Proverbs 16:18–Pride Goes Before Destruction

Proverbs 16:18–"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before the fall."

This is one of those well-known pithy sayings of the Bible.  Many people, even unbelievers, seem to recognize the validity of this saying.  The heart of this passage is about the persistent and deadly poison of pride.  Pride is a toxin that can sour and destroy any person.  Pride is a vulgar, disgusting venom that props up people on homemade castles of cards.  With one blow the castles and the person is felled, forced to humility by humiliation.  It is so vital, then, that we would strive to maintain a penitent and humble spirit, a mind that would put others first, and a heart that loves with compassion and gentleness. After all, this verse is a principle and a warning.  Let us pray to heed the warning so that the principle therein does not again prove itself true in our own lives.

Philippians 2:3–"Count Other More Significant than Yourself"

Philippians 2:3–"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves."

It is a profound conviction to ask one's self how significant they think others may be in comparison to themselves.  I am certain that our modus operandi is to naturally consider ourselves as, obviously, the best or brightest. This pride is but a facade, a veil that each of us creates and puts on as a shade to cover the reality of our inadequacy.  But it is in the recognition of true genius that we see our own imbecility, just as it is in hearing a metronome that we can realize how off-beat we are.

The point in this discussion, the intent of Paul's inclusion of this statement is about focus, questioning our heart: who are we looking at as the standard for life, reality, truth?

If we are thinking of ourselves as the standard by which God's children should be weighed or measured than we are missing the point altogether, forgetting that we, ultimately, take our cues from Christ and Christ alone.  We will always think ourselves as less than others in beauty in light of the beauty of Christ.  We will always think ourselves weaker than others in comparison to the strength of Christ.

The point, if I may say it as emphatically as this, is that if we keep our gaze fixed on Christ then we will naturally humble ourselves before others.

This is the goal and our aim.

To God be the Glory!

Mark 9:35–First is Last, Leader is Servant

Mark 9:35–"And He sat down and called the twelve.  And He said to them, 'If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.'"

This text has come to represent the very essence of service and leadership in Christianity.  In this simple but direct statement, Jesus is indicating that the sort of leadership in His Church will be significantly different than how leadership is done in the world.  There would seem to be a priority placed on the humility of the leaders of the Church.  In other words, the most important thing is not how well or effectively a leader leads; it is the leader's humility and willingness to serve.  In other words, humility should be the determining feature of a Christian leader, nothing else.

We would do well to make this the very meaning and measure of leadership in our own life.

James 4:10–Humble Yourself

James 4:10–"Humble yourself before the Lord and He will exalt you."

There is a direct connection between self-induced humility and God exalting His people.  In a sense, penitence is the singular requirement of receiving blessing from the Lord.  This relationship is based upon the basic premise that God is who He is.  When we recognize who the Lord is we can only respond with a sincere humility.  In other words, admitting who we really are before God is one of the essential steps in receiving the great blessings from the Father.

Let us then always keep this before us that we would humble ourselves before Him so as to always see ourselves in the light of who He is.

Romans 12:3–A Statement About Humility

Romans 12:3–"For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself any higher than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgement, each according to the faith that God has assigned."

This statement is, in many ways, presenting the very essence of biblical humility.  In it we can see that Paul and the Holy Spirit are exhorting us to keep our views of ourselves in proper perspective, always recognizing with honesty the reality of our disposition, particularly in regards to our own self-love.  But Christ compels us to see others as equal and sacred before Christ just as we are the same, thus preventing us to think more highly of ourselves than we ought for we will continually keep the our focus upward first.

In the end, we should never allow our vision to shift from God, which is precisely the change that occurs when we begin to exalt ourselves. This is at the very heart of the Christian message and we should never forget its necessity in the life of the believer.

Philippians 2:3–A Statement on Humility

Philippians 2:3–"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves."

Humility can seem humiliating if it is divorced from love.  In the end, though, humility is not merely an intentional downplaying of self.  Instead, inherent to the humility that matters is that we would lift up others through our humility, not merely and underhandedly undercut ourselves for the covert purposes of being lifted up, e.g. "Well I'm not good enough for that..."

