterous and materialistic sins. God has warned each one of them to humble themselves.

But each one of them stubbornly resists to take the steps down to humility. They think far toomuch of their position in life, their self-gratification of desires and confidence in their wealth.They only need time before they fall over the cliff. That is a hard way to meet humility.

Only the brave and discerning ones dare to look at their lives from God's perspective. Thesteps down are steep, but one can carefully descend. We all know the quick way down, but,

by God's grace, have assessed that the damage would exceed the time saved! Humblingoneself is much like the careful manipulation of ones feet so he does not plunge down intothe steep canyon.

'Humble, not Proud,If we choose to humble ourselves with God's help, we can carefullydescend. But if we harden ourselves, the scriptures say that the path of the proud ends in afall. So why push God to send us over a cliff? Why not deliberately humble ourselves and godown that valley on our own?! This is what the scriptures exhort us to do.Throughout thisseries on ' we see the reasons a person should choose humility. This is, afterall, the path ofChrist Jesus. The most high and excellent One came to earth and died a death for the sake ofothers in obedience to His Father.

Humility, though neglected, stands as one of the foundational teachings for having a growingand fruitful Christian life. In a real sense humility holds the secret for growth, wisdom,

perseverance, blessing, salvation, and wonderful relationships. I am literally humbled by the

way I have lived so long as a Christian and heard so little emphasis placed on the importancehumility plays in our Christian lives. Jesus placed great emphasis on humility.Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.(Matthew 18:4).

We do not naturally seek the path of humility. But if we seek to be successful or great, thenour training must include a number of hikes on the trail of humility. God does not take a manto great heights without first walking him through the darkness of the valley. Our pathway has

been beautifully carved out by the glorious and gracious Lord Jesus Christ.

We have encouraged many people to grow in Christ but rarely, if at all, have we ever heard

anyone teach that we should pursue humility. For the first time, I heard a pastor, last year,


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sharing a list on ways to pursue humility. I encourage each one of you to pursue humility thatwe might be more like Christ.

Not only will we study some of the scriptures' greatest passages in this series, but some of thegreatest men like Moses and, of course, our Savior Jesus Christ.FUNCTIONAL

DEFINITION OF HUMILITYHumility is accepting our selves as we really are before God.1

Purpose of this study on humility:

That we may bring the greatest amount of glory to God as possible; That we may joyfully serve our fellow man with all diligence. That we may keep from stumbling because of pride That we may have the greatest joy in serving God.Index to 'Humble, no Proud' series.

Click the blue circle . They follow in order or just click here for next page.Humble, notPridefulTable of ContentsThe Secret of HumilityWe cannot do without humility.The Suffering ServantA Study of Isaiah 53, the fourth Servant SongSuffering and HumilityA Reflection on Suffering from Isaiah 53Humility and RewardsIs the seeking of rewards legitimate?The Pattern of HumilityPractical guidelines for Christian lifeKinds of HumilityFive paths of humilityJesus, Pioneer of HumilityChrist as seen in Philippians 2:3-11Humility and LeadershipImpact of humility upon leadership.Dying to Self

Key to a fulfilling Christian's life; Romans 6-8Moses & HumilityVerse by verse study of humility from Moses Prayer in Psalm 90Pride replaced with HumilityMoses' 3 stages of life: Palace, Wilderness, Service; Psalm 90 with chart.Humility in MinistryJohn 7:16-18 reveals a key part to having a great ministry.Steps towards Humility21 Practical steps in seeking humilityTestimonies on HumilityHow has God used a humbling experience to help you?

I Gave Everything Back to the Lord


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I will be the least, the last, and the lowest Place of Humility in Overcoming Fear

(1) A pastor upon reflecting from Daniel 4 has recently defined pride and humility as follows:Pride:

A self-centered preoccupation with, and overestimation of one's own importance, abilities,or achievements, resulting in unwillingness to submit to God and insensitivity to other.

Humility:Freedom from a sense of one's own importance,with total dependence on God and honest concern for others.

The Secret of Humility

If we know the secret of humility, we will be able to joyfully grow. When our path enterssuffering, we will be able to accept it. When touched with suffering, we will not doubt God'sgenuine care for us.

The scriptures speak so clearly of this principle.

Humility is the path of growth; it is the beginning of life. A person is born helpless; this iswhen he can grow. Once he is big, he does not grow. It is the little child that Jesus told us toimitate, not the adult (Matthew 18:3).

"Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter thekingdom of heaven."


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Jesus again spoke of entering the kingdom in Matthew 5:3,"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Circumstances in life are designed to humble us, not crush us. They are experiences that shape

us so that we may taste and have life to the fullest. We look at such experiences as threats toour success, but they are the path to true success.

Let's take the example of the student. If he thinks himself knowledgeable, then he will learnvery little. He has no eagerness to accept new knowledge. He treats knowledge like a satiatedman standing at a buffet. It is interesting because it tantalizes him. However, he doesn't reallywant or need it. The humble man is not so. He is there to learn. He rightly discerns his needfor knowledge and understanding."When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the humble is wisdom." Proverbs 11:2

The Lord calls for us to purposely humble ourselves before God. If we humble ourselves, then

we need to go through less difficult circumstances to shapen our lives."I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone whoexalts himself shall be humbled, but he who humbles himself shall be exalted." Luke 18:14

With this secret in our minds, we will take a whole different look upon leadership,servanthood, temptation, discipleship, etc. It seems there is no worthy discussion that humilityis not part of. The world cannot understand it; the Christian barely comprehends it.

John, the Baptist, discerned it quite well. He encapsulated this secret in just a few wordssaying in John 3:30, "He must increase, but I must decrease."

God illustrates this truth in nature all around us. We are literally surrounded by the 'humbling'principle but the world knows nothing of it. Just think how the leaves must drop and strip thetrees of their glory. Seeds need to descend from their lofty and glorious setting only to bemiserably buried in the mud. It is only then, does new life become evident. We have a winterof souls too. God's humbling of our soul is part of His good plan for our lives, not someextraneous interruption that must be avoided at all costs. Times of reflection are important togood productivity.Let's see how Jesus modeled this for us.

The Portrait of the Humble Servant JesusIsaiah 53


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The inspirational example of Jesus Christ from Isaiah 53 challenges each one of us to humblypick up the cross and follow Him.

We only need to meditate a bit on this five stanza prophecy to better understand what Jesus

was modeling for us. He descended from on high to suffer for us so that we, with Him, couldreign on high. If the perfect would humble himself for the imperfect, how much more shouldwe humble ourselves and serve others.

Study Questions for Isaiah 52:13-53

A. The Accomplishments of the Servant(Isaiah 52:13-15)1. The glory of the Servant (13)

2. The suffering of the Servant (14)

3. The redemption of the Servant (15) (I Pe 1:1-2)Three poignant synonyms are used in this verse, "He will be raised and lifted and highlyexalted" (NIV). From the reader's vantage point, the strong emphasis is unclear until we see inthe following verses how far Yahweh's Servant first had to descend. Whether an accumulationof synonyms or successive stages of exaltation (commencement, continuation and climax ofexaltation), the passage certainly predicts the postresurrection exaltation of Christ (Ac2:33; 5:31; Ph 2:9) and, retrospectively, appropriately allows for the three stages in thatexaltation." Interestingly, the Septuagint and the Old Latin translations use two verbs insteadof three.13) Behold, my Servant will act wisely;He will rise up, be lifted up, he will be exalted on high.14) Just as many were astonished at you,so his appearance was disfigured so to lose resemblance with man, so his form was marred

beyond recognition as a man.15) Just so he will sprinkle many nations;and kings will shut their mouths because of him; for that which they were not told, they willsee; and that which they have not heard, they will understand.

