Humiliation

Do you know the difference between "humility" and "humiliation"?

Humility is the tax collector in parable Jesus tells about the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18:13. While the Pharisee was praying, he thanked God that the he was not like other men - robbers, evildoers, adulterers, or the evil tax collector. The tax collector, on the other hand, ...stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, "God have mercy on me, a sinner. Luke 18:13

Humility is standing alone before God, convicted of our sins and sorrowful of our actions. It is the recognition that apart from the love and grace of God we really are only worth the $4.50 sum of the value of the minerals in our body. (OK, that number is negotiable depending upon the current rate of exchange on specific minerals, but you get the point.) The Holy Spirit's conviction and the gift of repentance enable us to return to right relationship with the Lord, regardless of the magnitude of our sins.

Humiliation, on the other hand in when you read about your sin on the front page of the newspaper or see it on the evening news. Rather than conviction, you feel ashamed of your behavior and betrayed by the one who "outed" you. Instead of sorrow, humiliation generally drives people to damage control of the situation, denial or shifting blame.

It is a wonderful thing that the Lord will generally give us a private opportunity to repent of our sins and get back into right relationship. However, failure to listen to that still small voice results in more drastic measures being taken. God's desire is for us to be in right relationship with Him. He will even use the gift of humiliation to get our attention.

As I used to tell my children, "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. But, we are going to do it."

Lord, thank you for the conviction of the Holy Spirit and for the gift of repentance. Make me quick to hear and swift to take actions on those issues in my life which are not pleasing to you.

Humility

OK, be perfectly honest with me. Is anybody else having difficulty with this "humility" thing?

Andrew Murray in the preface to his book Humility writes:

When we see that humility is something infinitely deeper than contrition, and accept it as our participation in the life of Jesus, we shall begin to learn that it is our true nobility, and that to prove it in being servants of all is the highest fulfillment of our destiny, as men created in the image of God.

I sort of get that concept. I understand that humility is the answer in our lives and in the life of our nation. I acknowledge that it is the key to fulfilling our destiny. Then, it seems as if I put the book down, forget all I read, and take one more trip around that mountain of pride.

You see, with the fall in the Garden of Eden, a terrific battle began in our lives. The life God intended for us became corrupted by Satan's planting of that seed of pride making us believe that we could "be like God." God knew we could not overcome that weed in our lives, so He sent Jesus Christ. Jesus is the example of what God intended for man in the first place. We are to live lives of obedience and humility before God and to be servants of those around us. That is our destiny.

But, that weed of pride in my heart reminds me of the weeds in the vegetable garden I planted a few years ago. For some reason, the weeds flourished regardless of the conditions. Too hot for the vegetables? The weeds did fine. Too much rain and vegetables all turn yellow? The weeds multiply and grow 18 inches. Forget to water the garden and the vegetables are wilting? The weeds grow another six inches and look like they are about to go to seed. Why do the weeds do so much better than the crop we are intending to cultivate?

Weeds (pride) take the path of least resistance. Unchecked, they will consume their boundaries and overflow into other people's gardens. Cultivated plants, on the other hand, require consistent attention. They need to have the correct soil, the appropriate temperature, and attention to food and water.

Humility, a cultivated state, requires our attention to the details in our lives. We have to prepare the soil of our heart to be able to cultivate humility in our lives to enable the Holy Spirit to harvest the destiny the Lord intends for each of us.

See, the concept is not all that complex.

Well, that's all for today. I have to go pull some more of those pesky weeds.

Lord, do not let us become discouraged with the weeds in our lives to the point that we decide the garden is not worth the effort. Remind us that the consistent cultivation of a life of humility will produce in us, exactly what You intend.

 

Humble Yourself

So, we are five weeks out from the national elections. We are parked on 2 Chronicles 7:14 If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. In the last week we have established that God's actions are conditional on the actions of those who are called by His name. For convenience sake, I will assume that if you are reading this series, you are one of His people. So far, so good.

