Wonderful Jesus!

Tag: Humility

• What’s That About?

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on February 3, 2021

  James 1:19-20 – “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” NKJV

  

  whats-that-about_.mp3

  Have you ever witnessed someone who was so angry that they were out of control? Have you been that someone?

  One morning, as I was entering the school building, a fight broke out. It was pretty intense as kids were shouting, using profanity, and dodging in and out of the ruckus. My first thought was, “It’s too early in the morning for this!” I wish that I can say that this was abnormal, but the harsh reality of it is, over the 16 years that I have been in education, it has been way too common.

  So much anger in the world today. Unfortunately, many of our kids see and hear so much in their homes, in their environments, and even on television that fills them with anger. What’s that about?

  Well, I’m not a psychologist, and I can’t say for sure, but here are some reasons anger is prevalent in our society:

  • Stress – from many avenues
  • Family problems – too many to name
  • Financial woes- joblessness, debt, poverty, homelessness
  • Illness – self or loved one
  • Grief

  While each of these things are real, we have a word from the word about how to handle anger: we are to be slow to anger. James doesn’t leave us hanging with just telling us to be slow to anger. He tells us that this anger doesn’t produce the righteousness of God.

  I’m not writing to the unsaved. I am writing to the person who I believe is a Christian; a Bible believing, Bible toting, Bible quoting Christian, dealing with uncontrolled anger.

  There are times when we feel our anger is justified. Ask Esau. He was the firstborn of Isaac. His twin, Jacob was younger. As they grew, Esau had the heart of his father, and Jacob had the heart of his mother. Esau was casual about everything, and one day he made a trade with his brother: Esau promised his birthright to Jacob if Jacob would just give him something to eat. Later on, when Isaac was ready to pass the blessing on to Esau, Jacob stole it. (But did he really? After all, Esau had given it to him). This angered Esau so much that he promised to kill his brother! The Bible even goes so far as to say that Esau comforted himself with these thoughts! What’s that about? He was so angry that he wanted to kill his brother, and this brought him comfort? That’s bizarre! Yet, he felt justified in his anger! But nothing righteous will come from this type of venting of our anger.

  The Bible has a lot to say about anger. For example:

  Romans 12:19,21 – Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. NKJV

  This is a tough truth to live by when you have been deeply hurt. I know that, and more importantly, God knows that. But look at the promise in this verse: vengeance belongs to the Lord and He will repay! You may not see it happen, but I can promise you this, if you will trust God with your anger, He’s got your back!

  Here’s another truth:

  Psalm 37:8 – “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret— it only causes harm. NKJV

  Ain’t that the truth! Harm to your physical body, harm to your mental state, harm in your relationships, harm at your job, and the list goes on. I knew someone who was so angry, that person couldn’t keep a job. Several someones. Harm!

  This is what I try to teach my students about anger. If it isn’t dealt with, in a positive way, it will cause more harm than good. Fighting leads to suspension. Every single time! Angry outbursts lead to loss. Loss of time in school, loss of learning, loss of trust, loss in relationships, just so much loss. In the end, was it really worth it?

  People are incarcerated today because they didn’t control their anger. People are in the grave because they never dealt with their anger. And just because we are saved, doesn’t mean that we won’t experience these exact same results if we persist in our anger.

  God offers this solution to your anger issues:

  Matthew 6:14 – “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” NKJV

  If you are going to live free of anger, you are going to have to learn to forgive. Forgiveness is more freeing than you think. It doesn’t let the person get away with anything, because God is a righteous judge. But it does release you from the prison of all that pent up, negative emotion called anger.

  Proverbs 19:11 – The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, And his glory is to overlook a transgression. NKJV

  Sometimes, we just have to learn to overlook the things that make us angry. It isn’t easy. It very well may be impossible for you to accomplish, but not with God. With God, all things are possible! Even being free of anger.

  When Jacob returned home many years later, He asked God to deliver him from Esau’s anger. And guess what happened? You already know! God did just that! But let’s look from Esau’s point of view. He wanted to kill Jacob the last time he saw him. But at some point, he obviously let that anger go. When he saw Jacob, Jacob was bowing before him in humility. He rushed to his brother and embraced him. The rest is history!

  Even perceived justification of anger can be released. God wants us to be whole before Him. He knows that nothing righteous will come of it. He knows the damage of anger and doesn’t want us to go through that. If you are struggling with anger, for any reason, God has you reading this blog, so that you might be free. Go ahead! Release the anger, offer forgiveness, and receive the forgiveness and peace of God that has been waiting for you. Wonderful Jesus!

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  Posted in Dealing With Emotions, Forgiveness, God, Healing | 2 Comments | Tagged Attitude, Believer, Deliverance, encouragement, Esau, Forgiveness, freedom, God, Handling difficulties, Humility, Isaac, Jacob, offense, relationships, trust in God

• Keeping It in Perspective!

