Truth and Right Living

Following Jesus is more than having correct doctrine about God. Having knowledge of God is not the same thing as having a relationship with Him. A person can know the Bible, but be far away from God.

I don't want to make Bible study seem unimportant. Study is a very essential discipline in the process of spiritual formation. It is crucial that we have an accurate understanding of what the Bible says. Reading and studying the Bible is the main way God guides our lives. Therefore, correct doctrine is very important, and correct doctrine begins with the Bible.

The Apostle Paul wrote this to Timothy; Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers (1 Timothy 4:16; ESV).

What we believe about God matters! Remember, it doesn't matter how sincerely we believe something, if that belief is not true, then what we believe is wrong. Our believing something sincerely doesn't make that something true. The Truth that Christians believe must be rooted in Scripture. The Bible reveals to us the truth we need for life. Part of Christianity is about knowing the Truth.

Yet, we know following Jesus is more than just knowing Truth. We have all witnessed people who knew God's Word, but lived as if it wasn't Truth. Truth without appropriate action makes no difference in our lives. Think back to what the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 4:16. He told us that there are two areas of our lives that we need to watch closely: what we believe and how we live.

The problem many church families in the United States are facing are people who have access to the Truth, but choose to ignore that truth so they can do their own thing. These people claim Christ, but they pick and choose what they want to believe so they can live life on their own terms. They are neither watching their doctrine or their lives closely.

This damages the witness of the Church because the World looks at “Christians” and see them living like everyone else. The World doesn't see the love, the gentleness, the peace, the hope, the forgiveness, or the self-control that should be visible in the life of Christians. Instead the World sees hypocrisy, jealousy, bitterness, hatred, greed, and the list could go on and on. In the end the World looks at the Church and sees a reflection of itself.

See more at Paul's Ponderings: Knowing Truth and Living Right

 

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Daily Thought: Past Sin and Present Good

There is nothing which so frustrates good resolutions and paralyzes noble efforts as the dead weight of past sins...What is it that mocks the generous thought rising in our minds, that silences the noble word on our lips, that paralyzes the forming energy of our actions? Is it not the internal whisper, Remember how you have failed before? This is the curse of past sin: it will not let us do the good we would.

Stalker, James (2011-03-30). The Trial and Death of Jesus Christ: A Devotional History of our Lord's Passion (p. 49).  . Kindle Edition.

Daily Thought: Integrity is Moral Courage

"In Jesus' three years of ministry, His environment grew in hostility and every decision of integrity increased its volatility.  That Jesus walked in integrity at all times, even when it cost Him His life, was the ultimate proof of who He was.  When we are defined by integrity, we respond with moral courage.  Courage is the ultimate expression of integrity.  Integrity gives us the courage to walk in truth even when it means walking straight into the mouth of the dragon.

"Solomon tells us that the wicked flee when no one pursues; but the righteous are as bold as a lion (Prov. 28:1).  When we lack integrity, we live in fear.  While that fear may manifest itself in many ways, it is fundamentally the fear of getting caught, of someone knowing who we really are.  When we walk in righteousness and love what is right, when we live lives of integrity, we have nothing to fear at all."

Erwin McManus, Uprising, Thomas Nelson (2003), pp. 72-73

Daily Thought: Over the Horizon

"I think all Christians would agree with me if I said that though Christianity seems at the first to be all about morality, all about duties and rules and guilt and virtue, yet it leads you on, out of all that, into something beyond.  One has a glimpse of a country where they do not talk of those things, except perhaps as a joke.  Every one there is filled full with what we should call goodness as a mirror is filled with light.  But they do not call it goodness.  They do not call it anything.  They are not thinking of it.  They are too busy looking at the source from which it comes.  But this is near the stage where the road passes over the rim of our world.  No one's eyes can see very far beyond that." ~ C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

To Live a Righteous Life

{James 1:19-21; ESV}

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 

James wants followers of Jesus to live righteous lives.  This doesn’t mean that we will be perfect, after all we still live in the flesh, but it does mean that the direction of our lives will be towards righteousness rather than sin.  The way we live should provide evidence of whether or not we are pursuing righteousness.

