Some Good Advice

"I told him to stay humble, stay teachable, forgive quickly and apologize quickly. It is good advice for all of us."

There are times I know God is speaking through me to others. I am sure any of you readers who are Christians can identify a time when you were used of God to speak to someone else. At times we find that those same words God speaks through us are spoken to us. 

In the case of what I said to my friend as I wrote it down that night and now a year later as I read it today it applies to my own life. 

Humility is a misunderstood word. In our present society we think of humble as it relates to things. People will call a small house a humble house. Some would say that someone without means in the natural is living a humble life. This is not the humility that God wants from us. 

True humility is depending on God. Moses was said to be the meekest man on earth. Did you know he wrote that about himself? Most of us would say he was prideful. Not so if you have the right definition of humility and meekness. All Moses was saying about himself was that he was the one who depended on God the most. 

In order to succeed in life we need to stay humble. That means we continually depend on God. Depend on Him for everything. For wisdom, direction, strength and whatever else you need. If we can stay humble then we can know that God will pour out His grace on us. God opposes the proud be He gives grace to the humble. 

We should also endeavor to stay teachable. It is a personal goal of mine to be a lifelong learner. The crazy thing is that the more I know the more I realize how little I know. Especially when it comes to God. The more I know of Him the bigger He gets. 

When we realize we don't have all the answers it frees us from pride and helps us to stay humble. Then we get back to the place of grace. Being teachable will also help us to navigate new areas of life. 

Finally we should all be ready to forgive quickly and apologize quickly. Jesus forgave us. That is reason alone to forgive others. If fact, we are commanded to forgive as God in Christ forgave us. 

Pride will stop us from both forgiving and apologizing. When we are prideful we hinder relationships and hold on to hurts. It is that ungodly spirit that insists "I was right and they were wrong!" that wont let go. A spirit of humility depends on God to forgive and apologize; even when you don't think you were that wrong. It doesn't matter as much as following the way of God. God's way is forgiveness. He showed us that in Jesus Christ. 

This is just a short list of things that will help us in life's course. Can you think of any other good advice that you would add to this list? 

Day 299 - Stay Humble

"It is a privilege to do what I do. I do not take it lightly that the Lord has placed me in front of thousands of people to preach His word. This is my calling and highest honor to pastor people in San Bernardino. After the third service I saw a couple from our church walking to the bus stop with their leftovers from the cafe and their sodas in hand. They said hello and were so happy to see me. They asked for a ride and at first I said I had to get home to my family but then I felt the Lord reminding me of His word that if I had done it to the least of these I had done it into Him. So I pulled over and invited them in. The conversation was pleasant. The husband would say something and then finish with “That's good huh?” Most of what I responded was, “Yes it is”. As I was driving them to their apartment I noticed the people of San Bernardino walking around. Some with carts, some wandering, some yelling at people, some yelling at no one. My heart breaks for them. Most were stuck in a rut they don't even know they are in. Many wouldn't want to get out if they could...

...Tonight while walking in to the evening service I met a man who was walking in to church with his two kids. I said hello to him and asked him how he was and he looked at me and stayed quiet. His eyes welled up with tears and he started to shake his head a little. He then burst into complaints and frustration over his relationship with his wife. Things just weren't working out. I listened and then encouraged him and told him God wants his marriage healthy. I encouraged him to listen to the message and that God would speak a specific word to him regarding his marriage even though the subject would be missions. I prayed and sent him on to get his children checked in and get to church. The next time I saw him he was running towards me with a smile on his face like we had an inside joke going and I knew what he was going to tell me. I almost couldn't wait to ask what God had said and he couldn't wait to tell me. I beat him to it and asked and he responded that right in the middle of the message the pastor stopped and said "It is not God's will for you to get a divorce!" and went on with what he was preaching. I vaguely remembered it from the message out of John 4. He heard it loud and clear. It gave him hope and confidence to believe God and work on the problem."

It is significant that I wrote these words one year ago. I see how my calling as a pastor has made me who I am and led me to many stories like these two I share here today. I am humbled to be where I am at doing what I do. 

One year after I typed these words I had my Sr. Pastor pray for me and I became the Sr. Pastor of our church. I can only say that God knows what He is doing and His plan greater than ours will ever be. I had rock star dreams as a young man. My plan would have been stardom and fame. I thought I needed that sort of platform to speak to people and be effective for the kingdom. How wrong I was. All I needed was to faithfully follow God, as I have over the years, and God gives more grace. His ability and power has made what I am today. 