B. The ConfusingMission of TheServant(Isaiah 53:1-3)1. Reflection of the Servants Work (1-2)a. Difficulty of believing (1)

b. Surprising nature of the Servant (2)

2. A Reflection of the Servants Person (3)"... Leaders in distant nations, who expected that the answer to the problem of life might begiven by a powerful Roman leader or by a great Athenian philosopher. To them, a Galilean

peasant, living and dying in a little country on the very fringe of a great civilization, seemed


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like a frail plant, growing in a parched ground, altogether lacking the majesty and beauty thatthey would have expected to find."The Gospel of Isaiah, p. 135.Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? ForHe grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no

stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should beattracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows, and acquaintedwith grief; And like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised, and we did notesteem Him.(Isaiah 53:1-3)

C. The ServantSuffers for Us(Isaiah 53:4-6)1. Our sin, Our misunderstanding (4)

2. His sufferings, Our transgressions (5-6)a) Reasons for His suffering (5a)

b) Results of His suffering (5b)

c) Reasons for our troubles (6): Jesus suffered so terribly on the cross. He healed people and itseemed as if God as displeased with Him. But, in fact, Jesus died because of our sins.Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemedHim stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for ourtransgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell uponHim, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of ushas turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.(Isaiah 53:4-6).

D. The ServantWillingly andInnocently Suffers(Isaiah 53:7-9)1.Willingly suffered (7) Mt 26:63; 27:12-14

2. Suffered judgment of death (8)

3. Innocently died (9)"His grave assigned with wicked men." If he died with them, one would expect him to be

buried with them. But he wasn't!

When God asks you to go through hard times, do you complain or can you, like Jesus, trustGod to care for you and the situation? Write down a few thoughts.He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that isled to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open Hismouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, whoconsidered That He was cut off out of the land of the living, For the transgression of my

people to whom the stroke was due? His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was


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with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit inHis mouth.(Isaiah 53:7-9).

E. The Purpose of the Servants

Suffering(Isaiah 53:10-12)

1. Gods gracious will (10)

2. An effective sacrifice (11)

3. Blessings from His death (12)Jesus is portrayed as a willing servant who died for others because someone else wished Himdo so.

Quietly and humbly, He went to the cross for the sins of many. His death justified thesepeople, giving these wayward ones the right to become the children of God. Let's give thanksfor Gods grace!!!

But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himselfas a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasureof the LORD will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see itand be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, AsHe will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He willdivide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numberedwith the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for thetransgressors. (Isaiah 53:10-12).

Jesus is portrayed as a willing servant who died forothers because someone else wished Him to do so.Quietly and humbly He went to the cross for the sin ofmany. His death justified these many people, givingthese wayward ones the right to become the childrenof God. Let's give thanks for Gods grace!!!

For more on Isaiah 53 see this training article.


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Humility and Suffering

Reflections on Isaiah 53Study Questions for Isaiah 52:13-53As long as we make it our goal to pursue happiness, we will always avoid suffering. No onewould choose to suffer unless there was a good and certain purpose for it. If needed, theywould be willing to suffer. We learn from Jesus that, sometimes, it is Gods will that we gothrough difficult times.

If we know the purpose of suffering, we are much more able to endure it. As God's children,we can trust Him that He is always accomplishing a great good through the suffering of His

loved ones. The Book of Revelation, in part, is preparing Christians to endure sufferings.Each church has its own future. Smyrna would face great persecution (2:10); Philadelphiawould be spared (3:10). Each would be worked out by our Lord Himself. Later in Revelationwe see the martyred saints crying out for revenge. Justice would be delayed but only for ashort period. God heard their cries. God would soon satisfy this great injustice.

Isaiah 53, the fourth and last of the Servant Songs depicting the Messiah, paints a veryconfusing picture. We cannot understand how one who would receive such laud andexaltation would be connected to such horror and pain. We cannot understand how theinnocent would bear the guilt of the errant.

We see the "U" pattern before us in this passage. The Messiah starts from His lofty heavenlyposition and then drops low, so low, to disfigurement and death itself. This was not a usualdeath. It was an unjust death in which the innocent would die with a criminal.

There are no accidents. We can and must trust God to rightly judge our circumstances. Ifsuffering comes, then we know it is a situation in which God will work out a greater good.

"And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. (2 Timothy 3:12).

Godly Christians tend to go against the system, secular or religious. Suffering plays such akey role in humbling. We should, as much as possible, seek humility that suffering would notbe needed. But if needed, then trust God for the suffering, whether it be general sickness oractual persecution.

Many cannot accept the place of humility in their lives because their hearts are set on thisearth with its false promises. We need to turn from this and seek our Father's face. We mustset our hearts on that which is eternal. If not, we will need to embrace the dust that humility

brings.Volunteering one's humility versus forced humilityGod is judging one while seeking to reward the other

The judged shall not again ascend while the other will be lifted up.


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Isa 2:17 And the pride of man will be humbled, And the loftiness of men will be abased, Andthe LORD alone will be exalted in that day.

Isa 13:11* Thus I will punish the world for its evil, And the wicked for their iniquity; I willalso put an end to the arrogance of the proud, And abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.

Ac 8:33* "IN HUMILIATION HIS JUDGMENT WAS TAKEN AWAY; WHO SHALLRELATE HIS GENERATION? FOR HIS LIFE IS REMOVED FROM THE EARTH."

Humble, not Proud: A Biblical series on Humility

Humility & RewardsIs it okay to seek for rewards in life?Looking to the reward.

Some might wonder whether it is proper to look to the reward that is promised along with ourhumble periods of life. Numerous scriptures encourage us to look to the reward as amotivating factor in keeping faithful.

The whole Suffering Servant section in Isaiah 52:13 to 53 starts off with a strongpronouncement of His great reward. We can only suppose that this became a motivatingfactor for the Messiah. Would He die if there was no reward? Would He suffer if the captiveswere not set free? The very first words mentioned are all about reward. The last sectionfurther elaborates on what was earlier brought up.

Isaiah 52:13Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up, and greatly exalted.

Isaiah 53:10-12But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himselfas a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasureof the LORD will prosper in His hand.

As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge theRighteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities.

Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with thestrong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors;Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.

Before we look at the ins and outs of our proposed questions, let us first look elsewhere inScripture for promises given to the humble.2 Chronicles 12:7


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And when the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came toShemaiah, saying, "They have humbled themselves so I will not destroy them, but I will grantthem some [measure] of deliverance, and My wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem bymeans of Shishak.2 Chronicles 32:26

However, Hezekiah humbled the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem,so that the wrath of the LORD did not come on them in the days of Hezekiah.2 Chronicles 34:27"Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God, when you heard Hiswords against this place and against its inhabitants, and [because] you humbled yourself

before Me, tore your clothes, and wept before Me, I truly have heard you," declares theLORDPsalm 37:11But the humble will inherit the land, And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity. (seeMatthew 5:5)Proverbs 15:33

The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, And before honor [comes] humility.Proverbs 22:4The reward of humility [and] the fear of the LORD Are riches, honor and life.Proverbs 29:23A man's pride will bring him low, But a humble spirit will obtain honor.Matthew 23:12"And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall beexalted.1 Peter 5:6Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the

proper time,

Why would rewards be wrong?

Some propose that any reward would sully any pure ambitions. Why? They think there shouldbe the service without the reward to foster genuine service. But this needs to be balanced withtwo truths.

Sons not slavesGod treats us as sons. He wants to lift us up. Anything good and honorable that can lift us

further toward that goal is good. Thinking about His reward is honorable. We are taught inmany places to aspire His coming and the associated rewards.

Matthew 10:42* "And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones evena cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you he shall not lose his reward."

2 John 1:8* Watch yourselves, that you might not lose what we have accomplished, but thatyou may receive a full reward. If we were but slaves and were always going to be slaves, thenwe would be taking a honor that was not ours.


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Jesus in John 14:2 says, "...if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a placefor you." The Lord's intent, at the end age, for His children is to bless and reward His faithfulchildren. The test of sonship is confirmed by our humble service and rewarded with greatfanfare.

Faith building

When we gaze into the eternity and think about the reward, we deepen our relationship andtrust in Him. Abraham, Moses and others left the earthly for the heavenly. They chose by faithto reject what they could see for what only God could give them in the future. Without faithone cannot please Him. With faith, we can grow closer and closer.

All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and havingwelcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles onthe earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their

own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, theywould have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is aheavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a cityfor them. (Hebrews 11:13-16).

