Bible League: Living His Word Don't brag about tomorrow,since you don't know what the day will bring. Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth-- a stranger, not your own lips. Humility is an essential and fundamental quality of the Christian life. It is essential and fundamental because of the position human beings have in the great scheme of things. God is the sovereign ruler over all creation. We exist in the creation that He made. Although He made us in His image and placed us in a position above all other creatures (Genesis 1:26-28), we are still subject to His divine providential control. He determines the story of creation and He determines the story of our lives within His creation. True humility, then, recognizes and acknowledges the subservient place we have in the great scheme of things. Although we may think we know what the day will bring, we can make no guarantees. As the Proverb says, "We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps" (Proverbs 16:9). And that's why James warned us not to boast about tomorrow. Instead, he said we should say, '"If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that"' (James 4:15). After all, unlike the sovereign and eternal God who controls all things, our lives are "like the morning fog--it's here a little while, then it's gone" (James 4:14). The true humility that recognizes and acknowledges our subservient place also knows that boasting about one's accomplishments does not properly reflect our status in reality. Although there may be occasions when public acknowledgment of one's accomplishments is necessary for personal vindication or for the edification of others, as was the case with Paul and the Corinthian church (II Corinthians 11:12), gratuitous boasting has no place in God's Kingdom. We are dependent creatures. We are dependent upon God for everything we have and everything we are. Instead of boasting about ourselves, then, we should boast about God (II Corinthians 10:17). Paul said, "When people commend themselves, it doesn't count for much. The important thing is for the Lord to commend them." (II Corinthians 10:18). One of the ways that the Lord can do this is by having others – strangers even – praise us. And in the next life, of course, the Lord Himself will do the job personally (I Corinthians 4:5). We don't have to brag about tomorrow or praise ourselves. God can see to it that we get the acknowledgement and the encouragement we need. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingPsalm 31, 32, 33 Psalm 31 -- In you, O Lord, I take refuge. Let me never be disappointed. NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Psalm 32 -- Blessed is he whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is covered. NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Psalm 33 -- Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous! Praise is fitting for the upright. NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Acts 21:15-40 Acts 21 -- Paul Sails from Miletus to Jerusalem, Seized in the Temple NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion As he was speaking, a woman in the crowd called out, “God bless your mother—the womb from which you came, and the breasts that nursed you!”Jesus replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.” Insight Jesus was speaking to people who put extremely high value on family ties. Their genealogies were important guarantees that they were part of God's chosen people. A man's value came from his ancestors, and a woman's value came from the sons she bore. Jesus' response to the woman meant that a person's obedience to God is more important than his or her place on the family tree. Challenge The patient work of consistent obedience is even more important than the honor of bearing a respected son. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Jeremiah 2:18 And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor?By sundry miracles, by divers mercies, by strange deliverances Jehovah had proved himself to be worthy of Israel's trust. Yet they broke down the hedges with which God had enclosed them as a sacred garden; they forsook their own true and living God, and followed after false gods. Constantly did the Lord reprove them for this infatuation, and our text contains one instance of God's expostulating with them, "What hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of the muddy river?"--for so it may be translated. "Why dost thou wander afar and leave thine own cool stream from Lebanon? Why dost thou forsake Jerusalem to turn aside to Noph and to Tahapanes? Why art thou so strangely set on mischief, that thou canst not be content with the good and healthful, but wouldst follow after that which is evil and deceitful?" Is there not here a word of expostulation and warning to the Christian? O true believer, called by grace and washed in the precious blood of Jesus, thou hast tasted of better drink than the muddy river of this world's pleasure can give thee; thou hast had fellowship with Christ; thou hast obtained the joy of seeing Jesus, and leaning thine head upon his bosom. Do the trifles, the songs, the honors, the merriment of this earth content thee after that? Hast thou eaten the bread of angels, and canst thou live on husks? Good Rutherford once said, "I have tasted of Christ's own manna, and it hath put my mouth out of taste for the brown bread of this world's joys." Methinks it should be so with thee. If thou art wandering after the waters of Egypt, O return quickly to the one living fountain: the waters of Sihor may be sweet to the Egyptians, but they will prove only bitterness to thee. What hast thou to do with them? Jesus asks thee this question this evening--what wilt thou answer him? Daily Light on the Daily Path Proverbs 15:15 All the days of the afflicted are bad, But a cheerful heart has a continual feast.Nehemiah 8:10 Then he said to them, "Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." Romans 14:17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5:18-20 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, • speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; • always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; Hebrews 13:15 Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. Habakkuk 3:17,18 Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, • Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:10 as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things. Romans 5:3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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