Humility is more than being hidden or soft spoken. In fact when I read the Bible I imagine that Jesus was at times outspoken and there are scriptures that say He could not be hidden. I know that Jesus was humble so that means our definition must be a bit off. Really what humility means is to be dependent on God. Jesus depended on the power of the Spirit and the direction of God. That is why He was baptized and went by Himself to pray was so He could follow the will of the Father. 

It is no different with us. As we hear God's voice and follow Him we will have His pleasure and the power of the Spirit upon our lives. Not because we are so good but because He is so good. 

Stay humble. 

How does it make you feel when you think about what God has done for you? How blessed are we to be able to minister to others?

Day 283 - Where We Came From

"I still remember the despondency he had when he first came."

As Christians we don't look back to see the glory days nor do we look back longingly. We look back to learn and to remember where we came from. We learn from our mistakes. Hindsight is truly 20/20 as they say. 

When we can look back and remember where we came from it helps us. First of all it helps us appreciate our salvation. It gives us a heart of gratitude that God would send Jesus to take our punishment. It makes us thank God He saved us and took us out of the bondage and sin we were in. 

Second it helps us stay humble. No matter how great or small we thought we were before salvation we were lost and couldn't help ourselves. Some of us didn't even know we needed help! But God knew. So we see our need and it sends us humbly to the feet of Jesus. That is what true humility is; total dependency on God. 

Finally it helps us look forward. We keep our focus where it needs to be when we are humble and grateful. We can tell others of how God saved us and gave us real life. 

I think of the guy I was talking about in my quote from last year. Caught up in all kinds of sin. He and his wife were cheating on each other and he was was ready to end his own life. We prayed together in the foyer of the church and he cried all over me. His life hasn't been perfect since but he is following the Lord and trying to be the husband and father he should be. When I last met with him we looked back together. In the midst of his current problems he had a smile and was in faith for his future. 

As we look back let's be grateful, humble, and look forward with eyes of faith. 

What does looking back do for you? How does it help you to live now?

Day 232 - He Is Willing

Matthew 8:3 NKJV Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing, be cleansed." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

"Jesus is willing, are we wanting? We can be cleansed if we will come."

It starts with desire. What do we want from the Master? Is it a real desire or just a passing pleasure to spend on ourselves? Would we humble ourselves to fall at the Master's feet and cry out to Him? If not then we shouldn't expect to receive anything from Him. 

It goes from desire to action. Some want and wait but never come. It is like the old saying that was popularized by song "Everybody wants to go to Heaven but nobody wants to die." If you want it you must come! And not only that you must come the way God wants you to. You don't approach a king any way you want. You have to approach a king the way he wants you to. So it is with God. We come humbly. We come dependent on Him. We come desperate for Him. 

When we do then we will find Jesus willing to save, willing to cleanse, willing to heal. And not only willing but able and abounding. We will be overtaken by His goodness. He will bless so abundantly we will be overwhelmed. 

What do you want from God? How bad do you want it and what do you need to do to get it? 

Day 208 - Look Right Through Me

"The cry of my heart tonight is “Lord I need You!” Everywhere and in every way. May I not get puffed up with the praises of men or caught up in my own publicity. I humble myself and exalt Christ."

It almost seems counterproductive to post this section of my journal because it deals with humility. You can tell someone is not humble when they tell you they are. I am not tooting my own horn, I am revealing a very personal cry of my heart that I pray daily in hopes that it will help you. 

I battle pride. The Bible calls it a snare of the devil. I don't want to get caught up in it and have everything I have worked for end up in ruins. When we get into pride the Bible tells us we will actually have God opposing us. It is only in our humility that we will receive the grace of God we need to get the job done. 

I recently read a story of a man who was watching a goat ascend a small trail up the steep part of a mountain. On this narrow trail another goat came down and the two met face to face. At first they paused and then both stepped back a few paces. Then to the man's amazement he watched as the first goat knelt down and allowed the other goat to walk over it's back in order to get by. Then the first goat stood up and continued climbing the mountain. 

It is when we humble ourselves that we will be exalted. The way up is down. When we lower ourselves in humility and submit ourselves to God's will and way for our lives He Himself will lift us up to where He wants us to be. 

The cry of my heart is that people would look right through me and see God. It doesn't matter who knows my name. What matters is that they know the name of Jesus. 

How do you battle pride? What are some ways we can humble ourselves?