In truth, however, true humility is meant to arise out of a desire to love another by lifted them up. Ultimately, it is love that compels the humility that affects relationships and transforms the lives of the people around us.  This needs to be the source and intent of our humility.  Let us then love in this profound and sacrificial way!

1 Peter 5:6-7–Humble Yourselves and Cast Your Anxieties

1 Peter 5:6-7: "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you."

Perhaps the most difficult task for humans as well as one of the most essential is the task of humbling one's self.  The very idea itself can sometimes be a humiliating proposition.  It is thus ironic that there is nothing more liberating and more empowering than humbling yourself and laying your anxieties on Christ.  This is the task for Christians.  It is our call, that we would humble ourselves before the Holy Lord as we cast our worries upon the Lord.  But it turns out that this is, in actuality, a simple task when we place Christ upon the throne of our lives.  Let us then strive to humble ourselves with all sincerity and devotion.

Necessity of Vulnerability and Humility in Friendship

Love cannot be had apart from humbling yourself to the point of vulnerability.  This is seen and exampled most aptly in Christ, who humbled Himself to the form of man and deigned to a death of utter humiliation in obedience to His Father's will.  All versions of human love are but shadowy analogies of the great love shown for us in Christ.

In the case of a mother and her child, this vulnerability occurs most naturally at birth and rearing when the child is cared for because of his inability and the mother likewise reveals her vulnerability in the wringing of hands and the potentially explosive responses to tantrums and the like.  Thus the son is made humble and vulnerable by his nature while the mother is rendered vulnerable by that same virtue.

Or think of lovers who, in the throes of intimacy and ecstasy, are stripped of all pretense and barrier, the utter nakedness exposing them to the deepest of humility and vulnerability, the very bedrock of love.  Is it, then, any wonder that physical affection of this is the seal and consummation of the marriage covenant?

It is because of the necessity of humility and vulnerability to love that true friendship becomes such an unusual prospect, particularly in an age wrapped in self-esteem and arms-length closeness that favors strength to vulnerability and dignity to humiliation.  But as friendship cannot be had without love and love cannot be had without a great measure of humbleness and vulnerability, it would be wise to reclaim these aspects of love so as to renew a vibrancy of friendship as well.

I can speak from a certain amount of personal experience in this arena, having found it to be true on multiple occasions that intimacy in friendship is in direct proportion to my willingness and commitment to humility and vulnerability.  Because of this, confirmed by reason and Scripture, we should relish the opportunities draw closer in love and friendship.  And praise be to God who has given us His love so that we may love!

Humility: the Bedrock of Virtue

Humility is one of the chief character traits of Christianity. It could be said that it forms the cornerstone of Christian virtue for as a bedrock it serves to support every other virtue. But humility for humility's sake would be as useful as buying new shoes when you have no feet. It the source of humility in the life of the Christian that matters: namely, God.

When we are confronted with the terrible majesty and overwhelming awesomeness of God, this is humility in its utmost.  Humility, the virtue of being humble, seeks to suffuse one's life with a sense of perspective, reckoning all others above oneself is its chief aim.  Because this is the aim of humility, the means by which this tremendous task is accomplished is one of recognition.

Seeing God in all His glory is humbling.  The truth, however, is that all humanity will see His glory in the end and the response will be either humility in faith or humiliation in cower to His awesomeness. Therefore, humility is a supreme statement to the grace of God.  It is our response of repentance and faith, having seen His glory we then respond in humble kind with utter repentance and ardent faith.  Let us then never lose sight of who God is and in so doing never usurp humility with silly pride.

Living for God or for Self

There were two women.  One of them, a driven young professional, planned her whole life.  She graduated from college, got her dream job, and worked hard her whole life, often sacrificing relationships to get herself ahead and to accomplish her goals.  When there were choices between doing something that furthered her goals or serving others, she would undoubtedly choose the former.  She built her life in the very way she wanted, never submitting to anyone's suggestions if they did not fit her agenda.

The other woman, the first's roommate in college, was an avid servant.  She would spend hours building relationships with the people she felt called to love.  She helped others move, she paid other people's rent if they couldn't make it, she even visited prison convicts.  She would volunteer at the local food shelf every weekend, which is where she met her husband.  They both felt called to help the needy and less fortunate, and so they decided to become missionaries to North Africa.  While their, he was killed while delivering medical supplies to a hospital and she was thrown in prison for teaching english to Muslim children.  She lived out the rest of her life in submission and service.