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on December 4, 2020

  James 4:10 – “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. NKJV

  • 

  keeping-it-in-perspective_.mp3

  My past two blogs have been centered around the idea that we foster, that in order to be humble before God, we must somehow decrease that He must increase. In this blog, I want to look at what humility looks like, in the face of success, with some biblical figures we are all familiar with.

  I want to start with Daniel. Those of us who are familiar with the word of God are familiar with Daniel. He is well known as the prophet who told the Gentile kings the interpretations of their dreams. The first time he did so, the king had threatened to kill all the wise men, magicians, and astrologers, which included Daniel, because of a troubling dream. As a matter of fact, the king didn’t even remember the dream, yet, he wanted them to tell him what he dreamed and what it meant. When his astrologers and wise men said that they couldn’t do it, and no one could, he ordered their deaths. Daniel heard about it, and to spare his life and the lives of his friends, they fasted and ask God about the dream. When Daniel reported to the king to share the dream, he said these words:

  Daniel 2:30 – “But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but for our sakes who make known the interpretation to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your heart. NKJV

  Prior to this verse, Daniel had already given the honor to God, who knows the secrets of every heart. He wasn’t looking for anyone to think that he thought he was something special, but had come to share the dream and the interpretation of the dream as God had shown him. What he did was pretty spectacular. The king was so impressed he fell prostrate before Daniel and wanted to make an offering to him. He also placed Daniel in a high position and lavished gifts on him. But Daniel knew who the real interpreter was, and he never forget Him! And God exalted him!

  David was another man who demonstrated what it meant to be humble before the Lord. He was the giant killer who killed his tens of thousands. He was the king who brought unity to Israel. He was the leader of the mighty men. Yet, he understood that even so, it was because of God.

  2 Samuel 7:18-19 – “Then King David went in and sat before the Lord; and he said: “Who am I, O Lord God ? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O Lord God; and You have also spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come. Is this the manner of man, O Lord God?” NKJV

  David said that what God had done for him was a small thing in His sight, but David knew it for the great favor that it was. I met a Jewish believer when I was a teenager. Without thinking, I said, “Why is your name David? That’s not a Jewish name!” He said, “Are you kidding me? You don’t know about King David, the great king of Israel?” I went, “Oops!” (What was I thinking)! Even today, he is heralded as the king of Israel. David knew that God had exalted him above his enemies and his own desires. It’s what happens when humility is truly demonstrated.

  Peter also demonstrated humility after having been used mightily of God. The lame man at the gate called Beautiful, and others, were ready to fall at his feet and worship him. Why? Because the man had been lame and begging for all of his life. And with a few words, he was made completely whole. Peter had to put that to a stop!

  Acts 3:11-12 – “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? NKJV

  Peter knew he didn’t heal the man, although the Spirit of God healed the man at Peter’s words. The old Peter might have responded differently, but this anointed Peter, showed much humility. He didn’t take God’s glory, because it didn’t belong to him. Anymore than it belongs to us. You can do wonderful things for God, even be successful, without belittling yourself, and still give Him all the glory!

  Acts 18:24-26 -Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. NKJV

  I asked the Lord for an example and He gave me Apollos. What we may not have paid attention to is the effective ministry that Apollos had amongst the Gentiles. On at least five different occasions Paul referred to Apollos’ ministry, placing it in the same category of his ministry and Peter’s ministry. Yet, when Apollos met Aquila and Priscilla, and they shared about Jesus, he readily listened, changed his message, and continued to preach. That’s humility! He wasn’t concerned about his reputation, or his prominence amongst the Gentiles, just the message of the Messiah. It was of Apollos that Paul wrote that he planted and Apollos watered, but God got the increase!

  I give you Jesus! The Bible states:

  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Philippians 2:8 – NKJV

  Never once did He think less of Himself. Yet everything Jesus said and did was a witness to the position of humbleness that He displayed before the Father. He became obedient even to the point of death. He bowed His will to that of the Father, and died for us. In spite of the utter shame the cross held, in spite of the devastation to His physical body, in spite of the lies and being ridiculed, He humbled Himself. And He was highly exalted, and given a name above every name!

  Fellow believers! Each of these individuals humbled themselves before God, whether they said it or not. Each of them honored the Father above themselves. Each of them realized that the success that they had or was having was due to the Father, not to them. They did great exploits for the Father! He used them to do those things, but they gave Him all the honor and all the glory!

