Humility Archives - My Manna

Humility

My Manna — Mon, 06 Dec 2021 17:00:00 +0000

“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.”1 Timothy 1:12-13.

Some people believe that thinking badly of themselves is a sign of humility.

But Paul is a beautiful example of how we are to approach God.
He does not berate himself and tell God how vile and sinful He is.

Instead, Paul talks repeatedly with a spirit of humility about the grace of God.

There are seven things we can do to allow the Lord to develop such a humble spirit in our life.

To pursue humility-
– it is necessary that we die to self.

We must refuse to put ourselves first and instead ask the Lord what is His will for our situation.

God wants us to be devoted to other people because He has made us reservoirs of His truth—something those around us greatly need.

And when God blesses others, we who follow Christ are to delight in the good things that come to them. Rom. 12:15.

For ourselves, we must wholly depend on God.
If we want to live with genuine humility, we must rely on Him in every circumstance.

The Lord has many good things in store for us.
When we direct our thoughts continually to His grace and goodness, our confidence in Him will grow.

It is also important that we distance ourselves from whatever appeals to our pride, such as wealth, prestige, applause, or certain relationships—the list is different for every person.

Finally, we must determine to obey God regardless of the earthly consequences.

When you humble yourself before Him-
– you can mark that day as the beginning of the best part of your life.

(PR)

The post Humility appeared first on My Manna.

Humbled by Grace

MyManna — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 22:00:42 +0000

“Thy LORD makes poor, and makes rich: He brings low, and lifts up.” 1 Samuel 2:7.

All my changes come-
– from Him who never changes!
If I had grown rich-
I should have seen His hand in it.
And I should have praised Him.
Let me equally see His hand-
– if I am made poor.
And let me as heartily praise Him.
When we go down in the world-
– it is of the LORD!
And so we may take it patiently!!
When we rise in the world-
– it is of the LORD!
And we may accept it thankfully!!
In any case-
The LORD has done it!
And it is very well done!!
It seems that the Lord’s way is-
– to lower those whom He means to raise and
– to strip those whom He intends to clothe.
If it is His way-
– it is the wisest and best way!
If I am now enduring the bringing low-
I may well rejoice, because I see in it the preface to the lifting up.
The more we are humbled by grace-
– the more we shall be exalted in glory!
That impoverishment which will be overruled for our enrichment is to be welcomed!
“LORD!
You have taken me down of late and made me feel my insignificance and sin.
It is not a pleasant experience.
But I pray to you to make it a profitable one to me.
You would thus fit me to bear a greater weight of delight and of usefulness. Amen!”
(PA)

The post Humbled by Grace appeared first on My Manna.

"Little" Before the Lord

MyManna — Thu, 15 Sep 2016 23:00:04 +0000

“Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” Matthew 18:4.

Hudson Taylor was scheduled to speak at a Large Presbyterian church in Melbourne, Australia.

The moderator of the service introduced him in the most eloquent and glowing terms.

He told the large congregation all that Taylor had accomplished in China-

– and then presented him as “our illustrious guest.”

Taylor stood quietly for a moment, and then opened his message by saying:

“Dear friends, I am the little servant of an illustrious Master.”
If we want to do great things for the Lord-

– it is crucial that we become humble before Him!

When we realize that we are but little servants of an illustrious Master-

– it is then that God will use us in a mighty way.

After all, it is not our agendas, our purposes, our plans that God wants to bless.

It’s God’s agenda…God’s plan…God’s purpose for our lives that He will bless to overflowing!
Let’s humble ourselves-

– get “little” before the Lord today and

– get our minds set on His purpose instead of our own.

The post "Little" Before the Lord appeared first on My Manna.

Ego Inflation!

MyManna — Mon, 07 Sep 2015 16:00:45 +0000

“I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think…” (Romans 12:3).
There’s a story of a British general serving in Asia who hosted a dinner party for distinguished guests.
One of those guests was an aristocratic lady visiting from England.
The general’s assistant seated her to his left, while the highest seat of honour was to his right.
She seethed inside and as the dinner wore on, she could not contain herself.
She haughtily complained to the general, “I guess you have difficulty finding qualified help to seat people properly.”
To which the general replied, “Not at all. Those who matter don’t mind and those who mind, don’t matter.”
Her ego was suffering from inflation that called for deflation.
It’s a reminder of the danger of prideful arrogance.
The more our ego gets inflated-
– the more life has a way of humbling us- big time.
God’s Word tells us to not think more highly of ourselves than we ought-
– for ego inflation can lead to ego deflation in the most humiliating ways!
(PR)

The post Ego Inflation! appeared first on My Manna.