Both of the women died at the same time on the same day.  Jesus was there as they got to the gates of heaven.  He looked at both of them and smiled.  To the first woman, the missionary woman, Jesus hugged her close and said with a voice as gentle as velvet, "Welcome.  Come, step into my Kingdom.  For you have served Me with your whole life and for that you have received life eternal."  He then opened His arms and ushered her past Him into heaven.

Jesus the went to the other woman.  His expression changed to a somber one as He spoke sadly, "My child, you built your life upon yourself.  All that you did was for your own sake and for your own ambition.  Because you continually put your will before Mine, you have lived your life away from Me.  You served your goals and neglected what I had for you.  Because of this, you have forfeited your life and will spend eternity apart from me."  With that, Jesus turned away from her, leaving her sobbing in darkness for all eternity.

Jesus said in unambiguous language that, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take us his cross and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?  Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done (Matt. 16:24-28)."

The point is priority.  What will we value: God or ourselves?  Our answer to this question will play itself out in how we live.  If we value God first, then we will live our lives focused on what He has for us.  Conversely, if we value ourselves first, then we will live our lives focused inward on what we think is best for ourselves.  To discover which one we may be, one need only look at the minutiae: if you continually see yourself behaving selfishly or looking to your own interests, then you probably are living a self-focused life.  Whereas if you find yourself seizing opportunities to love and serve others, then you are probably living a God-focused life.

While this may seem like a distant question, it is essential and has eternal weight to it.  In both of these cases, the relevant next-step is prayer and worship.  In order for us to start or keep submitting ourselves to the will of God, we need to be pursuing that will on a moment-by-moment basis.  Let us then come to Him in faith as to lay down our lives so as to pick up the life He has for us!

The Quest for Humility

Facebook has made all the world self-promoters, Twitter has made every one fancy themselves a quick-quipping pun king, and Youtube has made everyone think they should be a star.  We live in a world that spreads self-esteem and expects self-exaltation, making the truly humble heart is a rarity.  But God demands something more, indicating that there is ruin for those who would exalt themselves in haughtiness and pride.

This is a hard but necessary teaching.  Many of us would rather be noticed and heralded, but God asks for something else altogether.  Throughout the book of Proverbs, humility is contrasted to pride just as wisdom is contrasted to foolishness and as godliness is contrasted with sin (Pro. 3:34; 11:2; 15:31, 33; 16:18-19; 18:12; 21:4; 26:12; 29:23; 30:32).  This should be enough in itself for us to know that God demands us to be humble so as to receive His favor and His blessings.

But before we should think that only the Old Testament was concerned with humility, we should be reminded of Jesus very own words: "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted (Matt. 23:12; cf. Luke 14:7-11 & 18:9-14 )."  We should take Jesus' words with seriousness and sobriety and it should, ultimately, convict us on to humility.

Clearly, humility is a big deal.  However, as mentioned above, it goes against our well-ingrained, western tendencies.  Accomplishing the task of humility is a holistic, full-person endeavor.  To be sure, the quest for humility is a matter of identity.  If we are to be found solely and securely in Christ, then there is simply no room for pride or haughty self-exaltation because we will be looking at our own worth in the light of the Holy Lord.  Let us then look to God to be our identity and our only boast!

Spirit Tenderizes Hearts

When preparing a nice steak sometimes the meat needs to be tenderized.  Because the best pieces of meat are filets of muscle fiber, those internal fibers can become bunch and taunt, making the steak tough.  In order to compensate for this, the piece of meat is beaten, smashed, or cut so as to loosen up the bunched muscular fibers and make the steak more tender to eat.

A hardened heart is much like un-tenderized steak.  It is tough and taunt, unfit for use and in need of tenderization.  Moreover, a hard heart affects every aspect of a person, body, mind, soul.  This is particularly true in regards to the intellect that is directly affected by a hardened heart.  Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, speaks directly to this.

Paul indicates that a hardened and calloused heart breeds futility in the mind (Eph. 4:17-18).  Logically, this makes sense.  If God is who He is (merciful, eternal, omnipotent, omnipresent, faithful, transcendent, supernatural, true, and gracious, et al), then a heart that is hardened to God would be hard to His traits, meaning that life would seem utterly futile, vain, and barren.