Now, the more difficult part. We are called to humble ourselves. Try this little experiment. Close your eyes and think about humbling yourself before the Lord. What do you see in your mind's eye? The first thing I see is an image of me kneeling in an Episcopal church. The light is streaming through the stained glass windows and the organ is playing ancient hymns in the background. Tiny little problem. I have not been a member of the Episcopal church for over 15 years. That's what we call a clue that we might want to study the subject a bit.

And, before you laugh at me, (any more than you already have) you might want to think about your own concept of humility. In preparation for this series of devotionals friends and colleagues were put on the spot as I asked them what the word meant to them. Nobody came up with a really clear, concise answer for me. My search of scripture brought up every verse that had the word "humility" included. My search of outside sources led me to some awesome writings on the concept.

The bottom line - the concept that seems too complex to articulate is extraordinarily simple. We just need help to see it.

Since my teenage years I have had to wear glasses or contact lenses to correct my vision. For those of you who share the problem of poor vision, try to remember the first new pair of glasses you had. Walking out of the doctor's office I was awed by the fact that trees were not just fluffy green things, but actually had distinct leaves. With my new glasses, things seemed brighter, more focused, and I was certainly less likely to confuse the cat with the dog.

So it is with humility. God figured out pretty early that we were not getting the concept. So, He sent Jesus for our salvation. Humility, viewed through the corrective lenses of our salvation, comes into much sharper focus.

Everything about the life and death of Jesus points to His humility. He humbled Himself and came down from Heaven to live on earth as a man. He humbled Himself and became a servant to those around Him. He humbled Himself and died on the cross so that we could have the Holy Spirit to enable us to also live lives of humility.

His humility is our salvation. Our salvation empowers us to live lives of humility.

Lord, the answer is so simple. We just need to be more like Jesus. And, yet, so difficult. Show us the way.

My People, Who are Called by My Name

Do you ever ponder your identity? Who are you? Who do other people think you are?

As a parent and a grandparent I learned that my identity has changed with the generations. The birth of my first child changed my identity from that of a wife and business woman to a mother. For the next 15 years I was known as "Stormi's Mom." My entry into the political and public policy realm returned to me my personal identity. And, life carried on quite happily until the birth of Hannah, my first grandchild.

Grandchildren are one of the things that man does not share in common with God. God has no grandchildren. We are all equal as sons and daughters of God. Each of our children must make their own personal decision about their faith and relationship with the Lord. They will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven on our coattails. Even so, I believe that the Lord gave us grandchildren to help us to experience the joy He had as He brought all the animals to Adam for him to name.

The Lord has an extraordinary sense of humor. As the first child of my first child, Hannah took Stormi's identity as swiftly as Stormi had taken mine. However, not understanding the rules of "naming", Stormi made a futile attempt to manage my identity as a Grandmother. The first grandchild on the other side of the family had staked a claim to "Grammy" for that grandparent. Stormi decided that my name should be "Nana."

I, on the other hand, could never envision myself as a "Nana," so I was holding out to be "Grandma."

Hannah, in her role as the "Adam of the grandchildren" listened to neither me or her mother (this is sure to be a topic for the devotionals as she grows older) and bestowed upon me the title of "Migi." We have no idea where she got it. One day she was pointing at all the pictures of me and saying, "Migi." But who cares where she got it? Nobody questions Adam about naming an animal a hippopotamus or an aardvark, now do they? Migi I am. And, proud of it.

Changing your identity with the generations just goes with the territory. But our identity as children of God never changes. Do you know whether you are included when scripture says, "If My people, who are called by My name…"? When someone asks you what you believe, or more importantly, who you believe, what is your response? Do you believe that you have the power to humble yourself, to petition the Living God to heal our land? Do you believe He will answer as His word promises?

In 2 Chronicles, the Lord - the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - was making a conditional promise to the Israelites. If …, then… . Galatians 3:16 tells us:

The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say, "and to seeds," meaning may people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ.

The promise is as good today as the day it was made. If you identify with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. If you believe, as the Nicene Creed states:

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father.

Through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.

On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified.

He has spoken through the Prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

If you believe and identify with our Lord, Jesus Christ, then you are included in the "My people" promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14. If we humble ourselves and pray, He will hear our voice from heaven and He will heal our land.

