March 27, 2011 The Rarest Asset on Earth

[I didn't have a chance to post this on Sunday, but I wanted to share what I got yesterday anyway].

And the costliest!  It took the Israelites 40 years in the wilderness to get it!  What is that asset?  Humility!  How rare is it?  Just look around you.  I look into my own heart and life, and I'm not even sure it's there.  But one thing I do know, I've been through the wilderness (seems like 40 years anyway!), and now that it's time to enter the Promised Land. I'm hoping the wilderness experience did it's job, and I will be able to walk humble and not stumble.

"And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not." Deuteronomy 8:2

The blessings and requirements of the Promised Land demand the character of humility!  We won't be able to stand, much less bring glory to God, if we are in pride.  The Lord makes it clear that the temptations to pride will be great in our new territory.  Just think:  He has to remove seven mighty "nations" to make room for you!  He will be so big in you that He's going to have to take down a lot of the works of the devil that you encounter in your new land to make room for you and His work!  Seven - a completed number - He won't leave anything there to torment you if you will totally submit to Him and follow His directions!  This is good promise here!!  Grab it!  Hold on!

In Luke we get a great picture of Jesus honoring humility: Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Luke 7:44-48 NKJV

Worship Jesus in humility, and it's a sweet-smelling fragrance to Him and to others! 

One key to humility is remembering the works of God in your life - staying thankful for His grace, salvation and forgiveness.  One hindrance to humility is condemnation!  This might sound contradictory, but it's not.  Pharisees and other hypocrites join right in with the devil in seeing us in the sin of our present and past, and naming us with it.  This does not help us stay humble, it gets our eyes on our self and lies to us - so don't join it, rebuke it!  No matter what your past is, He's got a good plan for you.  When Jesus calls us "Forgiven" we are forgiven.  He called us that on the cross!  It's up to us to believe that, grab a hold of it, thank Him for it, and walk in the freedom from our sin that He bought for us. 

Humility in our heart will keep us in constant dependency on God, and impel us to remain current with our repentance.  We may be maturing in the Lord, but we still need forgiveness - and we still need our feet washed.  If Jesus could allow a woman with a "bad reputation" to wash His feet, we can certainly let Him wash ours!

Agreeing with God is the essence of true humility.  Agree with Him about His promises to make you great in the heavenly Kingdom.  Agree with Him about His lordship, your need for Him, and His "always rightness".

Walk humble, and you won't stumble.