If we are going to pursue righteousness then we have to be quick to hear.  We will not discover the pathway of righteousness on our own, we need to be shown the way.  In order to pursue righteousness we have to submit our lives to the teachings of God’s Word.  If we are not listening to teachers and preachers then we will never live the righteous lives God desires us to live.

Not only do we have to be quick to hear but we also have to be slow to speak.  Too often we want to get our two cents in and share our opinion, and as a result we miss the truth that is being taught.  If we are going to listen it requires us to intentionally focus on what is being said, rather than formulating in our mind our response.

Righteousness also requires that we are to be slow to anger.  This one seems out of place, until you think about a couple of ways we avoid dealing with the sin in our lives.  The first way is to show anger at the world for the way they are living.  I have been in enough Sunday School classes and Small Groups to know that one way people avoid dealing with the truth is to talk about how evil people are and the way our country is falling apart, and some even get pretty worked up about it, but they don’t deal with how God’s truth applies to their lives.  

Sometimes we move in the opposite direction and get so angry with ourselves for not having the strength to resist temptation and sin.  The result is that you soon believe that trying to overcome sin is a worthless cause and you give up.  This is what I have done, and it led me to almost walking away from Jesus, and it is what I have to constantly guard myself against today.  Angry doesn’t produce righteousness, so there is no point in getting angry with yourself.

If we are going to live righteous lives we need to put away filthiness and wickedness.  This requires two actions.  First, it requires that we get rid of those things and people that lead us into sin.  Two years ago I reduced the size of DVD collection (which is very tame compared to collections other Christians have), and the criteria that I used was what my first thought was when I picked up the movie.  If it was an implied sex scene (I didn’t have anything that was more than implied) or a woman in a scantily clad outfit I threw it out.  We have to be strong enough to admit that there are some things we just can’t handle, and we need to put up defenses to protect our minds and hearts from those things.

We also have to identity areas of sin in our lives and start taking steps to get rid of that sin.  Simple things we can do in this process is to pray (something that has helped me in this regard is to lay down “my right” to sin at that feet of Jesus), find accountability partners, establish goals, and find professional help.  God is not going to take away our ability to sin, and therefore it is something that we must choose to do.  It is an act of faith to take steps to eliminate sin from our lives.

Finally, we need to receive with meekness God’s word.  We can’t rely on our own understanding and cleverness in the battle with sin.  We need to rely on God’s word, and the requires us to apply it to our lives.  Instead of just believing the Bible, we have to apply it to our lives.  This takes work.  Change doesn’t happen just because we hear something and accept the truth of it.  Change happens because we apply that truth to our lives.  The key here, according to James, is that we are to be humble.  If we are proud or think we can figure things out on our own then we will miss out on the wisdom found in the Bible.  The meek person understands that he/she doesn’t have what it takes to be righteous and that they need help and guidance.

We are called to live righteous lives.  The problem is that we can’t live righteous lives on our own we need help.  That help comes from God.  He makes it possible for us to righteous through Christ Jesus.  Righteous living is the result of following Jesus.  He is our guide on the pathway of righteousness.

Righteousness Begins in the Heart

Jesus called Satan a thief who intends to steal life from us (John 10:10).  One of the ways Satan robs us of life is to get us to believe lies about ourselves.  These lies can prevent us from taking steps to change our lives, can hold us down with oppressive guilt, and can hold us back from developing relationships with other people.  It is hard to step out in faith when you believe that you don’t have what it takes or that you are a failure in some way.

This is clearly seen when we decide to attack the sin that continues to be part of our lives.  Too often the followers of Jesus label ourselves moral failures when we are unable to achieve victory over the sin that plagues our lives.

