Tag Archives: Humility

To the Point Tuesday: Are You Really…. ?

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Our delve into Ephesians has already challenged us:

  • to realize that we are chosen by the Father as beloved children!
  • to understand that when we acknowledge His plan for our lives, we become citizens of His Kingdom!
  • to grow in our relationship with Him to better understand that He loves us deeply and unconditionally!

How amazing are these Truths!?! They are a necessary foundation to what the Holy Spirit addresses through Paul in Ephesians 4. This leads me to the question: Are you really… ?

Are you really living a life worthy of the calling you’ve received?

“I plead with you to walk holy, in a way that is suitable to your high rank, given to you in your divine calling” (Ephesians 4:2 TPT).  In other words, are you living your life in a way that clearly indicates who you are (a follower of Jesus) and Whose you are (a child of the King of kings)?

This verse makes me think of the movie Princess Diaries1 in which a girl-next-door finds out she was actually born a princess. The story line follows her as she abandons her commoner mentality in favor of royal thinking and behavior. Ultimately, she learns to walk in the “royal calling” she has inherited while still maintaining her uniqueness and personality.

As followers of Jesus this is what we must do! We need to “grow up” in the faith, walking as royalty with a divine calling, living out the love of Jesus in our every day lives. Notice that Paul focuses more on character–be humble, gentle, patient, and loving with one another– than on doctrine here. Why do you think that is? It’s not that understanding the truth of God’s Word isn’t important; but rather that our character (and maturity) is foundational in how we live out our divine calling!

The antithesis of being mature can be inferred throughout Ephesians 4: being proud, impatient, dishonest, opinionated, unbending, apathetic, divisive, greedy, self-righteous, and a careless talker. Oh my!

Wait, by accepting the offer to become royalty (children of the King) we are expected to act like royalty?

Absolutely! You and I are royalty! More than that, we are ambassadors, carrying the Kingdom of Heaven inside of us. Ambassadors officially represent the character, priorities, and opinions of our King (truly dying to ourselves3). The only way we can represent Him well is to spend time with Him and His Word, growing in maturity as followers of Jesus.

I appreciate that Paul reminds us that we are not alone in our journey to mature! We are recipients of supernatural grace in Jesus and part of the body of Christ designed with giftings to build one another up in unity and faith! He goes on to outline what being a mature believer looks like in verses 15-32. Take some time to dig in and hash it out. Be willing to look harder at yourself (the beam in your own eye) rather than looking at the faults (or specks in the eyes) of others (Matthew 7:3). Hint: that is one mark of maturity!

One resource that I’ve used to build my understanding of Ephesians 4 is a teaching by Jennifer Toledo called Mature.2 Grab a notebook, a pen, and a humble heart and I know you’ll glean challenging truths that will take you deeper in your royal walk with the King.

So, again I ask, “Are you… am I… really living a life that represents our high rank and divine calling?” Let’s be willing to grow together in maturity so that we can be trustworthy, anointed, loving ambassadors for the Kingdom of God!

Live Loved,

1Princess Diaries: https://youtu.be/G3jzLo31DTk

2Toledo, Jennifer. 2021. “Mature” Expression 54 Church. https://youtu.be/GTOutgUX34s

3Luke 9:23, Galatians 2:20, 5:24

To The Point Tuesday: Can’t We All Just Get Along?

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Relationships… they can be a tremendous blessing or a massive challenge. Sometimes, they are both!

This Sunday, my pastor taught on “How to Get Along with People1.” He focused on three fundamental components needed to get along with others within our homes, workplaces, and even long distance: Respect, Humility, and Communication.

This three components are not mutually exclusive. You cannot have respect without authentic humility; you cannot have open communication without respect; and humility is required for true communication! As I processed the teaching and Scriptures2 we focused on, I was challenged to examine various relationships and to be purposeful about making some adjustments! Here are a few of the thoughts that rose in my spirit…

Relationship is the heartbeat of the Father, not just our relationship with Him, but also our relationships with others.

I find that I’m not that different than most Americans, when we communicate with others, we are comfortable declaring our thoughts and opinions to all who will listen. But the minute that others express differing opinions, we lift invisible fingers to plug our ears. How we handle this common dilemma varies depending on our level of respect and humility.

As believers, we are more prone to err in the area of humility. Pastor Eric outlined three components of humility: quietness, speaking the truth in love, and strength demonstrated through patience. I’d like to add two more components of humility: being willing to admit when we are wrong and maintaining a teachable heart. Because we have the mind of Christ, our tendency is to believe that our thinking is correct… correct in spiritual matters, personal matters, financial matters, and political matters. But humility will help us remember that perfect revelation and understanding is not available this side of Heaven. We are learning, growing, applying, and maturing each and every day, if we maintain a teachable heart!

If you are struggling in personal or professional relationships, please take some time to listen to Pastor Eric Lehmann’s teaching. I know it will encourage (and challenge) you!

Live Loved and Teachable,

1How To Get Along with People by Pastor Eric Lehmann of Freedom Church, Wesley Chapel

2Scripture references: Ephesians 5:21, Romans 13:1, Matthew 7:1-2, Romans 14:13, Luke 6:27,31, Mark 12:31, I Thessalonians 4:11-12, Ephesians 4:15, I Corinthians 13:4, James 1:19-20, Proverbs 15:1, 16:15, Romans 12:10, Philippians 4:13, I Corinthians 2:16

Power & Love-A Balancing Act

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“Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic.  Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.”  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This quote packs a serious punch! One right to the gut and one that challenges us as believers. Meditate on the truth that MLK Jr. shares… it reflects the heart of the Father. Micah 6:8 states: “He {God} has shown you, O mortal {you and me}, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Jesus seconds this expectation when He declares His passionate expectation: Love the Lord with all of our being AND love others as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39).