  It is possible to be a success in what you do, and give God the honor due Him, without sounding flaky and seeing yourself as a wretch. Paul even referred to himself as the least of all the brethren, which we would probably differ with. Yet, I don’t see that “poor wretched” mentality, I just see that he didn’t think more highly of himself than was necessary. If some of us accomplished what Paul did, we’d want a whole lot more money and fame and service than he received. Looking for the exaltation of others. But Paul was humble in what he did because he did it for Christ, only for Christ! That’s really the bottom line! Keep it all in perspective as to whom we are doing it for, and our hearts will remain humble. Then He will exalt us! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in God, Humility, Jesus, Serving God | 2 Comments | Tagged Attitude, Daniel, David, dreams, glory, Honor, humble, Humility, increasing and decreasing, Jesus, obedience, Paul, Peter, service, success

• Increasing and Decreasing!

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on November 30, 2020

  John 3:30 -He must increase, but I must decrease. NKJV

  

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  In the Church, John the Baptist’s words have become a mantra of humility. When a soloist gets up to sing, she may say this before she sing to give the impression of humility and that she isn’t really singing, it’s God! Or a minister may say it before he preaches, so everyone will know that he isn’t really preaching, it’s God. Whether they are being truthful or not, with their message of humility, I believe this theology is flawed. Although God is using both individuals, the important truth here is that He is using the individual. I want to explain!

  First of all, we need to understand what motivated John the Baptist to say these words. Let’s look in verses 25 and 26 to gain some insight:

  “Then there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purification. And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified —behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!

  John 3:25-26

  John the Baptist had been the voice of spiritual renewal in Israel. As he went about with the message of repent and be baptized, he was actually paving the way for Jesus. This is why he was “the voice of one crying in the wilderness”. The ministry John had been given was given to him from birth, and it was simply to be a forerunner of the Messiah. On this particular day in John’s life, we see his followers upset that people are beginning to flock to Jesus. They see Jesus as the usurper of John’s ministry, not as the Messiah.

  John explains to his followers what they are seeing happening with Jesus is what is supposed to be happening:

  • A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven (v. 27). John is helping them to see that his followers are flocking to Jesus because it is what God has purposed to happen. Every single follower he had, God gave to him, and every single follower Jesus has, was given by God.
  • I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before Him (v. 28). John reminded his followers that he had already told them that he was not the Messiah, he was only sent before the Messiah. His disciples already knew the witness that John had given in regards to Jesus. John just reminds them of that truth.
  • Lastly, John calls himself the friend of the bridegroom. In Jewish tradition, the friend of the bridegroom, the shoshben, was the individual who was the mediator between the bride’s family and the bridegroom’s family. He negotiated the terms of the marriage and was said to be the one who watched the bridal tent. On the night the bridegroom comes, he recognizes the voice of the groom and opens the bridal tent to him only. Then he goes away rejoicing for his work is done.

  This is the point of John’s words in verse 30, “He must increase, and I must decrease!” John had fulfilled his part of the plan of God. His ministry was complete. Now it was time for Jesus to take front and center stage that His ministry, His time would be fulfilled.

  Was John showing humility in this declaration? Yes, he was! But he was not saying that to be humble. It really was his time to get off the scene of spiritual renewal, and Jesus’ time to usher in the kingdom. During the time of John’s crying in the wilderness, he cried aloud and spared not. He didn’t ask God to let him decrease at that time. No! He was the chosen vessel at that time to be used by God to get a specific task completed. It was his assignment and God had chosen to use him.

  John saw his assignment for the honor that it was. His birth was miraculous and his assignment was sure. He fulfilled that assignment with everything in him, in the way that God led him, but it was John that God was using.

  Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.

  Matthew 3:4

  John was a simple man. The fact that Matthew described his clothes being made with camel’s hair, and his diet as locusts and wild honey is to help us to see that John was different from other Jewish men. But God used John to fulfill an important assignment, to set the stage for His son. It was an assignment that John was handpicked for, and he did it well!

  I thought of this when I was having a conversation with my niece. She preached her first sermon and her heart was that we would see “none of her and all of Jesus!” Great sentiment, but is it scriptural? More next time! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Attitude, Humility, Jesus, John the Baptist | 3 Comments | Tagged assignments, Attitude, decreasing, false humility, humble, Humility, increasing, John the Baptist, Kingdom of God, ministry

• God’s Requirements – Part 3

  Posted at 2:03 am by wonderfuljesus8, on September 5, 2020

  Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? NKJV

  

  gods-requirements-part-3.mp3

  I have truly enjoyed studying this verse. Micah is not typically a book of the Bible that I spend time “deep diving” into, but I may have to change that! Micah wrote that God has shown us what is good, letting us know that He is our example. He went on to share what God requires of us. We’ve already looked at the first two: to act justly and to love mercy. In this blog, I will address the last phrase of this verse, “and to walk humbly with your God”.