You may have tried to stop gossiping, but every now and then you can’t resist the temptation to pass along a particular juicy bit of information. Perhaps you have been trying to quit telling “dirty” jokes, but when you get together with the guys you can’t seem to pass up the opportunity to join in.  Then there are the things that you do when no one else is around, from what you look at on the internet to the movies that you watch.   All followers of Jesus have sin that seems to stick with them no matter what they do.

That is what I want to encourage all of us today. Yes, God wants us to overcome the sin in our lives. Sin hinders our relationship with Him and is a stumbling block as we try to reach out to others with the grace of God.

I believe that God is more interested in the desires of our hearts than our sinlessness. God is pleased when we enter the battle against sin and start to take action against those behaviors that have held us in bondage for so long.  Through the struggle we have with sin God shapes us into the people He wants us to be. 

Please remember have that every sin you commit doesn’t make you a moral failure.  As long as we live in these bodies of flesh in a world that is dominated by evil (things opposed to the life God wants us to live) we are going to sin. We need to remember the amazing grace of God, for without the safety net of grace every sin would result in our destruction. Not only is God patient with us but it is also only by His power that ultimate victory from sin can be achieved. We cannot undo the sin we have committed so our only hope is to be saved from sin, that is what God has done through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The habits that have been ingrained in our lives have often taken years to form, and we cannot expect to overcome those sins overnight. We are going to win and lose battles as we fight the war of righteousness. It is an act of faith and it pleases God when we engage the enemy and begin the long campaign to rid our lives of sin in order to develop the holy character God wants us to have.

The writer of Hebrews wrote about this truth:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
 
Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. (Hebrews 12:1-4; ESV)

These witnesses to the life of faith all struggled with the sin in their lives. The great icons of faith in the Old Testament (Abraham, Moses, and David) all had periods of life when they disobeyed God and sinned, but God still counted them as righteous. Why? Because their hearts belonged to Him and they were willing to follow God wherever He led them.

What matters most to God are our hearts. We can beat ourselves up because we still have sin in our lives, but God is pleased when we faithfully follow Him. I am not saying sin is not important, what I am saying is that when our hearts belong to God then sin becomes insignificant. Sin is insignificant because we are willing to do whatever it takes to live our lives according to God’s will. That means we will repent and we will take steps to keep ourselves from falling into the same traps again. To have a heart that belongs to God means that we will fight against the sin we have in our lives.

Satan will attack us and try to get us to doubt our salvation by reminding us of the sin we cannot seem to overcome. He wants us to get frustrated and give up. Remember as long as we are in conflict with sin then God is pleased, because He knows our hearts belong to Him.

Knowing Truth and Living Right

Following Jesus is more than having the correct doctrine or truth about God. Having knowledge of God is not the same thing as having a relationship with Him. A person can know the Bible, but be far away from God.

I don't want to make Bible study seem unimportant, because study is a very essential discipline we need in our lives if we are going to follow Jesus. It is crucial that we have an accurate understanding of what the Bible says. Reading and studying the Bible is the main way God guides our lives. Therefore, correct doctrine is very important, and correct doctrine only comes through the Bible. The Apostle Paul wrote this to Timothy; Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers (1 Timothy 4:16; NIV).

What we believe about God matters! Remember, it doesn't matter how sincerely we believe something, if it is wrong, then what we believe is wrong. Our believing something doesn't make that something true. That is the reason why it is important that we study the Bible so we understand who God is and the will He has for our lives. The Bible reveals to us truth so we can know what to believe and how to act. Part of Christianity is about knowing the Truth.

Yet, we know that there is something more than just knowing Truth. We have all witnessed people who knew God's Word, but lived as if it wasn't Truth. Truth without action makes no difference in our lives. Think back to what the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 4:16. He told us that there are two areas of our lives that we need to watch closely: what we believe and how we live.

The problem the Church is facing in the United States are people who have access to the Truth, but choose to ignore so they can do their own thing. These people claim Christ, but pick and choose what they want to believe so they can live life on their own terms. They are neither watching their doctrine or their lives closely.

