Weekday Devotionals - Susan
As we seek to be more like Jesus we are forced to examine His character. What does He value? What does He Practice? What is His attitude?
Philippians 2:5 tells us in the amplified version: “Let this same attitude and purpose and humble mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus: Let Him be your example in humility”.
That’s a powerful statement which requires tons of contemplation and some serious adjustments for most of us. Humility. It is a powerful word and one most people don’t like to think about. To esteem others higher than myself? You want me to serve this person, to be nice to someone who isn’t nice to me? I should give up my seat? I should care about others more than I can about myself? What about me? Who’s going to look out for me? Good question. Isn’t that exactly what Jesus did when He died on the cross for us? Isn’t that how
He lived His life, looking out for the good of others? Wasn’t His example good enough for us?
God made things so simple for us: In Micah 6:8 He says: He has shown thee, oh man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of thee? To do justly, and to love mercy, and to
walk “humbly” with thy God.
Pretty simple, but not really. Not with our attitudes. Imagine all of us doing that! Being humble and kind all the time? It could work.
And Jesus gave us the 2 most important commandments when He told us in Mark 12:30 to “Love The Lord your God with All your heart and All your soul and All your mind and All your strength”. And the 2nd command is to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” These verses require humility.
We must think of ourselves as Jesus thought of Himself. He knew who He was yet He willingly laid that aside in humility to serve others. Service, out of obligation or for a paycheck is not the same as service at a cost to yourself. Laying yourself aside to meet the needs of others requires growth in our Christian faith. We grow by reading the Word, by learning more about the character of Christ, by willingly changing our mindset, our
attitudes and our priorities and becoming more like Jesus.
We also grow and change by spending time with those who are deeply rooted in their love for God. Their humility and love speak volumes through their attitudes and actions. Look for those people and let their attitudes rub off on you. It is not in God’s heart to humiliate His children but it should be in our hearts to be in charge of becoming humble.
James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves”. Our job.
It’s better to work on it from the inside out than to get caught in your own arrogance or selfish pride and be humiliated by those poorly chosen decisions. Be wise. Be silent when you have to. Be humble.
Think the best of people, rather than the worst.
Choose kindness over selfishness.
Choose God’s will over you own.
Let others lead you into the truth.
Serve God by serving others.
Be intentional about your random acts of kindness.
Let the attitude and humility of Jesus lead the way.
We must think of ourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of Himself. Not as a mighty God showing off on earth but as a servant who came into the world to love us into His kingdom. To forgive us for our foolishness. What a beautiful example He has given us! Let’s wholeheartedly try to model our attitude after the Lord’s. What a beautiful world it could be.
James 4:10 - Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.
Amen.
Susan G
Philippians 2:5 tells us in the amplified version: “Let this same attitude and purpose and humble mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus: Let Him be your example in humility”.
That’s a powerful statement which requires tons of contemplation and some serious adjustments for most of us. Humility. It is a powerful word and one most people don’t like to think about. To esteem others higher than myself? You want me to serve this person, to be nice to someone who isn’t nice to me? I should give up my seat? I should care about others more than I can about myself? What about me? Who’s going to look out for me? Good question. Isn’t that exactly what Jesus did when He died on the cross for us? Isn’t that how
He lived His life, looking out for the good of others? Wasn’t His example good enough for us?
God made things so simple for us: In Micah 6:8 He says: He has shown thee, oh man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of thee? To do justly, and to love mercy, and to
walk “humbly” with thy God.
Pretty simple, but not really. Not with our attitudes. Imagine all of us doing that! Being humble and kind all the time? It could work.
And Jesus gave us the 2 most important commandments when He told us in Mark 12:30 to “Love The Lord your God with All your heart and All your soul and All your mind and All your strength”. And the 2nd command is to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” These verses require humility.
We must think of ourselves as Jesus thought of Himself. He knew who He was yet He willingly laid that aside in humility to serve others. Service, out of obligation or for a paycheck is not the same as service at a cost to yourself. Laying yourself aside to meet the needs of others requires growth in our Christian faith. We grow by reading the Word, by learning more about the character of Christ, by willingly changing our mindset, our
attitudes and our priorities and becoming more like Jesus.
We also grow and change by spending time with those who are deeply rooted in their love for God. Their humility and love speak volumes through their attitudes and actions. Look for those people and let their attitudes rub off on you. It is not in God’s heart to humiliate His children but it should be in our hearts to be in charge of becoming humble.
James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves”. Our job.
It’s better to work on it from the inside out than to get caught in your own arrogance or selfish pride and be humiliated by those poorly chosen decisions. Be wise. Be silent when you have to. Be humble.
Think the best of people, rather than the worst.
Choose kindness over selfishness.
Choose God’s will over you own.
Let others lead you into the truth.
Serve God by serving others.
Be intentional about your random acts of kindness.
Let the attitude and humility of Jesus lead the way.
We must think of ourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of Himself. Not as a mighty God showing off on earth but as a servant who came into the world to love us into His kingdom. To forgive us for our foolishness. What a beautiful example He has given us! Let’s wholeheartedly try to model our attitude after the Lord’s. What a beautiful world it could be.
James 4:10 - Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.
Amen.
Susan G
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