Luckily, God, through His Son and the indwelling of His Holy Spirit, has made a way to tenderize hearts that are tight and hard.  Additionally, when our hearts become tenderized through the process of sanctification it similarly affects are whole person: we will think differently, behave differently, and relate differently.

As Paul says, believers should put off our old self, in its futility of thinking, and put on the new self that is being renewed in its mind so as to think the thought of God (Rom 12:2; Eph. 4:20-24).  This is a beautiful proposition, that God would tenderize our hearts so that we be transferred from futility to eternity and to transform our minds.  Let us then press on in humility and repentance to let the tenderizing of the Spirit breakdown the callouses of our hearts so as to sanctify us in God!

The Betrayals of Jesus

The night Jesus was arrested, two of his closest friends and disciples betrayed Him.  One, the moneyman of the group, turned Jesus’ location over to the religious leaders who were seeking a way to arrest and kill Him.  The other, His hotheaded confidant, denied ever knowing the Lord, even uttering curses upon himself to prove his ignorance of Jesus.  Both of these men were in Jesus’ close circle of friends, yet how they each responded to their betrayals speaks volumes, both to the cost of unfaithfulness as well as the potential reactions once we realize what we’ve done.

Judas Iscariot, the accountant of the disciples, had shown that he was more concerned with fleshly gains, having been helping himself to the groups money and proving himself a thief for sometime before Jesus' arrest (John 12:5-6).  Therefore, when Judas did finally turn Jesus over to the authorities for a meager 30 pieces of silver, approximately $7,500 today, how lowly Judas and the chief priests who paid the fee thought of Jesus was revealed (Matt. 26:14-15).

Yet Judas, upon realizing what he had done in aiding the chief priests to condemn and execute an innocent Jesus, changed his mind and, in his utter guilt, hanged himself (Matt. 27:3-5).  There was to be neither forgiveness nor restoration for Judas.  He recognized his shame and faced the wrath of God in the total disgrace of suicide, taking his own life instead of repenting in humility for his betrayal.

Then there’s Peter, the outspoken foot-in-mouth disciple, who denied ever knowing the Lord Jesus at the inquisition of a slave girl in the courtyard outside of the Caiaphas’ house (Matt. 26:69-75).  Even as Jesus prophesied Peter’s denial, Peter underestimated how his faith would be tested, claiming, “Even if I must die, I will not deny you (Matt. 26:30-35)!”  Yet when the moment came to live up to his bravado, he folded in denial of His Lord and in humility ran out of the courtyard weeping bitterly.

Unlike Judas, though, Peter was stayed true to His Lord, running to His tomb with John at His resurrection (John 20:3).  And after preparing breakfast on the shore alongside the Sea of Tiberius, Jesus confirmed His forgiveness and reconciliation to Peter (John 21:15-19).  Although Peter had betrayed Jesus, turning his back of Him at His most dire moment, Jesus forgave and restored Peter,  confirmed by Peter's prominence at Pentecost (Acts 1:15).

In truth, each one of us has betrayed Jesus in our own way and time.  That being said, if and when we do deny our Lord, we should take on the posture of Peter, weeping in humility at our unfaithfulness and repenting in faith for God's forgiveness and restoration.  LEt us then look to the restoration of Peter as to make it our own!

Honest Humility

Humility, the state of being humble, is a necessary posture of living that Christians should continually realign themselves with throughout their lives.  Because humility chafes against the grain of our fleshly lives, we need to establish a practical methodology of humbling ourselves when the pull of pride rears its ugly head. For this, there are some keys to apply in the endeavor for humility.

One key to humility is Recognition.  We need to become so attuned and self-aware that we will be constantly on guard against the pride inside.  If we are to become humble we need to be ready and able to examine the depths of who we are with honesty.  The recognition of pride is one of the fundamental keys to maintaining humility.

Another key is Honesty.  This may seem rather obvious but honesty in this sense needs further definition.  It is not enough to be honest with our faults in the quest for humility, we must also be honest with our strengths.  More often than not it is our strengths, those traits or talents we posses and cherish, that cause pride and arrogance.  Ultimately, our strengths are given us by God and to be used for His glory and purposes.  Unfortunately, we can so overvalue our strengths that our attitude towards our strengths may become the stumbling block to true humility.