This damages the witness of the Church because the World looks at "Christians" and see them living like everyone else. The World doesn't see the love, the gentleness, the peace, the hope, the forgiveness, or the self-control that should be visible in the life of Christians. Instead the World sees hypocrisy, jealousy, bitterness, hatred, greed, and the list could go on and on. The bottom line is that the World looks at the Church and sees a reflection of itself.

The way people discover the relevance of Christianity in their lives is to see it lived out in the lives of Christians. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord in your life. And if you are asked about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it (1 Peter 3:15; NLT). Peter reminds us that people are watching the way we live. It is through the way we live people discover the relevance following Christ Jesus brings to their lives.

So how do we change this trend? I think it begins with us. We have to examine how we live and ask, "Does my life truly reflect the Truth I know about Jesus?" In other words we have to set the example. The next thing I think we need is to have Church Families that clearly explain what a disciple of Christ is and the expectations that Church Family has for members. For too long people have left on their own to develop their spiritual lives, it is time the local Church took seriously the task of disciplining people, and I believe that task starts with laying out the expectations.

Christ Jesus told His followers to be salt and light, two elements that make their presence known and produce change, in this world. The way we make an impact like salt or light is by knowing truth and living right. The two go together.

We Need to Change

{Titus 2:11-14; ESV}

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

As I examine my life I have this sense that I am not who I am supposed to be. It feels like I am missing out on the life that God created me to live. One reason for this feeling is the reality that I am unwilling to change my behavior. I get use to what is comfortable, even though it holds me back from the life God wants me to live, and become unwilling to move outside of that comfort zone. When I am honest with myself I admit that it is easier to settle for this life I have right now than it is to face the hard work and uncertainty of change.

The problem is that following Christ Jesus requires change. We cannot stay where we are and go with Jesus. Following Jesus requires change in our attitudes, behaviors, passions, desires, dreams, relationships, and priorities. The process of following Christ will change us.

The apostle Paul told Titus that the grace of God provides us with what we need in order to change. Not just to make superficial changes, such as changes in diet and exercise, but true and everlasting change. It is hard to change, and we need to be reminded that God, through Christ, has provided us with what we need to become the people that He created us to be.

This true change first requires us to say no. Paul writes that God’s grace trains us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions. We cannot change if we insist on holding on to the old. God’s grace: the Bible, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, shows us that there is something better than the life we are currently living. This is key because we will not let go of the comfortable and familiar if we don’t know what awaits us is better. The starting place of change is turning our backs on our current circumstances and turning towards what God has promised.

This true change also requires us to replace our sinful behaviors with righteous actions. The Apostle tells us that our lives need to be described as self-controlled, upright, and godly. In other words our lives need to be positively different from the world around us. If we do part one without doing part two, we will discover a life of guilt because we are living a way which we know is wrong. Understanding what is wrong is just the first step, we then need to move on and fix the problems.

Change is what following Jesus is all about. If we are not changing, if we are not adjusting our lives in the light of God’s Truth, then we are not really following Jesus. Ultimately following Jesus isn’t about living the life God created us to live, but it is about honoring Jesus. We honor Jesus by changing the way we live. When we refuse to align our lives with God’s Word we disrespect Jesus, who we claim to be Lord of our lives. Our obedience always brings honor to the Lord, regardless of what happens to us. Remember, Jesus gave Himself for us, we should be able to give ourselves for Him.

• Point to Ponder: We honor Jesus by changing the way we live.
• Passage to Remember: Titus 2:11-14
• Prayer to Pray: Father in Heaven, thank You for giving me the opportunity to know Your grace and allow that grace to change my life. I want to honor Jesus with my life, and so I ask for wisdom to know what to change, understanding on how to change, and the strength to change.