The theme of reward is scattered throughout the scriptures including the famous Isaiah 53.They affirm that those being humbled are not aimlessly being troubled, but that God isworking out a better plan. We must remember to first embrace what we might meet on thathumble path that God has designed for us but always remember that one day the burden ofhumility and suffering will be removed. We will then be crowned with God's revealed

presence and receive other things that He has prepared for us.

If we feel reluctant to fully accept this excitement for reward, then we need to reexamine thescriptures' teaching on hope for eternal rewards. Rewards speak of hope and faith as well as agood and loving Lord and Savior.


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Five Kinds of Humility

This is a list of some ways God brings humility into our lives. We need to pay attention tohow God is working in our lives to learn what He is teaching us from these experiences. Thisis one class that we don't want to take over!Humility from sicknessHumility from sinHumility from designHumility from persecutionHumility from deathHumility from sickness

Sickness is a hard subject to comprehend. Just when we think we have mastered our

understanding of disease, we face some circumstance that rattles our theory. The reason forthis is that sickness is a common experience. Each occurrence has its own causes and

purposes. It is well if we summarize our quest to understand disease and sickness by sayingwith Jesus,

"This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may beglorified by it." (John 11:4).

In other words, no matter what sickness and disease might be diagnosed, God isaccomplishing His good purpose through it.The view of life from our sickbed is differentfrom our office!

The humbling due to sickness is a blessing. Of late, when I get sick, I start paying moreattention to the lessons God is teaching me rather than the disruption to my life's schedule.Instead of having lingering doubt about God's love for me, bright inspirations of faith shinethrough all the misery.

Sickness is a warning even to the unbelieving. Sickness so shakes up our life's perspective,that it helps us reevaluate our lives. The view of life from our sickbed is different from theview from our office! If we don't doubt God's sovereign hand in our lives, weakness of body

creates a humbling of attitudeSpurgeon said,

Some of the purest Christians that have ever lived have had the most sickness to bear, and bythat means they have been made more meet for heaven, even as the sycamore fig by being

bruised becomes ripe. (1)

Humility from sin

We often think well of ourselves. The darkness in our soul was well disguised. We couldn't

see it, that is, until someone exposed us, whether purposely or not. Then we got to see adifferent picture of our lives. We were embarrassed at what people could see. We were


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shamed at how we failed someone else's expectation. No one likes exposure of hisweaknesses. But in fact, the earlier the exposure, the less damage to his life he will have toface.

Our goal is to have a right perspective of ourselves. Galatians 6:2-4 reminds us,

Bear one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he issomething when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work,and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard toanother.

Humility enables us to find correction before the Day of Judgment. Although we might loseface, position and wealth, we are far better off from the humble lessons of the present thanfuture exposure. If we are humbled by our sin now, then because of Christ's divine grace, weneed not suffer shame then. We can hide our sin in Christ. Self-examination is a long lostdiscipline for keeping both our churches and selves free from sin's contamination. 2 Cor 13:5

says,

"Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognizethis about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you-- unless indeed you fail the test?"

Humility from design

There are seasons of quietness in our lives. God builds them in for our benefit. They aremeant to be times of gaining objectivity so that we can get clearer insight into our lives.Vacations, meditation, sabbaticals and sabbath rests are all designed with this in mind. It istrue that much of this is lost in the distractions of our age through entertainment, constantmusic, and capturing bits of useless knowledge. If we can be quiet though, we will find ahumility of soul. Some retreats include a morning or day when each person is off on his ownonly with a Bible and paper.

Our age is anything but quiet. Note how Isaiah captures this same scene of the wicked in threesignificant places (Isaiah 48:22; 57:21; 66:24). Each verse closes one of the three ninechapter sections in the last half of Isaiah.

"There is no peace for the wicked," says the LORD. (Isaiah 48:22)."There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked." (Isaiah 57:21).

"Then they shall go forth and look On the corpses of the men Who have transgressed againstMe. For their worm shall not die, And their fire shall not be quenched; And they shall be anabhorrence to all mankind." (Isaiah 66:24).

Humility has its purpose of revealing hidden things so that we can be better trained andprepared for the future. Keep a journal, and you will learn even more from God's design ofhumbling experiences and times.Humility from persecution

Jesus reserves one of the beatitudes for those being persecuted for His Name's sake. (Notbecause we didn't pay our taxes!) Persecution humbles our lives.


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"Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is thekingdom of heaven. "Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, andsay all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. "Rejoice, and be glad, for yourreward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew5:10-12).

In persecution, those things which we count most precious on earth are stripped away from usnot much like they ripped away Jesus' clothes before the crucifixion. Our homes, wealth,

possessions, security, friends, and reputation (framed). God even allows others to exploit thefamilies, bodies, sexual parts, etc. of His people. We sometimes try to avoid the issue of Godin times of persecution, but indeed this is when we need Him most. This is when He isnearest.

The purpose of the Book of Revelation is to prepare God's people for the tribulation not toescape it (2). The book is to strengthen our confidence in His control of all things even thoughit doesn't seem apparent that He does. Through this series, God gives us the necessary faith to

gloriously persevere. Life is seen with the light of eternity. Please note the important lessonswe find in this following passage.

And when He broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had beenslain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained;and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt Thourefrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" And there wasgiven to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little whilelonger, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed evenas they had been, should be completed also. And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, andthere was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and thewhole moon became like blood; (Revelation 6:9-12).

God selected a number of His children to go through the difficult waters of martyrdom. Theholding back of judgment is to bring the greatest blessings to His people. He has not made amistake. Persecution brings greater blessing through the lessons of humility. God is bringing agreater glory into our lives through the humility just as He did with His own Son. In a realsense, these martyrs share in His death and suffering. "And if children, heirs also, heirs ofGod and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also beglorified with Him." (Romans 8:17).Humility from death

People often do not speak about death. Death, however, no longer can be hidden from us.Death is seeking us out. Even great wealth, security devices and advanced hospitals are being

penetrated. The Pentagon was bombed. Terrorists are exploding our concept of security. Wereject the naturalists' view that death is natural and uneventful. Death is unnatural and stripsfrom us a very significant part of our lives. The humbling aspect of death is to realize that a

place in the ground is being carved out for us, or perhaps even more humbling, our ashes willbe dispersed in the air. "From dust to dust."

All our achievements will one day soon be over. Old age sends its blessed reminders throughaching bones, eye and hearing problems, bodily malfunctions, etc., etc., etc. Each reminder

helps us get a better perspective of life and death because soon it will be too late. If we arewise, we will see the glory and fame that we seek is meaningless over the spread of history.


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Our conquests and achievements will like our ashes be spread so thinly in world history thatno one will notice and remember us. John the Baptist could so easily step down from hiswonderful role by understanding that all that we have is not from our selves but from God.

John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from

heaven. (John 3:27).

Death can awaken us to our eternal call. It calls us to leave our worldly pursuits. If we canappreciate the humbling of our minds and bodies in the sunset of death, then we can prosperin the age to come. The sooner we learn this principle, the wiser we will be. Moses, speaks soclearly of this in Psalm 90.

For all our days have declined in Thy fury; We have finished our years like a sigh. As for thedays of our life, they contain seventy years, Or if due to strength, eighty years, Yet their prideis but labor and sorrow; For soon it is gone and we fly away. (Psalms 90:9-10).

Jesus, the Pioneer of HumilityPhilippians 2:3-11

IntroIs humility a virtue to grasp at and hold onto or is it like a commodity on a store's displaywindow - fit to look at and talk about, but too costly to buy for oneself? The Greek andRomans would scoff at those labeled "humble of heart." They considered "being humble: acurse. Jesus, however, took the word and made a glow around the word "humility" or low-mindedness for His disciples.

The world's societies have changed in name only and for the most part still call humility a

weakness or foolishness. Humility in a man is, for the most part, mocked at in the world.


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Humility and the desire for humility of mind separate many of the religious goers from thetrue Christians. Religions still operate according to the rules of selfishness of the flesh and

pride. They might admire humility on the outward, but they disdain it inwardly.

