Humble & Faithful

Lessons

I’d like to talk a little this morning about being humble and faithful. To me, this are two traits of a Christian that should stand-out among today’s society above even the most heroic deeds.

Humility is a trait that, despite its meaning, shows our true character… one above what this world seems to be all about these days.

Jesus described those being humble as “the meek,” and He also told us what rewards we would reap…

Matthew 5:5 (Part of the Beatitudes NIV) – “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”

Sounds like a pretty good reward for simply being a good person in the eyes of Our Lord.

Humility

But what does it really mean to be humble?

How difficult is it for us to keep up with today’s society and all that it has to offer those of higher standing? How jealous do we become of others having great wealth and success when our own lives are so simple and yet true.

Humility (Google Dictionary) – A modest or low view of one’s own importance (humbleness)

St. Paul tells us this…

Philippians 2:3-4 – “3Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”

Kind of goes along with the Google Dictionary, doesn’t it?

“4Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

As simple as it all sounds, we all too often aspire to greater things as we’re witness to other’s successes far above what we ourselves are able to obtain… and again, jealousy!

It is SO important that we not let these feelings within us to take from our faith; take from our heart; and, most importantly, take from our God!

In Matthew, Jesus tells us precisely what humility means. Lets start first with giving to others…

Matthew 6:2-4 – “2So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.

God doesn’t want us boasting! He wants us to give to others as He as, so willingly, given to us… even when we don’t even recognize it!

3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

And, in Prayer…

Matthew 6:5-8 – “5And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.”

God doesn’t ask us to go out into the streets and scream His name out loud for all to hear. He says here, that is their reward but Jesus has a greater reward for us…

6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Also, if you think you need to be long-winded in your conversations with God…

7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

Me and The Homeless Man – A Lesson in Humility

Faith

First of all, what is faith? Well, if you Google it, here is what you get:

Faith (Google Dictionary) – 1. Complete trust or confidence in someone or something; 2. Strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.

So, likewise, I turned to the Bible to search for a chapter/verse that will pretty much say it all. I think I came across a pretty good one from St. Paul in…

Hebrews 11:1- – “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

How much faith do we put it our lives and we don’t even recognize it?

  • We can’t see the air – yet we breath it in every day.
  • We can’t see gravity – put if we drop a heavy stone over our foot, we’re going to be in pain.
  • We can’t look at our brain – but we know its working.
  • We can’t see radio waves – but we sit on our cell phones for the better part of the day.
  • We can’t see God – But I KNOW He is there!

How many of you get up in the middle of the night, in total darkness? Maybe you’ve got the munchies or just have to use the bathroom.

We know where things are in our house. We trust the fact that they won’t move on their own and, somehow, we easily make it through the darkness towards our end-goal.

If it is SO easy for us to believe is these simple things in life, why is it SO difficult to believe in our Bible and the fact that we are children of a Most-High God?

Can faith guide our everyday actions? I completely believe it to be so. I’ve seen so many instances where people have relied on their faith and not what others tell them.

To me, faith brings a total calm in any given situation where fretting and stressing would seem the obvious choice! Can we take it with us (another story)?

The Grandfather’s Chair – Taking our faith with us!

But how are we supposed to believe in something we’ve never seen? It seems a little impossible doesn’t it. Let’s see what science has to say.

Science

For years, scientists have been telling us about the “Big Bang Theory.” What does that mean and why are they changing their minds today?

Fred Heeren, a science writer who believes “It is not a battle between God and science, but a “discovery” of God in science.”

He goes on in saying…“Science can’t ‘observe’ God. But we can observe a universe that yields evidence of one of two things: It’s either God’s handiwork, or it got here by accident, without a creator.”

“The evidence has to point one way or the other. And scientific discoveries of this century clearly show that our universe is no accident, that there is an intelligent designer behind it all.”

Yes, even science is beginning to believe in a “Higher-Power,” our God in Heaven!

We all seek comfort and rely on our faith in God and Christ to bring it to us. Some of us, as we’ve spoken about in the past, have had experiences that strengthened our faith and to those, we are blessed…

Personally

How many saw my Facebook post about Pamela’s birthday? I know, it was a pretty lengthy read but it allowed me to get a point across to her. I’m not a man that voices my emotions very easily, but I seem to be able to do so in writing.

Here are a few things that, when I actually thought about them; analyzed them; and found their meaning… I knew more about faith and what it means in my life.

  • Did God actually take away my Love – or when her pain was at it’s worst, He brought her home.
  • When Pam’s husband of over 20+ years walked out – was God punishing her for some reason or did He open the doors for me as He knew I was going to need her.
  • Did she burn those cheese sticks (a cook all her life) – or did God force a conversation?
  • Even this – did she really want to know about the one I had lost, or did God feel she needed to know?
  • Ghosts?

When Jesus had returned to His Disciples and they bowed down and worshiped Him…

John 20:29 – “Then Jesus told him, ‘because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

No, I haven’t seen with my own eyes but yet… I believe!

Watch this Lesson

In Conclusion

We need to be humble in everything we do. We need to give to those in need without thinking twice about it or ever mentioning it again. We need to keep our emotions to ourselves and, reveal them, only to God!

We need to keep our faith and recognize the people and things God sends into our lives and remember. We need to understand that, even in the bad things, there IS a greater meaning… things are not always as they seem!

Go with God; be good to one another; always stay humble; always be kind… God Bless!