  In the Message Bible, this portion of the verse is rendered, “and don’t take yourself too seriously-take God seriously!” As I was meditating on this verse, preparing to write this last blog, God brought King Nebuchadnezzar to my mind. King Nebuchadnezzar was a king that took himself too seriously.

  In the book of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar had two dreams. In the first dream God revealed to the king that his kingdom would be a strong and prosperous kingdom. God used the imagery of a statue, and the king was represented by a golden head. Somewhere in the course of his days, he thought it a great idea to build a gold statue of himself for everyone to bow down to. When the Hebrew boys refused to bow, the king had the furnace heated up and then had them thrown into it. However, God stepped in and saved the young men, causing Nebuchadnezzar to acknowledge that He is the Most High God!

  The next dream we read about, the king himself wrote, in a letter. He had a dream about a tree that reached to the heavens and covered the world. Then one day, holy beings cut the tree down, leaving a stump, while the tree turns into an animal for 7 seasons. When Daniel was called to interpret the dream, Daniel didn’t want to tell the king that this tree represented him, and that God would cut him down, he would lose his mind, and he would live like an animal for a season of times. But Daniel told him and tried to encourage him to turn from his prideful ways. However, the king did not. And so, the dream came to pass. At the end of the letter, it is obvious that the king has been restored to his right mind, and has come to understand that there is no God like the Most High God. You should read the book to understand the depth of his pride, but suffice it to say, with all that God had done for him, he thought that he had done it; and his pride got him in trouble with God.

  Nebuchadnezzar had this to say about the true and living God:

  Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down. Daniel 4:37 NKJV

  When God said that He requires of us to walk humbly before Him, that’s what He meant! Unfortunately for the king, he had to lose his mind before he could truly understand that because of his pride, God had to take him down a few notches. Is that what you or I need to realize that we are to walk humbly before our God? I certainly hope not!

  In the book of psalms, it is written:

  The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts. Psalm 10:4

  How plain is that? When pride enters our heart, we feel we have no need for God, His word, or His counsel. He is not a part of our thinking, even to the point that we feel above the need to have to seek Him. What a sad state of affairs for an individual to find himself in!

  A well known proverb about pride states:

  Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18

  Isn’t that what happened to King Nebuchadnezzar? Before his destruction, we saw his pride! First, with the golden statue and the decree to throw people in the fiery furnace if they didn’t bow at the sound of the music. And then, we saw it with the warning of the tree. Although warned to deal with the pride in his life, or face being humiliated before his people, Nebuchadnezzar hung on to his pride!

  When pride comes, then come shame… Proverbs 11:2a

  Nebuchadnezzar had to learn this lesson the hard way! But not just King Nebuchadnezzar, many men and women have to learn this lesson the hard way. My mama used to say, “The bigger they are, the harder they fall!” Isn’t that so true? The greater the power a person has, the harder their fall, the greater their humiliation! We see it on a regular basis these days. Politicians, corporate leaders, pastors, church leaders, CEOs, celebrities, principals, billionaires, millionaires, and the common person too! Success, money, and power, in every arena of life, causes that demonic spirit to rise on the attack! And if it isn’t dealt with in private, it will humiliate and bring shame in the public!

  Here’s what God has to say about the humble:

  The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way. Psalm 25:9

  It’s quite obvious that the prideful person can’t hear from God, because he doesn’t seek God. Yet, God guides the humble person in justice. He’s there to assist the humble person in “acting justly”. And He teaches the humble person how to walk and live in His way! What a comfort and a blessing to know! The word also tells us this:

  The Lord lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground. Psalm 147:6

  We don’t have to get ahead in life by mistreating people and forgetting God. He clearly lifts up the humble person, and he clearly casts down the wicked. Someone might say, “It doesn’t look like it”! Well, as believers, we don’t walk by what we see, but by what we believe. And if we learn to trust God and His word, we will see the humble lifted, and the wicked cast down to the ground! Didn’t Jesus say that He saw Lucifer cast down from heaven? Lucifer’s pride got in his way! Didn’t the same word of God say that Jesus, who humbled Himself, was given a name above all names, and was highly exalted? We must begin to accept God’s word as the truth that it is!

  I leave you with this word, from the word:

  A man’s pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor. Proverbs 29:23

  It’s been a real blessing to look closely at this verse. I want to live a life that honors God, and this verse has helped to identify some ways in which I can do that! Act justly-do the right thing where people are concerned; love mercy-stop hating, forgiving one another, and demonstrate kindness to others; and walk humbly before our God-understanding that He exalts the humble and brings down the proud! Wonderful Jesus!!

  Posted in God, God’s Requirements, Humility, Pride | 0 Comments | Tagged Believer, encouragement, exalted, Forgiveness, God, Humility, Jesus, Justice, king Nebuchadnezzar, love, Mercy, miraculous, obedience, Pride, the devil, Victorious Living, word of God

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