The Asian people seem to have greatly valued humility and integrated it into their religions

and society. We often forget that the Confucian society has molded the East Asian people forthousands of years. It dictated how one should respond to another depending upon theirposition to them. These rules defined proper etiquette and politeness. But again, this is howthey act in front of each other. It is very different than what they might think of each other.True humility comes from the heart rather than the law (1). This outward training is not bad

but limited. They have the outward form but not the inward spirit. Jesus Christ showed thepathway to humility.

Paul in Philippians 2:3-11 give Christians three reasons why we should be humble in mind.

A. The Exhortation of the Apostle Paul (2:3-4)

B. The Exemplification of Jesus Christ (2:5-8)C. The Encouragement of the Exaltation Principle (2:9-11)A. The Exhortation of the Apostle Paul (2:3-4)

The Apostle Paul appointed by God commanded humility of mind by the unction of the HolySpirit. Paul outlines two correct lenses for us to see this issue correctly.1) First Corrective Lens: Correct View of Self"Do Nothing from selfishness or empty conceit" (2:3)

Paul didn't limit this to any people or within any specific relationship. We need to put awaythat erroneous perspective that we are better or more deserving than another person. Thecorrection lens is the scriptures.

a) We are like other men - mere mortals. The Gospel has brought blessed immortality, not us.(For I have taken all this to my heart and explain it that righteous men, wise men, and theirdeeds are in the hand of God. Man does not know whether it will be love or hatred; anythingawaits him. It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for thegood, for the clean, and for the unclean; for the man who offers a sacrifice and for the onewho does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner; as the swearer is, so is the onewho is afraid to swear. This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate forall men. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil, and insanity is in their

hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead. (Ecclesiastes 9:1-3).b) We all are made by God's hand - all creatures. We are made of the same stuff -chemicals.(Genesis 1-2)

c) We all are sinners. We need to admit our weakness and flaws. Death has seized each of ourthroats.What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jewsand Greeks are all under sin; as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVENONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FORGOD; (Romans 3:9-11).

2) Second Corrective Lens: Correct View of Others -


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"...With humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself"(Philippians 2:3).

From the commandment of Jesus, we are told to love another as one would love himself. If we

notice a competitive spirit, we only need to start serving the one we envy. Now we want themto win the competition! Paul commanded us to be humble. We need these two corrective lens:B. The Exemplification of Jesus Christ (2:5-8)

In this passage, we see Jesus Christ, our Master, take three steps down. We, as His disciples,are to possess this same spirit. "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in ChristJesus," (Philippians 2:5). We are not to take the same steps, but possess the attitude whichwill in our own lives lead to some difficult steps.STEP #1 Gave up His right to glory (Phil 2:6-7a)

We can see this glory in Isaiah 45:5-8.

STEP #2 Took on the form of a man, a creature (Phil 2:7b-8a)

We can see this contrast in Isaiah 45:9-10.STEP #3 In His righteousness, He voluntarily died the death of a cursed man. (Phil 2:8)

We can see this ultimate humbling in Isaiah 53:4-7.

ConclusionIs not Jesus' example a good enough reason to be humble in mind especially when it is for foryou His people He denied Himself for?

"Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. (Luke14:27).

C. The Encouragement of the Exaltation Principle (2:9-11)The question is not whether you orI will be humbled. The question is when we will be humbled. Better now than later.

Paul probably wrote these three verses because he could not leave His living Savior in thetomb. Jesus ascended and was now in great glory. Neither could the prophets of old describe

the suffering Messiah without mentioning His glorious kingdom.This 'exaltation principle' is regularly repeated and exemplified throughout the scriptures.

For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall beexalted. (Luke 14:11).

It is better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, Than to divide the spoil with the proud.(Proverbs 16:19).

Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; Assuredly, he will not be

unpunished. (Proverbs 16:5).


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For He who requires blood remembers them; He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.(Psalms 9:12).

This principle encourages even the faint-hearted and persecuted to be humbleminded even toones enemies.

1) Jesus' exaltation assures us of the veracity of this truth

2) Jesus' exaltation serves as a clear warning to the prideful Christian as well as the non-Christian.Call on the Lord to humble your heart lest you find yourself humbled one hour toolate on Judgment Day.

ConclusionNo matter what your situation, ask for forgiveness for your pride. Do good to others knowingthat you will be lifted up in the end. If you choose to be exalted now, you will soon be

crushed. Choose humility and let Him in His time lift you up.

SummaryAs a Christian, Paul gave three reasons to be humble of mind. Even if you are humble-minded, you are asked to step yet lower. Remember the correcting lenses. Paul commands usto have a right view of ourselves and others. Follow the example of Jesus who denied Himselfof His rights. Be encouraged that a lifting up follows the humbling time. If you know notChrist, you cannot be humble like Christ. Even if you are brought to humbling circumstances,your pride will interfere with a humbling of heart. Call on the Lord to humble your heart lestyou find yourself humbled one hour too late on Judgment Day. The question is not whetheryou or I will be humbled. The question is when we will be humbled. Better now than later.Humble, not Proud: A Biblical series on Humility

Humility and Leadership


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Humility and leadership seem to be contradictory to each other.

Think with me for a moment on what people would like to see on an application of someoneapplying for a position of leadership. They want to hear of assertiveness, hard bargaining, bigreputation, clear vision, and great success. What do people think regarding humility? To most,

the words of defeat, unknown, ineffectiveness, indecisiveness and the lack of success. Wouldwe want a humble executive to lead the company? What about a humble pastor? The world'sdefinition for leadership, whether it be in or out of the church, is based on the model of "Wantit; get it!"

Jesus Christ left us no such picture of leadership or humility. One pastor has outlined fivedangerpoints to pride:Pride harms our relationship with GodPride cuts us off from the blessings of GodPride robs glory from GodPride gives us false security

Pride harms our relationship with others

If this is the case, we no longer need to wonder as to why many Christian ministries andchurch board meetings went awry. They are pride-configured; conflict is more noticeable thanhumility. Our minds go back to the request of the mother of two great disciples of Jesus. Shewanted the two most esteemed positions for her two boys. We can't blame her for notasking!"Thus the last shall be first, and the first last."

And as Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside bythemselves, and on the way He said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and theSon of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him todeath, and will deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on thethird day He will be raised up."

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Him with her sons, bowing down, andmaking a request of Him. And He said to her, "What do you wish?" She *said to Him,"Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right and oneon Your left." But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you are asking for. Areyou able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?" They *said to Him, "We are able." He*said to them, "My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mineto give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father."

(Matthew 20:16-23).

We should firstly clarify that Jesus never rebuked them or their mother for seeking honoredpositions. This perspective is affirmed by Paul in 1 Timothy 3:1, "It is a trustworthystatement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do." Weshouldn't assume Jesus is rebuking their aspiration.

The problem that Jesus pointed to was one of preparedness. They asserted they were ready todrink Jesus' bitter cup, but, in fact, they were not ready at that point. God had more work in

their heart to do before they were able to drink that great cup of humility. We observed theirunpreparedness by the way they ran away from Jesus at the cross rather than staying by His


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side. Later on, though, we see the powerful work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Thisreminds us of three points:

We often think better of ourselves than we ought.

We can have good aspirations but be unequipped for the job.

God sometimes calls His disciples to walk the very humble path to martyrdom.

Jesus' response to the indignant disciples further challenges us.And hearing this, the tenbecame indignant with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to Himself, and said, "Youknow that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authorityover them. "It is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall beyour servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son ofMan did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."(Matthew 20:24-28).

Jesus did not quench their aspirations. They were good. However, Jesus in the end did revealthe rule by which true leaders would be found in the end. We see a contrast with the leadersthat the world acknowledges. There is a clear difference.Great Men in the World Great Men inGod's Kingdom

Lord it overThey act superiorBe the servant (Greek word is diakonus deacon) to othersThey care for the needs of others

Exercise authority over themCommand others aroundBe the slave (Greek word is doulos - slave) of otherStand at the other's command

The way we assert our pride is to have others do our wishes. Pride exudes from having othersdo what we could. Instead of figuring out ways to get others to do what we wish, Christ'sdisciples are to be attentive to the needs and wishes of others. Jesus creates sensitive leaders

by training them to be attentive to the needs of others. They are responsive to what theoccasion calls for. They can take commands. If Jesus did not set up a clear model through Hisown life, I don't think we would begin to understand what God really wants for us. Asi it is,we often fail."... just as the Son of Man did not come to be served,

but to serve, andto give His life a ransom for many."