The final key to humility is Assessment.  Because humility is to be our ever-present attitude, we need to develop a sure and steady practice of self-assessment.  Employing the other keys of recognition and honesty, consistent assessment equips us to see areas in which we may be less than humble.  This valuable bit of information is necessary for us to meet pridefulness with correction and realign ourselves with humility.

Through recognition of pride, honesty with ourselves, and consistent assessment, we will form an attitude and posture of humility that should guide our lives.  The importance of humility cannot be overemphasized.  Scripture speaks often about the value and necessity of humility (for a start: Pro. 15:33; Rom. 12:3; Eph. 2:8-9; James 4:6).  However, Jesus' statement seems the most direct and applicable: "whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, whoever humbles himself shall be exalted (Matt.  23:12)."  Therefore, let us strive for humility in Him and for Him!

Building Relationships Like Christ

Life is about relationships.  Jesus says that we should not lay up treasures for ourselves that moth and rust can destroy, or that thieves may steal (Matt. 6:19-20).  Distilled, Jesus is saying that the physical treasures of this world will ultimately perish and fail.  Therefore, our hearts should value that which cannot be destroyed, namely character and relationships.

If we consider Jesus' method for relating to people as the standard to be emulated, then the Gospels and the remainder of the New Testament should serve as the guide.  Jesus loved people perfectly.  He did this in two ways.  First,  and most important, He gave Himself to be crucified for the sin of all mankind.  Secondly, Jesus lived with people, really lived with them.

The essence of this is what relationship building is all about.  Jesus spent time with all types of people.
He went into peoples' houses.  He sat down and ate meals.  He walked miles with groups.  This takes time and a certain humility.  Even though Jesus was in very nature God, He continually made Himself low so as to raise others up.  This stands at the core of building real relationships.

Another key to relationship building is compassionate honesty.  No one will ever allow themselves to be truly vulnerable if they feel judged.  We should strive then to maintain humility and compassion at all times so that people would feel comfortable enough to open themselves to us, and thus expose their hearts to the Lord.

If we truly want to be used as salt and light, then we must take seriously the example of Jesus, particularly in relationships.  Acquaintance is not enough for the love of God to pass through us.  We need to be willing to open our hearts to others so as to allow them the freedom to do the same.  Transformational relationships require time and effort for they do not happen overnight or passively.  Let us then strive to live the love that Jesus modeled so that we could form relationships that transform hearts and lives!

Comprehensive Humility

To be exalted and favored by the Lord would be a wonderful status to claim.  However, the requirements for such a divine determination are steep.  Fortunately, there is one basic requisite that needs to be met in order to be exalted by the Lord of all creation: humility.  Humility is the essential posture both in how we come before the Lord and how we relate to other people.

Jesus clearly indicates that those who wish to be affirmed and exalted by the Lord need to take on the position of the lowliest and most humble among us (Matt. 23:11-12).  This is a matter of attitude.  An attitude of humility means that we strive to eschew our self-worth and pride in order to live out lives of service and compassion.  Reality points out that when we take on an attitude of humility, we will be so much more positioned to care for those who we might normally consider beneath us.

Think of Jesus.  Although He was in very nature God, took on the lowliest of forms so as to serve the Lord and all of mankind unto death (Phil. 2:5-7).  This is the mind and attitude that we should make our own.  Christ is our example, humbling Himself so severely that He suffered a sinner's death, hanging naked from a cross along the roadside of Jerusalem: humility.

Humility is not an easy task because it is meant to be a comprehensive worldview by which we live the whole of our lives.  This means that in every circumstance and every situation we may encounter, we will go into it with a servant's attitude and a humble heart to love and care as Christ did and does for us. This is an all-encompassing identity.  Let us then strive take on the heart of a humble servant, looking to Christ who modeled love categorically in all humility.  In this way, we will truly be able to live out the love that God has called us to and live the way Christ asks us to live.

