August 9, 2016 - "But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased (to reduce or lower); and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted (raised or elevated)." (Matt. 23:11-12)
Is there even such a thing as "humble pride"? Paul gives us an example of humble pride when he says; "By the grace of God I am what I am." (1 Corinthians 15:10)
Paul gives God the glory for all he did and said, as we should today. God's grace was not bestowed on Paul in vain and it should not be bestowed on us in vain either.
"I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith." (Romans 12:3)
Jesus came down hard on people who tried to exalt themselves at the expense of others. As with the Pharisees; Jesus condemned their spirits and yet, those same haughty spirits live on today.
In earlier verses to our text, Jesus spoke of those who loved to sit in Moses' seat, flaunting their positions of authority. They refused to do what they required of others, reminds me of the Congress and the Senate.
Everything they did was done to win the praise of others. They loved the uppermost seats. They wanted to be called by their "titles" of which they were not worthy. They prayed to be seen by others.
Even James and John asked for the seats of most prominence in the Lords Kingdom. I think maybe the reaction of indignation by the others might indicate that their hearts were not totally clean and innocent either.
Jesus taught that the way up is down. That to be great, you must first be humble and serve others, that true greatness consists of serving, rather than being served. Jesus came to minister, not to be ministered unto, He went about doing good, teaching, healing and forgiving others.
We also should not try to exalt ourselves, if we have done righteously, then others will praise us, and we, in turn must render all praises and glory to the Lord. God will not share his glory with anyone.
We also should be quick to praise the work our fellow Christians do for the Lord as encouragement for them to continue and even increase their daily work for Jesus.
We should walk humbly before the Lord each day, striving to do His will and not our own earthly wishes and desires, for if we remain faithful we will reap in due season.
The Pharisee's boasting in the temple was all in vain while the publicans' confession that he was a sinner in need of mercy brought him salvation.
Let us each one; live justly, do unto others as we would have them do unto us, show mercy, help those in need, and submit to God's will each day and not the wishes of this world. May God's blessings be upon you today.
