The Face of Humility

Today a lady came by my office seeking help.

She’d been sent by another church who knew we have a homeless ministry.

It seems she and her 37-year-old son had been evicted from their apartment following some sad events concerning a questionable landlord.

I apologized as I explained we had no funds available and would not be able to help.

In a trembling voice, she said it was ok; she understood.

Tears fell down her face when I offered to pray for her.

As I prayed I remembered we had a few gift cards to a local restaurant and offered them to her, asking if she was hungry.

Her humble reply, “Well, we haven’t eaten in about 3 days, but that’s okay.” Her humble and gentle demeanor made it clear she really was in need.

I gave her the cards and rounded up a few cans of soup from the storage area.

She was so thankful, repeatedly telling me she appreciated it and thanking me for my kindness.

Feeling bad that I couldn’t do more for her, I gave her the number to a local Christian homeless shelter and apologized again that we couldn’t help.

She looked me straight in the eye, smiled, and said,

“That’s okay. God gave me

what I deserved today and it’s plenty.

We’ll be just fine.”

She left my office smiling.

Plenty? A gift certificate and a few cans of soup and she thinks it’s plenty? She and her disabled son are homeless and she thinks that’s plenty? What a testament to her faith!

Later, I sat at my desk and thought about how kind, gentle, and sweet she was. I kept thinking about what a bad spot she was in through no fault of her own. How humbly she’d accepted my small offerings with great appreciation and gratitude.

It dawned on me – I’m the one who should be thanking her.

She reminded me of the importance of a humble attitude of gratitude.

I might be the one sitting in this office assigned with the task of showing God’s love, but this lady showed me what true humility and love for the Savior really looks like.

So, thank you, Ms. Kathy.

It was an honor and a privilege to meet you!

Your witness is truly an inspiration for us all!

 

 

(this post was originally published on my previous blog, the link to which is no longer available)

 

 

 

 

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How to Study Your Bible

Regular Bible Study is an important part of being a Christian. (read why here)

If it’s not something you are familiar with it can be a bit intimidating. The bible is a big book and it may be confusing as to where to start.

(Tip: The bible is divided into two parts: The Old Testament and the New Testament. Each of these is a collection of books combined together. When I say book in this post I am talking about one of these books, not the entire bible.)

When it comes to reading it, don’t be afraid. Just jump in there and try, even if you are uncomfortable or nervous. Once you get started you might see it’s not as hard as you thought it would be!

 

Here are some steps to follow to help get you started reading:

 

Give yourself grace.

You cannot sit and read all of it at once.

You typically can’t even read a whole book, unless it’s one of the really short ones like Jude or 3rd John.

That’s okay, it’s not a race.

It’s an investment in your life, your faith walk, and God’s kingdom.

So take a deep breath and relax.

It’s not a race!

 

Start by finding a quiet spot and uninterrupted few minutes.

This might mean you have to get up a few minutes early. You could also use your lunch break at work, or time alone in the evening when the day has calmed down.

Continue reading

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Conviction vs. Condemnation

There are two very similar things we experience concerning mistakes we make and sins we commit.

One is conviction, the other is condemnation.

I’m not talking about the condemnation we are under if we are not Christians. (You can read more about that condemnation here.)

I’m talking about what we feel concerning our sins and our regrets towards those sins.

Condemnation and conviction both speak to us about our sins but they come from two very different places.

Condemnation says what we did is bad, we’re no good, God might not even love us anymore.

Condemnation brings up past mistakes and sins as a way of trying to falsely prove we are of low worth.

It is demoralizing, discouraging, and deters us from trying.

It encourages us to give up.

These thoughts and ideas are from the enemy and/or our lack of understanding of who we are in Christ.

Conviction, on the other hand, says what we did was wrong and we need to apologize to God. We need to make things right.

It is correcting, revealing the truth of our errors and ways. It seeks to reconcile us to God.

Conviction is from God by way of the Holy Spirit speaking to us and pointing out our sins so we can repent and restore our relationship with God to its proper place.

A wise friend once told me,

“Condemnation makes you want to run FROM God, while conviction makes you want to run TO God.”

Wise words, indeed.

The whole point of condemnation is to get our eyes off Christ and what He did for us and on to our own insufficiency.

Don’t fall for this trick of the enemy.

Instead, when condemnation comes, remember, as a Christian we are no longer condemned.

Yes, we made a bad choice. Yes, we sinned.

But – it’s not the end of the world. We haven’t lost our chances with God. He hasn’t, and won’t, turn His back on us.

Instead of giving in to the condemnation and the tailspin of chaos it creates, we can go straight to God in prayer.

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)

We can tell Him what we are feeling. Ask Him to help us navigate it.

We can repent of our sin.

(Repent – to agree with God that He is right, that what we did was wrong, apologize, and commit to not doing it again.)

After repenting, it’s important to let go of it and refuse to go back to it. Once it’s dealt with, it’s dealt with. There’s no reason to revisit it.

