So here is my first blog post. I can not think of a better way to start the blog than to express a position of deep humility (a low estimate of my self importance). I, like the Apostle Paul, believe myself to be “…the least of [these]… but by the grace of God I am what I am [through Him]…” (1 Cor 15:9-11; Romans 11:36). So if there is any good in me, please credit my Lord, and the Holy Spirit present in my heart, and not my free will. If I show love, joy, hope, peace, mercy, compassion, righteousness, or any other good quality at all, please credit it all to my Lord and savior. On the counter end, if I show evil such as pride, arrogance, hate, revenge, deceit, slander, a sharp tongue, perverse thinking, or the like, credit it to my sinful “personal will” and fallen state as a man descended from Adam. For at my core, apart from Him, I am nothing, while He never changes and is ALWAYS perfection (Malachi 3:6; Matthew 5:48; Deuteronomy 32:4; Romans 3:23).
I pray that every human alive today will some day wholeheartedly believe the above to be true when viewing themselves vs. God (the benchmark). Yes, we humans were all “created in the image of God” (Genius 1:27) thank goodness, which gives us hope, but we are ALL fallen, and sick, and “death cursed” (Romans 5:12; Romans 3:23; Psalm 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; James 1:15). This puts us in desperate need of rescue from the Almighty (2 Corinthians 1:10; 2 Timothy 4:18). The greatest traps is perhaps using some other benchmark to compare “our degree of humbleness” to other than God. I believe Jesus via his teachings on the “the Beatitudes” found in Matthew 5:1-12 gave us a great set of behaviors closely related to humbleness and its inverse, “pride”, for which to follow as the benchmark.
The word “beatitude” means “happy blessings”. Jesus pronounced these attitudes to a large group gathered below him on a mountainside. The group included his disciples, many Jews, and many Gentiles, so it was a large and diverse group of people. I have inserted Matthew 5:1-12 “the Beatitudes” below for easy reference. We should all take a look at the critical adjectives used here and ask ourselves, “Am I ….”, poor in spirit (without pride), mournful (thoughtful of those in need or suffering), meek (quite and gentile), hungry for righteousness, merciful (providing relief in suffering), pure in heart (without deception), a peacemaker (enforcing peaceful mindsets), persecuted and insulted for my faith (not weakly committed or hidden).
| ——————————- Matthew 5:1-12 1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them. The Beatitudes He said:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.11 “Blessed are you when people insult you [the insulted], persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you [falsely accused] because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. ——————————- |
The Challenge:
- On a daily basis, would your friends and associates say that you practice a “prideful attitude” such as being disruptive, talking over the top of others, always considering yourself right and perhaps above others, looking down on the weak or meek, or would they say that you more often than not practice “the beatitudes”?
- If you carry yourself more often than not in a “prideful way” vs. “humble way”, what do you think is the root cause (note: using the 5 “Why’s technique is often helpful to getting to root cause)?