We are humbled at how the One who should be served, stepped down, put on a Servantsoutfit, and served the ones not deserving service. The protocol was clear. Servants servemasters. Jesus' actions silence all our possible complaints.

"He doesn't deserve it."


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"It is my turn." "It is not fair." "It's so hard."

We have Christ's glorious and gracious example of the cross hanging before our eyes. Jesus

went so far to even give up His life because of this principle. We must resist calculating theeffectiveness of our leadership style on the predictable outcomes of life. From everyperspective it seemed that Jesus had made a great mistake when He died on the cross. Eviltriumphed. The good left in the disciples ran away. But humility triumphed in the end. Wemust keep steadfast serving by the servant principle. We do not have time to think about ourgreatness when we have so many needs surrounding us. God takes care of His blessings. Wewould do well to aspire to be those dedicated and faithful servants caring for the needs ofothers.

There can be perhaps no greater sign of humility than when the greater serves the lesser, theleader aids the ones he is among. This type of service defines humility. The boss is willing to

do anything that his men do. As a parent, this means I occasionally work with or in place ofmy children in their chores. As a pastor, I am ready to make copies, bring a meal, pray forsomeone in need. As an employer, I watch out for hazards and difficulties that I ask others to

bear. I work alongside them rather than over them.

And for those of us who are just starting, we can aspire to be great in God's kingdom. We doit not by thinking about greatness but by humbling ourselves and taking on the tasks that ourgood Lord appoints us. No griping. No complaining. No giving up. No whining. We do our

best caring for those for whom He died. We are just following in His path.

Dying to SelfThe Power of Christian Living

Brief study on Romans 6-8


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The truths gleaned from Romans 6-8 are critical for establishing a strong Christian life. Whyis this? What truths are powerfully presented here in Romans?The Pattern

Paul applies the pattern of Christ's life to our Christian lives. Paul enables us to get a grasp of

this through the picture of baptism - the down and up. Baptism doesn't mean to sprinkle but toimmerse. A Christian does not merely acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ, he also followsChrist. He acknowledges both the value of what Christ has done on the cross and theimportance on how Jesus redeemed us.

We often focus on what Christ has accomplished through His death. Paul speaks clearly ofthis in chapters 3 and 4 of Romans. Chapter 5, however, develops the basis of our union withChrist. We are united with Christ by our faith. Starting in chapter 6, we see how thisidentification with Christ affects our life.

The picture of baptism includes three aspects: the going down, being under and the rising. We

might think of rinsing a cloth. We take it from the air, submerge it under water and then bringit out to be used. Humility speaks of the first two steps. Many would like to avoid theimplications of these first two important steps. They want to claim to have eternal life with nosense of repentance - no dying. They have not died to themselves. There has been no funeral.This concept is key to living a fulfilled Christian life.The Problem

Paul seems to have discovered a group of people that claim Christ's death but deny any realidentification with Christ in the death process. Christ merely paid for their sins as somehistorical fact (which it was of course). They want to forget about their close identificationwith Christ in this process.

If we consider Christ's death to be all so important (and it is), then we need to realize its effecton our lives. When Jesus died, He not only bore our sins, but He also was, in a final way,saying "no" to sin. After death, sin had no part of His life. He had no earthly flesh that beggedto be given special preference.(1) So we, as His disciples, must identify with Christ's deathand resurrection. We must say "no" to our former allegiance to sin through our faith and "yes"to our allegiance to Christ. We now have a new focus on life. Because of this new allegiance,we are not to sin but to live for God.

For the death that He died, He died to sin, once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives toGod. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts, (Romans6:10-12).

Pride: Hate it!

We will never be able to die to ourselves unless we are convinced that serving the flesh (ourold nature) is totally unprofitable. We have to see that it has absolutely no worth. We need tocome to detest its very presence. On the other hand, we must come to love the Spirit's ways.

We are to see the glorious work of the Spirit in contrast to the flesh. By seeing their


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contrasting ways, we hate one and love the other. We refuse to serve our own self'spreferences and become wholly loyal to the Holy Spirit's work in our lives.

We cannot rid ourselves of the flesh on this earth. This is what Jesus referred to in 6:10 when

he says, "Consider yourselves to be dead to sin." It is still there. If we are not careful, we willserve it. But we don't have to. By voiding our allegiance to our flesh, we can, by Christ'sgrace, be set free to serve Christ. How do we void our former allegiance to our flesh? Paulsays death is the only means and explains it carefully in Romans 7:1-6.

The point is that unless we are absolutely convinced the flesh is a destroyer, we will continueto listen and follow it. We will, in essence, continue to serve it. As Christians we aretechnically free from its ruling over us, but we still could serve the old self. The follow upquestion is whether we really hate the flesh. Are we really convinced? Paul convincingly setforth this case in the last part of chapter 7 and the early part of 8. Whenever he would go bythe old nature, he would serve his own self and bear evil results. But he wanted to serve Christ

(Romans 7) which bring forth the fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5). The flesh always bringsabout death because it is hostile to God (Romans 8). We ought not live for our bodies. We donot need to live for ourselves.

We need to humble ourselves by stating that serving ourselves is not good. In a sense this iswhat 'dying to self' essentially means. We recognize serving self is no good and so we chooseto serve the Spirit. These chapters provide a lot of help in convincing us of the horrible natureof the flesh and the glory of the Spirit.

Commitment to saying "no" to the old nature comes only as much as:

1) we are sure of the old nature's total rebellion against God and

2) we desire to serve the Spirit.

Our growth comes as we recognize the complete rebellious nature of the flesh and power ofthe new life through the life of Christ.

Dying to self means simply a mental check on our determination not to live for oneself and tolive for Christ. Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:31 say, "I die daily." This is a regular battle. A daily

battle. Paul, as a veteran apostle, witnessing many miracles, seeing a revelation of Christ, still

had to personally die to himself. We do too. We cannot afford not to.Here is a possible prayer for your early morning meditation.

"Dear Lord, my allegiance to You will be tested today. Right now, I am stating myfaithfulness to you. You are the One I love forever. At the same time, I will clearly state that Iwant nothing to do with serving my self. I have had enough to do with that selfish ego of minethat tries to get all the attention it can. Your principles of love and giving are what I want.Radiate in my life through acts and words of kindness. Forgive me of my sin and cleanse me.I make myself totally empty of self so that You can fill me with your precious Holy Spirit.Lead me forth. I will follow in your humble paths of love."


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The Christian needs to acknowledge the flesh, declare its lousy nature, reject its promptings,acknowledge the Lord's presence, the beautiful nature of the Spirit and affirm one's total heartand will to the Spirit's leading.

Christian life is based on humble living. When we are willing to humble ourselves by looking

at the facts of what self-service does, then we are willing to walk in that path.

Humble, not Proud: A Biblical series on Humility

Learning from MosesA Most Humble Man on EarthPsalm 90

We have a lot to learn from Moses. Moses had been so close to God. He was known for hishumility.

"Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of theearth." (Numbers 12:3)

This intimacy with God came at a great cost.

He chose a path that took him from the palaces of earth to the very throne of God. He couldn'thave both. He didn't want both. He chose the greater. He chose God. Moses started high in the

Egyptian palace and descended to the desert with God. He exchanged heaven for earth.Below are verse by verse comments on Moses' perspective of life from Psalm 90. If we adopthis perspectives, then we will gain humility and wisdom.(A Prayer of Moses the man of God.)Verses from Psalm 90Comments on each verse

Life dependent(Psalms 90:1).Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.

We never have and never could be in a place where we were not totally dependent upon whatthe Lord God has made.


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Exalt God's Eternal nature(Psalms 90:2)Before the mountains were born, Or Thou didst give birth to the earth and the world, Evenfrom everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God.

God always was in His greatness. God is above time; He created it for man. God is notdependent upon anyone including ourselves!

Remember our humble origins(Psalms 90:3)Thou dost turn man back into dust, And dost say, "Return, O children of men."We started off as dust and shall return to such. God put us together, but we keep thinking weare more than what God has assembled. Time will tell!

