To Go Up, Go Low

“By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life.” Proverbs 22:4 nkjv

I have been meditating on this verse for the past several days now. I couldn’t help but see just how counter-culture, counter-humanity, and counter-flesh this statement is. Jesus taught in the sermon on the mount “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 5:3) A prerequisite to inheriting the kingdom of heaven is humility. It got me thinking, why is God concerned with, and wants us to walk humbly? I suppose the opposite of humility is pride. Pride is the original sin. That is what got satan kicked out of heaven. The devil gloried in himself and exalted himself as he gazed at his own beauty. It was God who created him, it was God's handy work and design that satan (formally known as Lucifer) was who he was. He attempted to take glory from the Lord.

When we walk in pride, we are saying we have what we have, and are what we are, because of what we have done. That is contrary to what the Word of God tells us. “Every good and perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17a). Pride takes away from what God has freely given to us and we glory in it as if we gave it to ourselves. Humility says, “it is by the grace of God that I am what I am” (1 Corinthians 15:10). Humility says, “For I know that within me (the flesh) dwells no good thing” (Romans 7:18). When we truly recognize our true condition, we will see that there is nothing to be prideful in. When we look in the mirror of God’s Word, we will see that there are many blemishes. The point of that is not to bum us out or depress us. The point is to see all those blemishes, acknowledge those imperfections, and understand that God loves me still.

When we walk in humility the Lord supplies us, provides us, and sustains life in us. God will exalt the humble, and gives them an inheritance. But for the prideful, their end is destruction, just like the devils. Let us be like Jesus, and walk in humility. Allow the Lord to promote you, not yourself.

Agape - Frank

None of these things…

But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. Acts 20:24 nkjv 

I haven't written a blog post in weeks. I came into a new season in the ministry. I have taken on new responsibility and with responsibility comes different type's of stresses and anxieties. These are normal but they can be weighty. I have always admired the Apostles callings and love but no one more than the Apostle Paul. The guy is fascinating and truly distinguished from the rest of the Apostles, not by his doing but by the Holy Spirits. He had a unique calling on his life. He is the only Apostle in which Jesus said personally, "I will show him (Paul) how much he must suffer for my name sake." Acts 9. Now I love being called by the Lord into the ministry, but I don't want to hear Jesus say that specifically about my ministry!

What suffering did Paul go through, you might think? The Apostle lists it out for us in 
2 Corinthians chapter 11 beginning at verse 22: "In labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep (shipwrecked); in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches." That's not to mention the time Paul actually died and was caught up to the Third Heaven (2 Cor. 12). 

Having gone through all this Paul says in our text Acts 20, "None of these things move me." You would think there's a fine line between determination and stubbornness but that's not what it was. What gave the Apostle such a mindset like this? Was it his willingness to be hurt due to past guilt or regrets? Did he think thats what he deserved so therefore I will suffer? No, that is not it. I believe it was two things that gave the Apostle this kind of mindset that we all could use. First, he was called to it by Christ, remember Acts 9 Jesus declared to Ananias, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name sake.” Paul was a chosen vessel by Christ to take the Gospel to unreached people in need of saving grace. Paul understood this calling upon his life and walked in it. So first, he owned his calling as the Apostle to the Gentiles. 

The second reason for none of these things moving him was he understood that he was a bondservant (Romans 1). He was bound to Jesus Christ as a servant and any true servant doesn't have a say. He doesn't get to just quit when the going got tuff. He didn't say, "You know, this missionary thing is hard I think I am going to sit this one out." He did what He was called to do and did it with joy. The Apostle was able to hear the call, obey the command, and rest assured of his great reward. In his letter to the church at Philippi, a church Paul planted and then left said, "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Paul was able to look past the temporary pain, hurt, abuse, and struggle and see the prize that awaited him.

Jesus Christ did the same thing. It says about Jesus, "for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" Hebrews 12:2. What was the joy that Jesus looked to that was beyond the cross? It was sitting at the right hand of His Father and receiving His inheritance, the Church. The Apostle Paul did the same, he looked past the trial, past the abuse of people, past pain and hardship, and ran for and towards the prize that awaited him. What was the Apostle's prize? 2 Timothy 4:8 "there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day." That is what awaited him and nothing was going to stop Paul from running after it. He wanted to see His savior and receive from his Lord his crown that awaited him.

There are going to be many times in our walks with God that we are going to want to quit. We are going to want to throw in the towel and not run anymore. Maybe that is you right now. That will happen we will experience the temptation of quitting. But, we need to do what our Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul did. Look past the trial, the pain, the hurt, and to the prize. Look to Jesus the Author and Finisher of your faith (Hebrews 12:2). If your eyes are set on Him you won't see anyone or anything else. If you want that same determination, the same mindset that Paul had you must never take your eyes off of Jesus. I want to close this post with an amazing statement by the Apostle Paul, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" Romans 8:18. What you may be going through currently, or right now, or maybe soon to come is nothing compared to what awaits you. Keep running and run to win! 

Agape - Pastor Frank