Reward for HumilitySpeaker: Dr. D.G.S. Dhinakaran Gist: Jesus humbled Himself on the cross so that He may receive honour from God Almighty. Truly, His name is exalted above all names in Heaven and on earth. God expects humility from our lives too, and that is our eligibility to succeed. The Scripture clearly reveals how Jesus, the Son of God, humbled Himself before His Heavenly Father till death and how His Father exalted Him. "Being in the form of God, He did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:6-11)
Dear friend, few people after accepting the Lord as their Saviour and Master of their lives, think low of others and talk ill of them. Such people lose the wonderful experience and the greatness of the Lord's presence. But the blessed Lord says,"I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." (Isaiah 57:15)
Jesus Christ tells us how the Pharisee and the tax collector lifted up their heart and prayed before the Lord (Luke 18:13,14). The Pharisee went to the temple and proclaimed himself self-righteous. "The tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'" (Luke 18:13). The prayer of the tax collector was heard and he went home justified.
Dear friend, analyze and ask yourself why your prayers are not heard? Why the link between you and God has snapped? Have you ever allowed pride in your thoughts? Have you ever forgot to humble yourself before God? Check out your life today; find out whether you are leading a humble life that is favourable before God.
Many write to me like this: "I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour. I received the anointing of the Holy Spirit long back. But now I have nothing to do with God. I am not able to read the Bible and pray as I used to do when I accepted Christ and received the Holy Spirit. My thoughts stray somewhere." The reason is the lack of the love that you had at the time of accepting Christ.
Once there was a man who was used mightily by the Lord. When he prayed, mighty and great miracles happened in the name of the Lord. As days went by, pride came into his heart. Gradually, he lost the power of God. In course of time, he became a slave to liquor. In the end, on a day when he was supposed to share the Word of God, he got fully drunk and killed himself. What a pity!
My dear friend, Is there pride in your life? When you think, "I can do anything. I alone have received the right salvation," and no longer humble yourself before the Lord and live by claiming His promise and commandments for the day by reading the Holy Bible, your link with Jesus is snapped completely. Come back to your Saviour. Humble yourself totally before Him now.
The Lord wishes to honour and exalt you. All He expects from you is to humble yourselves at His sight. When you humble yourselves completely before Jesus, He will fill the emptiness in your heart and life.
Jesus said, "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 14:11). When you humble yourself, the Lord exalts you. No evil can come near you. No problems, temptations, sorrow can touch you. Jesus will dwell within you forever and will be your shield and fortress to protect you.
"God gives grace to the humble." (Proverbs 3:34)
Prayer:
Loving Heavenly Father,
I submit myself at Your throne of grace as I remember that I am nothing but dust before Your sight. Give me a humble heart. Help me to remain humble till the end. Let me not gain Your anger by taking the fame and name that You alone deserve. I make this humble prayer in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
Amen. |