Bound in time

(Psalms 90:4)For a thousand years in Thy sight are like yesterday when it passes by, or as a watch in thenight.God is beyond time; but we are bound in time. Our lives are as a brief second to Him.

Memories washed away

(Psalms 90:5-6)Thou hast swept them away like a flood, they fall asleep; In the morning they are like grasswhich sprouts anew. In the morning it flourishes, and sprouts anew; Toward evening it fades,and withers away.Man's hard work will be all washed away like a flood. No more remembrance. Comes andgoes like a flower that blooms for one day.

Under judgment

(Psalms 90:7)For we have been consumed by Thine anger, And by Thy wrath we have been dismayed.God's anger is upon us even as we are part of creation and have been cursed. Death chases thelife in our bodies. We are frail and keep afloat only by God's grace. Without it, we would

perish in an instant.

Exposed

(Psalms 90:8)Thou hast placed our iniquities before Thee, Our secret sins in the light of Thy presence.We might hide our sin before man but not before God. Each sin, every thought or action is allexposed before our Creator and our rebellion judged.

Frailty of old age

(Psalms 90:9)

For all our days have declined in Thy fury; We have finished our years like a sigh.


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We might still be young in spirit but our real age reflects God's coming judgment upon ourbodies. Our systems start malfunctioning. Movement becomes painful rather thanexhilarating.

Numbered Days

(Psalms 90:10)As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, Or if due to strength, eighty years, Yettheir pride is but labor and sorrow; For soon it is gone and we fly away.Our days are numbered. Long life is a joke. Life only seems long to the young. Those who areolder know life is astonishingly brief.

Ignorance

(Psalms 90:11)Who understands the power of Thine anger, And Thy fury, according to the fear that is due

Thee?We forget, ignore and look for distraction from the signs of God's judgment upon our lives.We are oblivious to what is so obvious.

Gaining wisdom

(Psalms 90:12)So teach us to number our days, That we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom.Wisdom comes only when we see the value of our days. We can value our days only when weknow they are limited in number.

Seeking mercy

(Psalms 90:13)Do return, O LORD; how long will it be? And be sorry for Thy servants.We need relief from God's judgment. We seek help from Him.

Seeking grace

(Psalms 90:14)O satisfy us in the morning with Thy lovingkindness, That we may sing for joy and be glad all

our days.True life comes from Him. In the midst of destruction, God brings love and favor all of ourdays.

Developing Thankfulness

(Psalms 90:15)Make us glad according to the days Thou hast afflicted us, And the years we have seen evil.Only the Lord can make us glad in the midst of this hard and evil world. Let us ask Him forthis thankful heart!

Passing the blessing on


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(Psalms 90:16)Let Thy work appear to Thy servants, And Thy majesty to their children.Since our lives are so short, we want to pass our blessing of knowing God and His work on toour children.

Establishing value

(Psalms 90:17)And let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; And do confirm for us the work of ourhands; Yes, confirm the work of our hands.A fulfilling life starts with the Lord's favor. He alone can make what we do valuable. In asense, our work is nothing to Him, but He can establish it through His strength.

See more on Psalm 90 and Moses' three stages of life including a chart.

Participating in God's Work from a Look at Moses' LifePsalm 90:1-17A) A Vision of God destroys self-confidence (Psalm 90:1-6)B) A Vision of God reveals our sin (Psalm 90:7-12)C) A Vision of God begins a Work of God (Psalm 90:13-17)

Jesus said, "My will is to do the will of my Father." May this also be our hearts' prayer. The

only thing that should consume us is the accomplishment of our Father's will.It is never too late to do God's will. We can always be doing God's will. But we need to behonest; it is easy to miss God's good will for our lives. By saying God's will, we are notspeaking of His eternal purpose which is always completed in detail, but rather to God'sopportunity for man to join Him in accomplishing His great works through their daily lives.

Like Moses, we face two main problems getting God's work done. Both these problemsoriginate in pride. In fact, we are really self-focused.1) Self-confident. We believe we can do all sorts of things for God. This often manifests itselfin our youth when we are confident, energetic, healthy and full of hope.

2) Self-pity. We are convinced we are so valuable to God but are disgruntled over not havingopportunity to do more. This often occurs when we are older and experienced. Our health


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begins to fail. We feel 'cheated' out of life's opportunities. We believe our complaining andmoaning are proper because our situation limits us from doing what we want.

It is interesting that Moses is the one who says that we might live to be seventy or even eighty(Psalm 90:10). This Psalm reveals that he has thought very little of his first eighty years of

life. Life for him didn't begin until Yahweh God had met Him by the burning bush.

His first forty years were in the palace where he gained his self-confidence; his second fortyyears took place in the wilderness where he exhibited self-pity. These first eighty years werelike spiritual boot camp where his self-confidence and self-pity were emptied out so thatfinally God could do His work in and through Moses' life.Normal life Physical Life 70-80years

New Life Spiritual Life Once we die to ourselves

This new life starts once we are humbled before God. Our pride is dissipated. For Moses, thistook place when he was 80. He met Yahweh God at the burning bush. All true service of God

starts when we die to our pride and do the works of God.

Moses, I believe, experienced the same pride problems that we face, and yet God managed todo His mighty works through his life. Moses was self-confident. Raised in the greatest palacein the world at that time, he received all the top education, authority and relationships could

bring. Sometimes we think God wants or needs these kinds of people. They don't bring gloryto God, though. They strive in their flesh and fail to do what God really wanted. In this case,we remember how Moses killed a Hebrew oppressor. He fled Egypt. God used that training inMoses' life but not in the way he thought.

Moses fled into the wilderness for his second forty years of life. Now he was hopeless. Hecouldn't do anything for God there. Used to a metropolitan area, power, and control, now hehad to face a handful of people, shepherd sheep and a lack of people to control and influence.Perhaps he wallowed about in a cloud of self-pity saying,

"God, I am important. You need me. If I was in another situation, I would ."

We sound spiritual but are, in fact, fleshly. We think God needs us.

These attitudes are improper. God needs a humble person to work through, a person whounderstands the world through the Lord's eyes. Fortunately, God knows how to bring us to theright place where His work can be done in our lives. What place is that? What needs to bedone to our lives before we can be used by Him?

Let us look at Psalm 90 to find these answers. A vision of God and a true understanding ofour lives puts us in a place where God's work can be done in our lives.A) A Vision of God destroys self-confidence (Psalm 90:1-6)


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Like Isaiah, Job, Noah and all the other great men of the scriptures, a true change of lifecomes from first meeting God. Moses was no different. Some people fake meeting God. It isquite obvious by what they do or say whether they truly have had a revelation of God'sholiness.

Once a person meets God, he will stop talking about himself and his plans. Why? God is ontheir mind, the great eternal holy One. Let's observe how Moses starts praying by observingGod's greatness.1 (A Prayer of Moses the man of God.) Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling place in allgenerations.2 Before the mountains were born, Or Thou didst give birth to the earth and the world, Evenfrom everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God.3 Thou dost turn man back into dust, And dost say, "Return, O children of men."4 For a thousand years in Thy sight Are like yesterday when it passes by, Or as a watch in thenight.5 Thou hast swept them away like a flood, they fall asleep; In the morning they are like grass

which sprouts anew.6 In the morning it flourishes, and sprouts anew; Toward evening it fades, and withers away.

Psalm 90:5-6 says man's hard work will be all washed away like a flood. No moreremembrance. Man will come and go like a flower that blooms for one day.

We often have a view of history, reality and time that is built around our own lives. Moses'view of life was shattered by His meeting with God. He finally got a picture of life fromGod's perspective. Moses begins his prayer in these verses just as the Lord has taught us. "OurFather, who art in heaven. Hallowed be Thy Name." We need to properly understand God'sglory to enter into His presence.