On the other hand, if you think that a single person has no impact on the destiny of nations, then you just might want to re-examine your faith. You are depending upon your own strength, thereby negating the resurrection power of Christ in you. Repent of your unbelief!

Lord, apart from you, we can do nothing. We cannot even repent of our sins and unbelief until you send the gift of repentance. I pray that you the Holy Spirit will convict me of my sins and that you will send the give of repentance into my life. Lord, I believe your Word. Help my unbelief! Amen.

 

If

Most of the devotionals I have written have really just been a reflection of my obedience to sit down at the computer, setting my fingers to the keyboard and saying, "OK, Lord. Whatcha got for me today?" But, preparation for this devotional has been different. Even as the idea for the devotional began to grow in my mind, I was aware that I was going to have to work for it.

So, the devotional is going to be parked on 2 Chronicles 7:14 for a few days in order to share some of the process involved in getting to me to where I am. For those of you light years ahead of me, this will not be revelation. But, as with any treasure hunt, I have truly enjoyed finding these treasures that have been hidden right before my eyes in plain view.

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

My entire professional life for the past 18 years has been focused on finding political and legislative solutions to our state's ills. Guess what? I am doing nothing but holding my finger in the dike. (Well, when the Legislature is in session I have all my fingers and toes in the dike, but that is another entry.) And guess what else? The success or failure of our nation, state or local government does not rest in the hand of the elected officials. It doesn't even rest in the hands of the majority of voters. It rests in the hands of those people who God refers to as "My people who are called by My name."

So, don't like your taxes? Don't like the government intervening in your personal business? Don't like the government telling you how to raise your children, or what you should eat? You can march on the Capitol, vote in every election, and sign every petition, but things are not going to change until we try things God's way.

God says that His people must:

1. Humble themselves,
   
2. Pray and seek His face, and
   
3. Turn from their wicked ways
   

In order for him to:

1. Hear from Heaven,
   
2. Forgive their sin, and
   
3. Heal their land.
   

If we do, He will. If we don't, He won't.

Really, could He make it any simpler than that?

Lord, I recognize that this isn't rocket science. You clearly laid out Your plan for our success in scripture. But, somehow, I have gotten so far off track that it is difficult to even see the way back. I place blame where it doesn't belong and refuse to take responsibility when I should. Lord, I pray that the Holy Spirit will bring conviction into my life and that You will send the gift of repentance so that I will be able to humble myself and seek Your face.

40 Days of Prayer and Fasting

September 23, 2010

40 Days before the November elections

Several months ago more and more people began discussing the great need in our country for prayer and fasting prior to the November general elections. Few have been left untouched by the economic downturn in our economy. They are alarmed at the out of control spending of our elected officials at all levels of government. We are saddling future generations with unsustainable debts that will strip them of their ability to continue to live the American Dream.

At the same time that we are facing monetary bankruptcy, our nation is also facing spiritual and moral bankruptcy. Sin is rampant in our midst and we, as a people, rarely even take notice of it. Sexual immorality is considered nobody's business. Sexual perversion is considered a protected right. We lie. We cheat. We steal. We do not honor our elderly or care for our children and their future. We worship media, public figures, and money. We do not honor God. And, we wonder why it feels like things are going to Hell in a hand basket.

Originally, I was asked to pray for the names of ten people who I would be responsible to getting to the polls on November 2 to vote in the election. In turn, I was to ask each of them to pray for ten people with whom they had influence to do the same. But, as soon as I began to seek those ten names, the Lord revealed to me that this battle will not be won in our voting booths. It will be won in our prayer closets.

You see, this is not a political situation we have. It's a sin situation. Neither Republicans, Democrats, nor Tea Party candidates can solve our problem. No march on the Capitol will change things. It does not take a move in Washington or Austin or any earthly place to reach a solution. No elected official's policy can change the course of this nation. Now, all those things may eventually come into play. But, restoration of our land will not come about before or until, God's people truly humble themselves before their Lord.

And, so began my journey to better understand 2 Chronicles 7:14:

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

So, for the next 40 days, you are cordially invited to join me in humbling yourself before the Lord and seeking His face. Whether it influences the elections or not, God promises He will hear from heaven and heal our land.