True humility produces a humble mind, a pure heart and a posture that allows you to see others the way God sees them which in turn leads to to a holy life that displays perfection.
~GB
Hi friends and welcome back to another post.
Last week's post was the beginning of this week's post (Part 1). So I urge you to go back and read it if you haven't done so already. Today's post is a continuation and I pray and trust that the Holy Spirit will speak to you through this blog. Let's get right into unpacking today's truth from the Word.
James chapter 4 :10-12 simply states: "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?"
I have met and also heard from a lot of people who will quote this verse as if it is the verse of this chapter. They offer no other explanations or guide other than "God wants us to humble ourselves so He will lift us up".
While I do not disagree with that statement, I believe that there is a whole lot more to the verse that is being left out. I hope and pray you take some time this week to read James chapter 4.
In the start of James 4, James (the author) is asking a very personal and pointed question. He is asking where does the evil things that dwell within and come from within us (fighting, quarrelling, wars, lust...) come from?
Someone that's just trying to answer this question quickly might point to the general cause which is sin; but the more you delve into the question, the more you realize that the specific reason and answer to the above question is 'Pride'.
Pride is one of the first imperfections that took place since the beginning of time. While Genesis doesn't dwell on the time frame of Satan's fall from heaven and the creation of the world; we know that Satan had already fallen before the creation of man as he was in the Garden of Eden after Eve was created trying to stir up trouble by tempting Eve with the fruit.
Webster defines pride as "proud or disdainful behavior or treatment". An online Bible dictionary I found when studying for this post describes pride as an "individual who shifts ultimate confidence from God to self."
When the confidence from God gets shifted, so many negative things happen including the things listed in James 4:12. Last week, I mentioned how if only we learn to submit our tongues to the control of Christ, we will become perfect. This week, God is reminding us to submit to the humility of Christ and forsake pride, so that our words will be pure.
Purity isn't just an outward expression; it is an inward transformation that gets revealed outwardly. Purity doesn't need to be bragged about. In fact, purity contains humility.
The title image of this post is a rosemary herb. It is one of my favorite (and yes I put it in almost every savory dish I make). However, while it looks simple, its powerful fragrance inputs flavor into so many things. That's how I think of purity. It looks simple, yet is powerful to produce a lot of benefit including humility.
Imagine how different life would be if everyone you ever encountered was humble. Imagine how different your life would be as a child of Christ, if you always walked with humility. There would be no time to listen or participate in gossiping about others, because you will realize that a true Christian doesn't speak evil of others, about others, to others. There would be no time to judge others, because you would realize that even the people that live different from us are also created in the image of God. There would be no room to compare and berate others with different ethnicity, political or cultural beliefs because a humble mild takes on a posture that allows them to see the world the way God sees it.
Conclusion
The verse leading up to James 4:10 (verse 9) talks about drawing near to God so that He can draw near to us. Perfection is attainable! (I said that last week as well lol). But it comes at a price which is: a close relationship with God. A relationship that causes us to be cleansed from the ways of the world and to be purified by the Holy Spirit.
I'm sure most of us could list a lot of the benefits of humility. However, if I could sum it up in one sentence, I'd say: true humility produces a humble mind, a pure heart and a posture that allows you to see others the way God sees them which in turn leads to to a holy life that displays perfection.
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for the reminder about humility and the realization that even though none of us are perfect, we need to still strive for perfection. First, please help me to accept that it is attainable but only through your spirit. Next, please prune the ungodly things that are taking up space in my heart. Help me to draw near to you in full submission to your plan for my life. Help me to live a life of purity so that your light can shine through me in this world. In Jesus name, Amen.
Stay Blessed
❤
Image credit: Unsplash
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