To be Humble before Him

In chapter 18 of the Gospel Luke, Luke recounts one of Jesus' parables in which Christ talks about the importance of humility in reference to true righteousness (Luke 18:9-14).  In this parable, two men go to the temple to pray.  The first, a Pharisee, stands up proudly and thanks the Lord that he is not like other men but is righteous and good to keep all of God's commandments and that he is better than other men.  Next to the Pharisee is another man, a tax collecter, who can't even stand or look to heaven but simply beats his breast and cries out, "God have mercy to me, a sinner!"  Jesus concludes the parable with a simple but serious statement: for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.

This is a major theme of the Kingdom of God that is strikingly antithetical to the kingdoms of the world.  Penitence and humility before the awesomeness of God is the only appropriate response to His presence.  Think of Isaiah's call, "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts (Isa. 6:5)."

To further this point, think of John's vision of the Lord in Revelation, who, having seen Jesus in His glory, fell down weeping as if dead (Rev. 1:17).  When we come face to face with the Lord, we have the opportunity for the truest and most sincere worship that is grounded in an attitude of penitence and humility before the heavenly Father.

Worship, entering into the very presence of the holy Lord, is the most sobering reality there is.  The Lord is the light that reveals everything that is hidden, especially those parts of our inner selves that have been buried in the depths of our beings.  When we step into His heavenly presence, He illuminates our truest nature and we are forced to confront ourselves in light of who He is.  This can be  devastating.

However, when we humble ourselves in prayer to the Lord, He is sure to comfort and to keep us in His love.  As Jesus says multiple times throughout the Gospels, whoever exalts himself will be humbled but whoever humbles himself will be exalted before the Lord.  This is not just a single expression but is a principle of the Kingdom of God.

Although humbling ourselves can be painful because we are forced to honestly examine our sinning fleshly self in light of God's holiness.  However painful this may be, it doesn't come close to the wrath of humility that we are faced with if God is forced to humble our haughtiness.  Instead, the best way to meet the Lord is bowing before Him in humbleness so that we aren't crushed beneath Him as judge.  Let us then strive for humility before the heavenly Lord!

Vulnerable Love

Among the many features of love, two stand out for their importance as well as their difficulty.  The first is sacrifice.  Love is sacrificial, meaning that love demands a certain level of self-denial for the betterment of the one being loved.  This is one of the clearest features of love, especially in regards to Christ, which He commends as the highest form of love (John 15:3).

Sacrificial love can be anything serving dinner, to doing the dishes, to getting out of bed at 3am to go pick someone up and drive them home, or it can even be as simple as spending time with someone over a cup of coffee.  Above all though, sacrificial love includes an element of vulnerability, one of other defining features of love.

Vulnerability, simply stated, is humility instead of pride.  Pride's rearing head of self-dignity and self-love serves to protect one's own image of themselves from potential threats and attacks.  This pride stands as a hindering wall of opposition to godly relationships.  When we maintain an air of pride, we do not allow our egos to be injured, particularly when the wounds may be self-inflicted.

Practically speaking, this means we will struggle, if not outright refuse, to ask for forgiveness because doing so would reveal gaps and chips in our prideful armor of self-exaltation.  Furthermore, we will be unable to accept our own errors and will only grow in rigid self-approval to the bereavement of sanctification's holy work.

Sanctification demands that we eschew pride in favor of vulnerability.  Repentance requires vulnerability.  When we have an attitude of vulnerability, we will be able to see ourselves truthfully, warts and all.  In this way, the Lord fills our eyes with the ability to see and the crevices of sin in our lives will be revealed so that we may repent and grow in sanctification.

To be sure, vulnerability can feel like weakness because in being vulnerable, we remove our armor of pride.  However, we are not left naked in our vulnerability; we are clothed by the Lord Himself, who holds us more than safe in His omnipotent arms of holiness.  When we open up ourselves to be vulnerable, the Lord is able to hold us tighter because the chain mail of pride is removed.

The essential component of vulnerability is faith, but faith girds two other requisites of vulnerability that go hand-in-hand: (1) courage and, (2) honesty.  Vulnerability requires courage because we are removing our well-fashioned, custom-made,  and battle-worn armor of pride.  This takes courage in faith, but it is paired with another measure of courage: honesty.  When we are vulnerable, we are honest despite our natural urging to protect ourselves.  This is courage and faith at its best and most powerful.