Once we have repented, we are restored in our relationship with God. We can move on, being careful not to repeat the same sin.

Condemnation may want to take us back to the scene of the crime. We can’t let it. There’s no value in it.

Instead, rest in the knowledge that God’s grace is sufficient, walking in the assurance that now that the sin has been dealt with we can confidently move forward in our relationship with God.

 

Is there something you are feeling condemnation or conviction over? Will you take it to God in prayer?

 

 

For further reading

Romans 8:1 –There is now no condemnation...

Philippians 3:13-14 Forgetting what is behind and pressing on...

My post on being Condemned.

 

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Condemned

One of the things I often hear people say about why they have not or cannot become a Christian is that they think they have done things that are so bad that God would never accept them.

They think they are condemned by what they have done.

And they are partially correct.

We are condemned because of our many sins.

God is perfect and Holy. He cannot tolerate sin anywhere near Him.

Because of our sins we are separated from God and cannot reconcile ourselves to Him.

Understand, though, it’s not just those who have done terrible things.

All of us have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. ~Romans 3:23 (NIV)

All of us.

This does not mean there is no hope for us or that we are no longer eligible to have a relationship with God.

Jesus came to earth, died on the cross, was buried in a tomb, raised from the dead, and ascended into heaven.

He did this to pay for our sins and reconcile us to God!

This payment makes atonement and releases us from condemnation.

It redeems and rescues us.

In order to receive this reconciliation and rescue we must do something in return.

We must accept this free gift as something done personally for us.

Scripture tells us how we must do it:

9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. ~Romans 10:9-10 (NIV)

The truth is there is nothing you have done that is too big to be forgiven. NO MATTER WHAT IT IS!

Jesus is a really big Savior and He can redeem us from absolutely anything.

When He died on the cross to pay our sin debt He did not put a limit on the size, number, or sort of sins He would cover. He covered them all. He did it completely and willingly.

So, no matter what it is you have done it is not too big nor too bad for God to forgive through the blood of Christ that was shed on that cross at Calvary.

Once you have trusted Christ to be your Savior, you are completely redeemed and completely free from the guilt of your past sins.

No questions asked.

No exceptions.

You are redeemed, rescued, reconciled.

You are free!

So, whatever it is you are feeling condemned for, why don’t you trust Christ to take away all your sins and reconcile you to God so you can start life anew without the burden of old sins hanging over you?

 

For further reading

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, (Jesus) that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”(NIV)

Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”(NIV)

My post on Conviction vs. Condemnation

 

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How to Give Thanks

I recently wrote about the need to give thanks in all circumstances (read that post here).

We saw from 1 Thessalonians 5:18 how we are to give thanks in all situations, whether good or bad, big or small.

The question, then, is:

“What does it mean to give thanks, and how do you do it?”

To give thanks means just what it says, to say thank you from a feeling of appreciation for what someone has done.

When we tell God thank you, it’s our way of letting Him know we see and appreciate Him and how He is working in our lives.

We are to be thankful for His sacrifice of Jesus, for the salvation it offers, and that this gift has provided a way for us to be rescued from ourselves and our sins.

We are to:

“give thanks to God because He is good and His love endures forever.” Psalm 107:1 (NIV)

Not only is the above verse true, it’s so important that it or a verse very similar to it is repeated in the Scriptures several times!

If you’re not sure how to go about doing it, you can follow these steps to say thank you to God:

1-Humble your heart and realize that God does deserve to be thanked for what He has done, is doing, and will do.

2-From the deepest part of you, look to God and at what He has done for you personally.

3-Pick one thing and say something along the lines of, “God, thank you for _____,” and tell Him what it is you are thankful for. You can do it silently or out loud, whichever you are more comfortable with.

It’s that simple.

If you don’t know what to start with, try thanking Him for any one of these:

You have a job, a place to stay, a vehicle, a meal to eat today, a sibling you are close to, $3 in your pocket. You saw a bird outside, it rained, it didn’t rain, the clouds are out, the sun is out, you have a pair of shoes to wear, you have water to bathe in at home. You got to go to lunch with a friend, you got to visit with your grandparent, you went on a trip, you got to stay home and rest.

You get the idea.

Don’t worry if you aren’t good at it. Don’t worry if it feels odd.

Just pick something and try it. The more you do it, the easier it will become.

The more you do this, the more you will begin to see just how much He is working in your life and all around you.

You might even consider keeping a journal of the things you are thankful for. This will give you a chance to look back at the good things going on in your life so that when you are down you can be reminded of just how faithful and generous God really is.

The important thing is to daily tell God how thankful you are and how much you appreciate Him.

So, tell me, what are you thankful for today?

 

For further reading
1 Thessalonians 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances
Psalm 107:1 Give thanks to the Lord
Psalm 136:1 Give thanks to the Lord
Psalm 136:3 Give thanks to the Lord

 

 

Category: God, Prayer, Scripture Study | LEAVE A COMMENT