Moses no longer thought much about his contribution to life and society or even justice. Man,along with his work, will turn back into dust. He will be forgotten, as if he was washed awayin the flood. Man has created a great many things but they all are fighting against time and

prophecy. Time with its elements tears buildings apart. But prophecy itself declares that theearth will be burned up before it is transformed.Life Application

I encourage you to carefully evaluate those things that you think God greatly treasures. Manypeople want to feel good about themselves so they give, without thought to charities. Theylike to talk about their lives and this and that. They think they can easily do God's work. Truesignificant work, however, is not judged by what is done now but by what endures to the

praise of God's glory. Does not the Apostle Paul blow away our concepts of value andsignificance in 1 Corinthians 13 by simply saying that eloquence, prophesy, great acts ofgiving to the poor are nothing without love? Eternal significance has a lot to do with why wedo things.

We see then that the key to significant works, whether they be prayers, charity or sacrifice arenot formed by man's confidence in himself. Their view of their lives is too small. They haven't

seen the world as God sees it. God doesn't need us, our money or our efforts. This vision of


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God enables us to see that God doesn't need us but gives us the privilege of being used byHim because of His grace.B) A Vision of God Reveals our Sin (Psalm 90:7-12)

Another wrong view of life has its origins in self-pity. These kind of people talk a lot about

their humble circumstances I'm achy, in-laws treat me horrible, "no one loves me." Theythink that by their suffering they are doing God's great works. They, in fact, believe they donot deserve such treatment and could serve God better if they had better opportunities.

This kind of person often makes things sound worse than they are. But certainly, like the firstgroup, they keep looking at themselves as the center focus of life. Moses, along with the otherholy men, of God did not do this.

True humility is not speaking of one's difficult situations but clear recognition of how poor wehave done in light of God's gift of life, delegated responsibilities and abilities. When a personmeets God, he doesn't boast about what he has done. He instead sees all of his shortcomings.

Listen to the words of Moses.7 For we have been consumed by Thine anger, And by Thy wrath we have been dismayed.8 Thou hast placed our iniquities before Thee, Our secret sins in the light of Thy presence.9 For all our days have declined in Thy fury; We have finished our years like a sigh.10 As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, Or if due to strength, eighty years,Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; For soon it is gone and we fly away.11 Who understands the power of Thine anger, And Thy fury, according to the fear that is dueThee?12 So teach us to number our days, That we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom.

First of all, he acknowledges that his aches, pains and problems of life are from God's angerwith his sin. This is wisdom. Wisdom teaches us that evil's consequence of sin is differentkinds of sufferings. He focuses not on the virtue of suffering but his iniquity that broughtmuch of that suffering on. Death itself comes because of sin. God gives extra life, perhaps,

but even this we don't deserve.

Instead of boasting about our time, freedom and life, he confessed that he was living under thewrath of God. We should not be so quick to criticize Moses' words. After all, he was thechosen one who saw God's glory. What is his conclusion in 90:12? Simply that we might

plead to Him for an ability to be accountable for all of our days. We would not treat one dayinvaluable. And secondly, on each of these days, we would respond in wisdom. You, like I,no doubt are sorry over the days we have wasted. At the time, we perhaps thought we weregetting the best of life, but in fact, we got the worse. We wasted a day.Life Application

Retirement from the job might be necessary but retirement from God's work is never right. Aslong as He gives us breath, we will praise Him. We will seek out what He wants us to do withour time than what we want to do with our time. I am afraid for today's Christian who idlyentertains his life away. They sit dazed on the sofa when they could be shaping the world bytheir prayers. "Oh Lord, teach us to number our days so that we may present to Thee a heart

of wisdom!"C. A Vision of God begins a Work of God (Psalm 90:13-17)


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Moses traveled through life and faced the troubles we face, but with more difficulty. He spenthis first 80 years wallowing in his own life. He couldn't look further than the tip of his nose.How long will it take for us to get to the point in life where we finally could say that life wasnot about us? True life was about what God was doing.

When Moses finally realized the many years he had wasted, he didn't give up on himself. Hedidn't just figure that all was wasted. No. In this section, we sense a great passion that alsocomes from those who have really met God in His goodness.13 Do return, O LORD; how long will it be? And be sorry for Thy servants.14 O satisfy us in the morning with Thy lovingkindness, That we may sing for joy and be gladall our days.15 Make us glad according to the days Thou hast afflicted us, And the years we have seenevil.16 Let Thy work appear to Thy servants, And Thy majesty to their children.17 And let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; And do confirm for us the work of our

hands; Yes, confirm the work of our hands.

The humble man and woman of God recognize that without God, they cannot do anything forGod. They often see that many of the arguments they split friends with, the activities that theywere involved in were but something to be sorry about. They seek God's forgiveness, but theyalso seek His blessing for the remaining years and days of their lives. They want everything tocount for Him.

Many a Christian has gone astray when he claims he was saved by faith but sanctified by hishard work. God's grace must touch not only our delivery from Satan's hand but also the verythings we do for the Lord in our lives. This is why in 90:14 Moses speaks about God'slovingkindness. The morning signifies a new start and indeed it is. He realizes that if Godmeasured judgment out that He would have nothing left of his life.

But God is gracious. God does desire to work in and through our lives to accomplish His goodwork. Moses, in fact, bravely parades his faith by asking God to cause forth a blessing in theremaining years and days with what he has formerly wasted and lost. Since learning this

principle, I have prayed for myself and others that God would restore their lives as much asthey have faltered in the past.

Psalm 90:16 speaks about God's work as "Thy work." Moses finally realizes that it is not himwho labors but he who has God's blessing will prosper. This takes most of us our whole livesto learn! Have you learned this important principle of life yet? Life is not about what we canor can't do. Life has nothing to do with freedom of expression. Life has to do with whatAlmighty God does His gracious and good will through our lives. It might require that wesacrifice, laugh, forgive, help, be sick, wounded or even die such as in Jesus' case. The pointis that when we learn we are God's servants, we only care about serving Him. We take ordersonly from Him.

In 90:16, we see Moses wanting to see more of God's work. If anyone has seen God's work, I

am sure it was Moses. But he was not content with a past revelation of God's glory. Hewanted to see more. He couldn't wait to see more. He cried out, "Let Thy work appear to Thy


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servants, and Thy majesty to their children." Moses wanted all of God's work for hisgeneration.

My heart is sad that so many Christians are retiring into spiritual apathy. They believe it istheir Christian duty to complain or fuss about how wicked things are around them. Now, I

agree it is bad and we must be vigilant about the increase of evil around us. But if we reallymean what we say, we need to step into the boxing arena.Life Application

You might say that I have never boxed in my whole life. Well, it is about time that you learn.We have a generation left. Yes, it might be the last generation left before the return of theLord, but we want to die seeing God's work done. Perhaps you are asking what you can do?Let me ask you a few questions.Do you fast? When was the last time? Why?Have you stayed up late at night praying?Have you joined Jesus in staying awake all night?

Have you cried out from your heart for this generation?

These are just a few questions to help us see whether we are passionate about being part ofGod's work. Perhaps you are wondering again what you could do. This is something to beconcerned about. But you will never find out until you, like Moses, plead with God to showHis works to you. If I speak to the congregation as a whole, may I ask you what work of Godis being done in your midst? If you can't list a couple of things, then the vision for God'schurch here is not clear enough.

I love how Moses closes this Psalm this prayer of his. He knows he is working on borrowedtime. He also is convinced that God's work will not be done unless God steps in and does agreat work that he himself could not do. He like David knew what the favor of the Lord was.He was captured by it. By this, I mean he had no other way to do God's work. "May the favorof the Lord our God be upon us."

He wanted change. He was desperate for it. And yet he would wait and anticipate God's favorto accomplish what God wanted. Note that it is this favor that would confirm the work of "ourhands." It is not that Moses or others did nothing. It might be a raising of a staff in faith andobedience. Whatever part God gives us, we need to faithfully carry out. Fortunately, we willalways be able to do it though I have found it always proves your faith.

Are your hands there trying to get God's work done? Are you desperately crying out to Godfor favor because you realize that you will be totally embarrassed if He doesn't help? This istypical. Moses had to stretch out his staff many a time. Would the waters part? Would

judgment come? Would God who made the heavens actually move upon the surface of theearth? He found that having the right humble heart, he could count on God to do marvelousthings.Summary

Let's summarize things. Our views of life are so narrow that many of us do not realize that weare wasting our days on earth. God wants to work in and through us. We need God to meet us.We need Him to meet us in some way that we see Him in His glory and power. We then see

how limited life and time is. We are humbled that God would even give us a day to live. Wesee that only what God does counts. We no longer are content with what we can do. We want


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God's work. We have made a commitment to be part of what God is doing. We look to Himuntil He shows us and others what He wants.