Ultimately, vulnerability is for our good.  When we are vulnerable we are able to forgive, able to ask for forgiveness, able to love, and able to receive God's sanctifying discipline.  It's like we open ourselves utterly to the Lord in faith that He will keep and protect our hearts.  Certainly, vulnerability demands a measure of wisdom and discernment in order to determine who we need to open up to, but on the whole, only when we are vulnerable is God able to do His holy work in us.  Let us then take on an attitude of vulnerability so that we may truly love as He has loved us!

Not Playing Favorites

Favoritism is a nearly unavoidable trait of human nature.  Simply, favoritism or partiality refers to preferring or biasing one person over another. Although favoritism can refer to things, its theological relevance concerns the favoring of persons.  The Scriptural account is unified in its understanding of favoritism: it should be avoided.

If we, as Christians, are to look to the Lord's example in regards to how we treat people.  Paul indicates that God shows no partiality (Rom. 2:11).  Although it can be said with certainty that God creates individuals and gifts them uniquely, He loves and treats them with equality.  God simply requires obedience and faith from everyone.

As God's example becomes us, through the Holy Spirit and Bible study, we will begin to live lives that are guided by the Spirit.  This process of sanctification infuses our selfs with God's self.  As this happens, we will be severed from our fleshly tendencies towards favoritism in lieu of God's unbiased love.

Favoritism is a human, fleshly perspective.  When we favor one person over another, we are letting our fleshly perceptions guide our love.  The tragedy of this is that, too often, the one whom the Lord may intend for us to love, is rarely the one we would choose to love.  Because man looks at the flesh while God looks at the heart, we should not rely on our fleshly perceptions in deciding who it is that God has called us to care for.  Instead, we should rely on the Spirit to guide our perceptions and lead ys to those that we were meant to love and care for.

In his epistle, James confirms that we should not ever show partiality in our interactions (James 2:1-7).  James insists that we should not show favoritism but should always maintain a care for people that transcends our fleshly perceptions of worth.  One of the goals of the Christian life is to start to see the world as God.  Being impartial and not showing favoritism is one of the ways in which we live out a faith in a life that sees as He sees and loves as He loves.

Rest for the Redeemed

Rest, a time of refreshment, relaxation, and recovery.  The seal of the Mosaic covenant was the keeping of the sabbath. The sabbath represented the seventh-day rest of creation.  On every seventh day the Israelites were reminded of God's sovereign work of creation.  Thus, the cycle of the week was a constant reminder of the Lord and the people's dependence on His provision and sovereignty.

The sabbath day was a day of rest but it served as much more than a mere "day off."  It was a theological construct.  On the sabbath, no work was to be done so that the people could focus on the Lord and His providence.  Sabbath rest was a requirement and a seal of the covenant but it was to be surpassed by another, Promised Rest, that was to accompany the Promised Land.  The Promised Land was to be paired with a Promised Rest.  Unfortunately, due to covenant infidelity, the Israelites never saw the fulfillment of the Promised Rest.

This understanding of rest was amended under the New Covenant.  The sabbath, and its theology, was changed by a new law, the law of Christ and grace.  Under this new law, the rest for believers is not cyclical in the same sense but it is determined and bestowed by the Lord (Matt. 11:28-29).  Rest is no longer dependent on the cycle of the week but is a constant state of being, a state of rest.  Our rest is wholly dependent on the Lord alone.  It is our reliance on the Lord that gives us our rest.

Additionally, the Promised Rest under Christ has a future fulfillment much like the Israelites' rest had a future fulfillment in the Promised Land.  For Christians, rest has its ultimate realization in the eternal presence of the Holy Lord.  This means that the rest we have now is only a part but to be made whole later in the Lord.

Rest, defined, refers to a time of relaxation and relief.  Rest is often understood in relation to a particular activity or time but, as has been shown, rest is not defined in terms of activities or times.  Rather, rest in Christ is a lifestyle, an attitude towards life itself, an utter reliance on the Lord.  Rest is then paired with our understandings of hope and peace.

In Christ, rest is not occasion-dependent but is continuous because it is based on our reliance on the Holy Spirit.  Therefore, Christians live in a state of rest because the Holy Spirit, who dwells within believers, is the giver of rest.  Rest is one of the beautiful gifts that God bestows.  Let us strive to live in the Spirit and thus live continuously in His rest.