Submitting to Humility

Last week we touched a little bit on submission. Today I want to talk about it again, with a bit of an emphasis on our humility. Humility goes hand in hand with submission. When we submit to God, we are doing so, understanding that He is greater than we are. This is humility.

One of the greatest passages in the whole Bible on this topic is found in Philippians chapter 2. Read it here, and then come back and finish our blog post.

As you read that passage, did you notice that Jesus was (and is) God, and even though He was, he did not cling to it. Look at it again, and notice that Jesus "gave up His divine privileges." He didn't come to this earth and say, "I am the King of kings! You must serve me! You must bow to me! You must give me the best of what you have because it is what I deserve!" He could have, because it would have been the truth; He does deserve all of that. But instead, the passage says that "he took the humble position of a slave (emphasis added)." He served those around Him. He saw the intrinsic value in each and ever person He came into contact with, and He served them.

Not only did He serve those around Him, He also "humbled himself in obedience to God." He became obedient to God. Elsewhere in Scripture it says that Jesus "learned obedience from the things he suffered" (Hebrews 5:8). It's hard for us to think that Jesus had to learn something, but it's true. He learned to be obedient to God throughout His life, ultimately giving His life on the cross. The ultimate obedience was Jesus going to the cross. My friends, that is true submission through humility. If we want to be God's servants, then we must humble ourselves.

Just another something for you to think about today. So have a great day, comment below if you have a story about a time you were obedient, and we'll see you on Sunday!

Do Not Love the World

This week we look at God. We look at God as the author of the good things that happen in our lives. We will also look at where temptation comes from. So in the days leading up to our ascent into Sunday, we will talk about two things: the world and the new man.

Before we begin, please read 1 John 2:15-17.

As we look at these verses, there are several things that come out here. I want to touch on three today.

1) Love for the world is hatred toward God. No please don't misinterpret what John is saying here. He is not saying that we should not love the people of the world (Jesus said that God so loved the world in John 3:16). This love of the world is a love of the things in the world. It is a love of the way that the world works and solves problems. It is a love that seeks to set the world as the final authority rather than God. A love for the world in this sense is akin to idolatry and we all know what God thinks about that.

But we are called to not love the world. We are called to love God, and His ways are diametrically opposed to the way the world handles the same problems. God doesn't want His children to make themselves at home in this world. He calls us to be separate, set apart, or holy. "Be holy because I am holy." He told the nation of Israel and the church through Peter (1 Peter 1:16).

2) The world's desires are contrary to the desires of God. Notice the list of things that are "of the world" in 1 John 2:16.

The Lust of the Eyes: This is everything that we set before our eyes that we could desire over God. Normally we think of things like coveting things and power or position when we think of this particular lust, but it could also be craving things to be different in a relationship, or even in one's church. These are things that we must avoid. It comes down to contentedness, and we need to be content if we are going to be holy.

The Lust of the Flesh: This desiring to fulfill our body's need for those things that expressly forbidden in the Scriptures. Things like sex outside of marriage, allowing ourselves to be focused on someone else besides our spouse, or even flirtation with another person who is not our spouse. It can also include sins like gluttony and being too focused on our appearances. We must avoid these kinds of things if we are going to be holy as well.

And finally, The Pride of Life: These are all the things in this life that cause us to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think. We are called to be humble like Jesus (Philippians 2) and when we choose to puff ourselves up, we give in to the Pride of Life. If we are going to be holy as God wants us to, then we need to give up anything that might be considered pride...even our false humility.

3) Those who do God's will will live forever. The world and its desires are going to pass. God's will and those who do God's will are going to live for eternity. I want to be one of those people, and I know you do to.

Thanks for reading the blog today. I know it was long, but keep on reading and following us. And feel free to comment below. And we'll see you Sunday!

Of Elders, Young'ns, and Lions

The second passage of Scripture that we need to consider is 1 Peter 5:1-11. You can look that up here.

I want you to consider a couple of things that Peter says to us in this passage of Scripture. First is the fact that he addresses those who are older in their faith. He tells them that they are to watch over the flock to which they have been assigned. In this passage Peter is speaking to those who have authority in the church; elders, deacons, pastors, etc. The word translated, "elders" here is speaking directly to those people.

However, the basic term of "elder" may be referring not just to those with authority in the church, but also to those who are simply older in their faith. Those who have lived their lives in obedience to Christ in the years they have lived are by default, leaders in the church of Christ. They have much to give and much to teach. In this light, we see that Peter is encouraging those who are designated as leaders in the church and those who are older to watch over those whom they been given responsibility for.

So as we look at what Peter is challenging us to be and to do, we must understand that we are called to be shepherds...overseers of what is going on and to speak up when we must, and gently guide when we can.

Second, I want you to see that Peter also speaks to those who follow. We must submit in humility because God opposes those who are proud. We must humble ourselves so that Christ will lift us up. We must walk in humility as Christ did (see Philippians 2). We must also allow Christ to carry our burdens, because He cares about us.

Finally, we are called in this passage be alert to the Devil. He is real and he will attack us if we let him. He is described here as a roaring lion. When a lion is on the prowl and looking for food, he doesn't roar...unless he can't kill his prey. What scientists have observed with lions is that the older lions, those who do not have the strength or (sometimes) the teeth to kill the prey will flank a grazing herd of zebra, antelope or whatever they may be hunting and roar so loudly it puts the herd in a panic. Thus the herd begins to scatter and the younger, more able lions, are then able to kill the prey and the feast begins.

Satan is toothless lion. He roars to put you in a panic. He wants you to run around, worried aobut what will happen next. This is because he knows he cannot kill you. He has been defeated on the cross by Jesus Christ. He has no power over you except what you allow him to have. So don't fear the devil. Stand firm against him, and run from temptation. You will be glad you did!

Have a comment or a question? Please share it below! And we'll see you Sunday!