Day 96 - The Sweet Spot

"In the morning services we had 57 salvations! I don't think we realize what a move of God is going on at our church. Our prayers are heard for the lost and are being answered."

In sports the sweet spot refers to a place where your greatest strength is achieved. For us as Christians there is a sweet spot as well. It is in our weakness. God says that His strength is made perfect in weakness. That means that when we are weak yet dependent of God it is the sweet spot. 

When I read the numbers of people who responded last year to our altar calls in the morning services over one weekend I am overwhelmed and humbled. Recently I preached a weekend and before I ever got to the message in any of the services I gave a simple call for salvation and dozens of people ran to the altar. 

I am not bragging on myself. How could I when I hadn't even preached the message yet? It wasn't my eloquence or influence. I was simply in the sweet spot. Totally relying on God. In my weakness He showed Himself strong. 

In your weakness pray and lean the whole of your person on God. Totally depend on Him and His strength will come through. 

Have you seen God come through in a time of weakness? What does it mean to depend on God? 

Day 94 - Delivering the Mail

"I went off to work and studied for this weekend. I didn't get the message I thought I would but it is because the Word is speaking and not me. I can only speak what He speaks and not my own."

Jesus left us an example of true humility and meekness. He spoke and did only what He heard and saw the Father doing. We would do well if we followed that example. 

It takes attention to focus on what we see and hear from God. We must look away from the world and self to look up to God. We need a listening ear and a seeing eye. We need an undivided heart and undistracted gaze. 

Think of what life would be like if we lived this way. How many wrong decisions would we avoid? How many people would we touch with God's love? 

Day 91 - Delivering Truth

"From the Word: Paul warned the centurion of the hardship ahead. His warning wasn't received for many reasons. He was not trusted as an apostle by the centurion, the owner of the ship and the helmsman advised otherwise, the majority had something other to say, and where they were wasn't suitable. All odds were stacked against Paul but he turned out to be right."

Much of what a Christian says will not be received by people in the world because they are looking for credibility. It wasn't until Paul's words were proven true that he now had the platform to be heard. After the storm we see how Paul's influence increased when he tell the captain not to let the men get away in the smaller vessels because all will be lost unless they stay. The captain takes Paul's advice this time. 

I see in this passage and thought that we can learn a lesson in dealing with people and delivering the truth to them.  

If we are going to tell people the truth of God's word we must first tell them in love. If we don't tell them they won't ever know. Yes, they will not listen...at first. But later because you had told them the truth they will come back when they realize you were right. If we don't tell them in love then they will hear the truth but despise us and won't come back for another beating. Love never fails. 

Also if we are going to tell people the truth we must do it in a spirit of humility. We must be totally dependent on the Holy Spirit to speak through us. We must also speak in a gentle and meek spirit and not a proud or arrogant spirit. One is received, the other is rejected. It is all about approach. When you rely on the power of God then seeds will be sown into fertile ground. But when you rely on your own wisdom your words will bounce off their hearts like the seed on the wayside. This is where the devil comes and wreaks havoc with the mind and places thoughts of bitterness and scorn for the truth you were trying to give. 

Finally, when we deliver the truth faithfully we need to be ready to receive the people we are speaking to when they come back to us. They will come around and realize what you said was right. When they do and fresh problems arise they know who to go to...you! Be ready with open arms. An "I told you so" attitude will make them think twice about why they came back. Receive them and encourage them. Continue to bear with them in their journey towards what you already know and have. 

How have you delivered truth to people you come in contact with? What other ways can we deliver truth so that it is received rather than rejected? 

Day 44 - Pride

"I could sense that I was witnessing the real intense emotion of the inner turmoil of pride and the fruit of it which is the desire to be right, to be heard and to be respected. The part that amazes me is that he was right, heard and respected but pride wanted more. I guess that is why it is the snare of the devil. Like a fire that eats but is never satisfied."

I fight pride. Every day I pray from James and 1 Peter the scripture that "God opposes the proud but He gives grace to the humble therefore I humble myself in the sight of the Lord and He will lift me up". Pride wants an exalted position. God wants to give it to us but He wants it to happen His way. The way up is down. As we humble ourselves, or if I could say, come under the mission, and will and way of God, then He will exalt us. 

The last thing I need is God working against me. He opposes the proud. Who can stand against God? 

On the other hand God gives grace to the humble. Grace is His power and ability for life. When I can't do it God does it in and through me by grace. That only happens when I totally depend on Him and submit myself to His will, His way. 

How do you fight pride? How can we stay humble?