Choices and Freedom

There are certain choices that we can make that will either help us live a life of freedom, or will take freedom from us. For example if you decided to murder someone, that choice will rob you of freedom. Even if you got away with it, and didn’t have to spend the rest of your life behind bars, the guilt of the deed and the constant fear of being caught would hamper your ability to enjoy being on the outside of those prison bars.

Our choices have consequences and those choices will either help or hinder our freedom. The choice of using credit to furnish a lifestyle way above your means will mean that you will be enslaved to credits. Because your money is going to pay interest, you will not be able to afford to do other things, without going deeper in debt. Your freedom is hindered by the choice that you made.

The choices we make will either bring us greater levels of freedom or restrict our freedom. There are many choices that we can freely make that will end up taking our freedom away. Our freedom and our choices are eternally connected. Erwin McManus wrote:

“Not all free acts lead to freedom. The choices you freely make may cost you a life of genuine freedom. This is why the Bible talks about the human experience in terms of being slaves to sin. Sin creates the illusion of freedom; it fools us into seeking freedom from God rather than finding freedom in God.

“Whatever else Jesus came to do, one thing is clear—He came to set you free. God is not a warden; He is a deliverer. And so earnest is He about your freedom that He was willing to be taken captive and crucified on your behalf just so you can run free.” (Stand Against the Wind; p. 14)

If we are going to be free we have to make those choices that bring and enhance the freedom in our lives. That means we are looking towards the future and not just at the moment. That means we realize that our choices have consequences, and that a life lived apart from Jesus Christ is a life that is devoid of freedom.

We can choose to follow Jesus and discover freedom, or we can choose to sin and discover slavery. This is what the apostle Paul wrote in Romans:

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Absolutely not! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or obedience resulting in righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves to sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching you were entrusted to, 18 and having been freed from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness. 19 (I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh.) For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness. (Romans 6:15-20; NET)

The follower of Jesus is free because he/she has given themselves over to the way really live life. It is the right way to live. A person who is righteous is like a jazz improviser. He/she has learned the chords and studied the music that they understand where the music is going. When they go off on their own they stay true to the music. The jazz improviser has freedom to improvise because he/she has been a slave to the music.

The person who is a slave of righteousness is able to live with freedom because they have come to understand what life is about and where life is heading. With those things in mind a great many things in life opens up to them, but those things are only possible because first they choose to do what was right.

• Point to Ponder: Our choices and freedoms are eternally connected.
• Passage to Remember: Romans 6:15-20
• Question to Consider: Who is your master?

Sunday Quote: Why Are There Good?

"Some wonder why so many are so evil. In the face of such rampant wickedness, perhaps we should ask how any turn out to be good! The answer is that God has placed the broad principles of His law in every human heart (Romans 2:15). The good moral man responds to the law in his heart, even though he may not know God." ~ Gary Carpenter, What the Bible Says about the Heart, p. 35

Needing God's Grace

"The truth is, we all mess up our lives, some in ugly ways, some in tidy ways, and God provides a way out for all of us." ~ William Pile; What the Bible Says About Grace

I am not perfect. This may come as a shock to you, but I struggle with temptation and sin in my life. When I take time to think about my sin I become so angry. I desperately want to do better, but I constantly do things that get in the way of my relationship with God. I just don't have the strength or the self-control to overcome the evil that is in my life.

At times like these it is so wonderful to remember God's amazing grace. God is not up in Heaven waiting for us to sin so He can punish us. God sits on His throne with so much love for us, wanting us to have the wonderful life He created us to have. He weeps for us because He knows the consequences of our sins take us far away from the life we are to enjoy. The consequences of our sin make our lives hard and painful.

Grace is God's way of saying, "I love you even though you have hurt Me." Sin is always first and foremost against God, and it always damages the relationship we are intended to have with Him.

The consequences of our sin have us bound and we do not have the strength to break free. God comes to us and offers us the key to escape the power of sin. The key comes in the form of Jesus Christ. Through His death and resurrection the penalty of our sin is dealt with. Without Jesus the wages of our sin is death, but with Jesus our sins are removed and we can stand before God with confidence.

