Have been thinking about the lack of true and deep humility in my own life so I went and listened to a John MacArthur sermon on the beatitude in Matthew: Blessed are the poor in spirit....
The classic Psalm on repentance and a humble spirit is found in Psalm 51, written by David after his tragic sin with Bathsheba. (It would do your spirit good to read this once a week in your devotions).
Particularly Psalm 51:17 "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise."
Look up "broken" and "contrite" in a dictionary and think about it for a while. Does this describe you and your attitude to God and others? I had to answer, "sometimes."
For further understanding see Isaiah 66:2 and Psalm 34;18.
MacArthur listed 7 test questions to tell you if you are humble. Here they are:
1. Are you weaned from obsession with your self--self love?
2. Are you lost in the wonders and beauty of Christ?
3. Do you never complain about your situation?
4. Do you see only the excellencies in others and weaknesses in yourself?
5. Do you spend much time in prayer?
6. Do you take Christ on His terms and not yours?
7. Are you constantly overwhelmed with gratitude to God?
This is not an exhaustive list, but it is certainly an informative one for your devotional time and time of self examination. Hope you will give it some time in prayer and quiet.
The classic Psalm on repentance and a humble spirit is found in Psalm 51, written by David after his tragic sin with Bathsheba. (It would do your spirit good to read this once a week in your devotions).
Particularly Psalm 51:17 "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise."
Look up "broken" and "contrite" in a dictionary and think about it for a while. Does this describe you and your attitude to God and others? I had to answer, "sometimes."
For further understanding see Isaiah 66:2 and Psalm 34;18.
MacArthur listed 7 test questions to tell you if you are humble. Here they are:
1. Are you weaned from obsession with your self--self love?
2. Are you lost in the wonders and beauty of Christ?
3. Do you never complain about your situation?
4. Do you see only the excellencies in others and weaknesses in yourself?
5. Do you spend much time in prayer?
6. Do you take Christ on His terms and not yours?
7. Are you constantly overwhelmed with gratitude to God?
This is not an exhaustive list, but it is certainly an informative one for your devotional time and time of self examination. Hope you will give it some time in prayer and quiet.
"Be still and know that I am God."
Hi Mike,
ReplyDeleteGood post on humility. I was reading something similar this morning in a heartlight devotional.
Matthew 20:26-28
...Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
When we have Jesus as our all, then it is easy to be humble and full of humility because we realize that it is Him we are serving and not man. When we work with the thought of winning souls for God and we realize just how Jesus served us and we realize what He gave up for us in order to break our bond to sin and crush the selfishness in us then then it is easy to be broken and contrite.
Thanks for sharing,
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