What he reveals is always challenging but we go for it. We want to go out faithfully servingHim. We want to be part of God's great works throughout the world.

What is it that God is now saying to you? Is He trying to change your attitude toward Hiswork? Is He revealing something He wants to do? I tell you that I am not preaching fornothing. Moses' prayer was recorded to move a people like us to do God's work. Moses oncespoke, "Stand back and you shall see the glory of the Lord!" But he refused to live for the

past. He wanted to see God's work in his generation.

Oh, that God would do a wondrous work in our hearts so that we would desire His work,believe Him to do that work and take our feeble hands to do that very work. Satan fears notthe many activities of Christians; he fears those broken and humble people of God who offerup prayers in faith to accomplish God's work. May we be this people who shine as bright stars

in a very, very dark world that as people see our good deeds that they may glorify God theFather.

Humility in Ministry John 7:16-18

The key to a powerful ministry is to be fully dependent upon the Lord for a message. Themore we are aware of serving Him and His purposes, the more safely He can grant us more

power of the Holy Spirit. God holds back a portion of His Spirit because of our pride. If Satancould, he would gobble up God's servants in a flash. Give them lots of power for one time ifSatan could cause them to fall.

Again we find, Jesus' way is the best way, the only way to a blessed life and ministry. Let uslook into this a bit more.

We get so prideful in our ministries because we do not rightly understand ministry. This iswhat Jesus says in these few words of John 7:16-18.

Jesus therefore answered them, and said, "My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If

any man is willing to do His will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, orwhether I speak from vrmon. Our words are not inspired like the scripture, but they are to be


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inspiring. The word 'inspire' obviously comes from "in" and "Spirit." We are to be so affectedby God's message that it becomes His message. Isn't this what Peter says?!

"Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God..." (1 Peter 4:11). rch isweak because the ministers give them their own stale bread instead of the heavenly manna.

We need to come back to the Lord for help before there is so much of the world in the churchthat it is no longer the church!

You might wonder, "How can we get a message of God?" At least with this kind of question,we are starting off on the right foot. Many individuals cannot come this far. They are tooabsorbed with themselves. They cannot rightly love the things of God. Self is too dominant.But even with this question, we need to be careful. Was it not Simon who wanted more of theSpirit of God. In the end, however, we find he had a faulty motivation.

18* Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of theapostles hands, he offered them money,

19 saying, Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands mayreceive the Holy Spirit.20* But Peter said to him, May your silver perish with you, because you thought you couldobtain the gift of God with mone r, for your heart is not right before God.22* Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that if possible, theintention of your heart may be forgiven you.23* For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity. (Acts8:18-23)

We need to go deeper than looking for power. We must want something more than awe-inspiring messages. If we take our cue from our Lord Jesus, and certainly we must, we willfind that He did not preach or teach on His own.

He teaches or preaches only when the Lord wanted Him to speak.

He spoke only what the Father taught Him.

He sought to bring glory to the Father by fulfilling His will.

Indeed, we need to remember that Christ is the Lord; we are not. But has not the Lord set usup in a similar situation? We have an anointing from the Spirit. We have the Spirit which

enables us to teach. We can be full of the Spirit. Should any Christian teacher think that heneeds to independently come up with a good lesson? Should any pastor work hard at devisinggood teaching materials?

Great preaching is gone because we are not getting our message from the Lord. A messagefrom the Lord doesn't come when we are dependent upon our own wisdom. Withoutdependence upon the Lord, our messages have their origin in man. Peter and Paul's messageswere great because the Lord gave them the messages. Clearly it was God's message. It wasGod's anointing on them that made such a great difference. The Spirit of God filled them. Thechurch, as a result, was greatly blessed. People came to know the Lord.

Summary


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A successful ministry will have its roots in recognizing nothing good can come fromourselves. We greatly need the Lord. In fact, if we should suspect problems when we start

believing that we are gifted or doing a great job. We might be, but in fact, we will knowwithout the Lord's abounding grace, we only have our own ugly fleshly selves.

21 Practical Steps in Seeking Humility and Countering Pride

Let not the foot of pride come upon me. (Psalm 36:11)

1 ) Purposely seek humility.Don't just let it come. Seek it. We are commanded to be humble so I should prize thischaracter rather than adore it as some distant trophy.

2 ) Confess your sins to God and others quickly.Humility rides on the back of confession. And confession rides on the back of honesty.Without complete honesty, I am deceiving myself and others but never God. I might perceivemyself as humble but am not as long as I am not honest. Confession is honest admission ofour faults.

3 ) Keep a spiritual journal, daily if possible.There is no better way to keep track of what one is thinking than to write down one'sthoughts. Yes, it takes up valuable time, but the value is tremendous. I do not now keep adaily journal. I try to write once a week, but if any significant thought or conflict comes up, Itry to write it down. Spiritual journals help keeps one honest as well as clarifies the real issuesI face. I can see my fears. I can sense the tension I might have with another.

4 ) Have a good spiritual partner.The better I can trust someone, the more I can honestly share with them. These relationshipsare crucial. My wife is my best partner. I have prayed that the Lord would keep my wifegrowing with me. He has answered that prayer. We share and pray each night. I don't hold

back anything from her unless it is a matter of someone else's privacy. It sure is a goodmotivator not to think wrongly! But other friends are invaluable to a healthy growing life. Attimes, the Lord has taken me to the desert as Paul to be with Him alone. But this is only for acertain shorter period.

5 ) Start praising others.

By this, I do not mean to flatter people -praise those vain things like dress and looks. Look atothers as God's precious gifts to you. You and I cannot do without them. As we see the


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importance of others around them, we will thank them and praise them. Our compliments willbecome real.

6 ) Carefully listen to others when they are going through humbling times.I figure that part of the humble experiences I go through are because I have not learned from

the cues God has earlier given to me. We will need to go through humble times of course butwhy increase them! Pay attention to lessons God is teaching others. Self-examination cangreatly increase our wisdom.

7 ) Live as if you cannot live without those near you.We are interdependent creatures. We need each other. The church is His body. We aremembers of one another. Because of this, we love one another. We treasure one another. Wewill assume the best of each other (1 Corinthinans 13). This attitude is crucial for good

brotherly leadership.

8 ) Don't criticize others as if you haven't sinned

One day we will judge with Christ but right now it is best that each time we see another sin,we remember when we have sinned in a like way, or even in a worse way. Then pray forGod's grace for that man or woman.

9 ) Thank God for sicknessWe don't like being sick, but it sure does humble us. In a moment, our great dreams are turnedto dust. We just want to live. But is this not a truer picture of ourselves than the pompous onewhere we consider ourselves invaluable?

10) Accept the fact that God can accomplish His plan without usAny moment the Lord can take us home, and He will not at all be frustrated in accomplishingHis good and perfect will. We are not invaluable in such and such a plan. He might have nosuch plan or have someone play that part.

11) Accept death's limitationDeath is coming quickly. Our life here on earth is but temporary. We will not be able to finishour life plans. Or worse, we will forget it and find it unimportant to us. How we do our workis much more important than the work we do.

12) We will soon be forgotten.There will be someone who probably remembers you for a while. But after a generation or

two and your name will be lost in the myriads of lists. What counts is how you live withothers.

13) All given from aboveWe have nothing that has not been given from above. I usually tamper this statement bysaying we have nothing good that has not been given from God (John 3:27; James 1:27). Weare humbled by seeing that we are vessels or stewards rather than some creator of good.

14) Spiritual gifts are distributed by the SpiritI might be greatly used of the Lord because of my spiritual gifts, but these were given to mefrom God. If He would withdraw them, then I could do nothing. Spiritual gifts are a reminder

that I will be held to a higher standard than others in certain areas. (Exodus 36:1)


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15) Plead for daily grace and favorI try to get an accu

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