In addition to Jesus we have the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. While Jesus takes care of the penalty of our sin, the Holy Spirit gives us the strength and guidance we need to overcome the everyday sin we have in our lives. With the Holy Spirit's help we are able to overcome the problems sin puts in our relationship with God, and helps us to pursue the life we were created to have.

For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with self-control, right conduct, and devotion to God, while we look forward to that wonderful event when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing what is right. ~ Titus 2:11-14; NLT

The reason we can look forward to the wonderful event of Jesus' return isn't because of the righteous life we have lived, but because of God's grace seen in Jesus' sacrifice and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Our righteousness has little to do with our behavior and everything to do with God's gift.

To Be Humble

I am not a good person. In my life I have lied, stolen, gossiped, cursed, broken the law, disobeyed my parents, had lustful thoughts, hated, hurt people, and the list could go on. The wicked and evil that I have done in my life as well as the evil that has dwelt in my heart means that I am not a good person. Though I try to rationalize it and convince myself that everyone makes mistakes and that no one is perfect, it still doesn’t undo the sin that is in my life. I may seem good next Hitler or the murderer on death row, but the reality is that I am not good. Goodness is something that I have been unable to achieve since the very first time I sinned.

David in Psalm 14:3 wrote; Everyone rejects God; they are all morally corrupt. None of them does what is right, not even one! (NET) There maybe parts of us that are good. We may have done a lot of good in our lives, but that goodness doesn’t make up for the fact that we are sinful and under the penalty of that sin. It is impossible for us to become good once evil has entered our lives through sin.

The reality is that I am not good, but I am being made good. Let me attempt to explain. I am not good and there is no action that I can do that will make me good. Thanks to the wonderful grace of God becoming good doesn’t rest on my actions, but on what Jesus has done for me. I am righteous, not because I have kept the Law and have a pure heart, but because I have trusted in Jesus.The apostle Paul wrote:

21 So is the law in conflict with the promises of God? Of course not! For if a law had been given that could give us life, then certainly righteousness would come through the law. 22 But the Scripture has put everything under the power of sin, so that what was promised by the faithfulness of Christ might be given to those who believe. (Galatians 3:21-22; ISV)

I didn’t achieve the righteous standard that I have because I am such a good guy, but because Jesus gave it to me.

Here is the point I want to make: The reason that I should be humble about my position, the reason why I shouldn’t gloat about my righteousness is the knowledge that except for the grace of God I to am not righteous. I shouldn’t look down on people for not living up to my standard of morality, because I don’t even live up to that standard, let alone to God’s ultimate standard. Humility is the result of remembering our position in God’s Kingdom: it is a gift rather than something I have earned.

I think that it is important for Christians to remember this. It is not by following the Law that made us righteous in God’s sight, but it was our faith in Jesus Christ. What the world needs is not more law that they can’t keep but hope of a better Way to live. They need Jesus.

In Philippians the apostle Paul reminds us that one reason we should be humble is because Jesus was humble:

3 Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. 4 Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well. 5 You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had, 6 who though he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature. 8 He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death - even death on a cross! 9 As a result God exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow - in heaven and on earth and under the earth - 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:3-11; NET)

The key here is humility. One way for us to be humble is by remembering where we came from and why things are now different. We were sinners until we trusted in Jesus Christ. By following Jesus the course of our lives was changed. A second reason that should help bring humility into our lives is to remember the humility Jesus demonstrated by leaving heaven and becoming a man. Since Jesus left heaven and came to earth to serve sinners I should be able to serve the people around me. Humility is essential if we are going to take the love of God to a dying world who desperately needs it.

• Point to Ponder: The reason that I should be humble about my position, the reason why I shouldn’t gloat about my righteousness is the knowledge that except for the grace of God I to am not righteous.
• Passage to Remember: Philippians 2:3-11
• Question to Consider: Do you struggle with a superior attitude?