The POWER: We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to be Truth carriers, wonder-workers, agents of justice, and disciple-makers.

The LOVE: It’s love that paves the way for His Truth and His power to effectively impact our realm of influence! When His heart beats in us, we reflect His attitude, His motives, and His compassionate mercy to those around us.

The bottom line: We have no authority in situations where we refuse to demonstrate love (I Corinthians 13). But, love empowered by truth produces healing and growth!

Live Loved,

Note: This article was originally published here on August 31, 2021

Mic Drop Monday: Food For Thought!

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What do you think of when you remember the story of Sodom and Gomorrah?  Many of us heard the story as children and knew that those people didn’t love God or serve Him.  However, in looking at it through the eyes of adults, we often think that these two cities were condemned for their sins of perversion.  At least that’s what I thought… till I read these verses in Ezekiel 16:

49 “‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. 50 They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.

Did you see that?  Did you see what it was that saddened God’s heart?  Yes, detestable things, pride and arrogance.  But that’s not what jumped out at me.  Look again!  “Overfed and unconcerned with the poor and needy!”  Some versions say they did not help the oppressed.  The people of Sodom & Gomorrah hadn’t just grieved God because of their wickedness (hearts twisted or bent on doing wrong!) but because they overindulged in themselves and did not care for those in need.

Similarly, in Jeremiah 5, God addresses His concerns about Israel to Jeremiah:

2 “Their evil deeds have no limit;
    they do not seek justice.
They do not promote the case of the fatherless;
    they do not defend the just cause of the poor.”

Now meditate on these verses:

“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” Isaiah 1:17

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

When we purpose to help those in need, defend the oppressed, and care for the needy, we are seeking justice! Jen Toledo defines justice in this way, “Justice is God’s correction of every violation of love.”  What violations of love do you see around you?  Racism, prejudice, bullying, belittling, loneliness, need?   To see God’s Kingdom come into our realm of influence, we need to be ambassadors of His love, bringing justice and righting wrongs whenever the opportunity arises!  Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s whispers and stomp on the enemy’s injustices!*

 

I don’t know about you, but I sure don’t want to be lumped in with the likes of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Even more, I want to please my Daddy!  I want to purpose to seek justice, defend the oppressed, and walk humbly!  Recently, I’ve heard God whispering an idea to help those in my part of the world.  I will be moving in that direction soon and I’ll post when I do!  What about you?  Is God dropping ideas in your heart too?  I’d love to hear them!

 

 

Live Loved!

*The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Romans 16:20

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Favorite Friday: Upside Down Thinking

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In the interest of transparency: This blog is about humility… not really one of my favorite things.  But when I listened to this teaching by Jen Toledo, it rocked my thinking and helped me better see the upside down thinking of the Kingdom of God.  Since the Kingdom of God is a favorite, then God’s keys to the Kingdom are my favorites too!

Jennifer Toledo is a co-pastor of Expression58 Church in LA.  I stumbled upon her teaching session 1 of a series on Kingdom Culture.1  Since this topic is close to my heart, I eagerly listened and learned… a lot!  Then, session two came around and brought with it some “ouch moments” as I took a hard look at myself and my way of thinking at times.2  It was a timely teaching that facilitates my goal of being Unoffendable, which I wrote about here. The text Jen chose was Philippians 2.  She read it in 3 different versions; the Passion Translation brought incredible clarity to the challenge of humility.

“2So I’m asking you, my friends, that you be joined together in perfect unity—with one heart, one passion, and united in one love. Walk together with one harmonious purpose and you will fill my heart with unbounded joy.

3 Be free from pride-filled opinions, for they will only harm your cherished unity. Don’t allow self-promotion to hide in your hearts, but in authentic humility put others first and view others as more important than yourselves. 4 Abandon every display of selfishness. Possess a greater concern for what matters to others instead of your own interests. 5 And consider the example that Jesus, the Anointed One, has set before us. Let his mindset become your motivation.”

I’d encourage you to take the time to listen to Jennifer’s teaching Kingdom Culture-Humility as it simultaneously blessed me and challenged me.  Here are a few highlights:

  • Kingdom of Heaven culture is based in humility. (Jesus carried all authority on earth, but still chose to submit Himself to His Father’s will daily.)
  • Kingdom of Hell culture is based in pride. (Remember that satan guy?  He used to be an angel with authority until pride took over!)
  • Upside Down Thinking: The way up in the Kingdom of God is to humble ourselves before Him.  James 4:6 “But he continues to pour out more and more grace upon us. For it says, God resists you when you are proud but continually pours out grace when you are humble.”tPt
  • Humility values and protects relationship over winning a “discussion.”  (In other words, let go of the argument even if you are right!)
  • Humility builds healthy relationships but pride destroys relationships.
  • False humility is as detrimental as pride, both are self-focused.  Authentic humility understands the power and authority we have in Jesus, but lives a life submitted to the Father’s Will.
  • Humility and pride are not character traits but rather choices that we make.

These are a few comparisons between pride & humility:

 

Wow! As I continued reading Philippians 2, what a beautiful example of humility was set by Jesus!  At any time He could have taken advantage of His equality with God.  He could have justified being entitled to Heavenly privileges because of Who He was, but He chose not to.  I want to be like Jesus… even in the difficult things.  Lord, help me embrace humility!

Live Loved!

1Listen to session one of the Kingdom Culture Expression58 series here.

2Listen to session two of the Kingdom Culture Expression58 series here.

Please feel free to share or comment if this blog blessed you!