Avoid The Shame

1 Corinthians 1:26-31

After creating His most wonderful masterpiece, in His own image and likeness, God knew that soon after man was tainted by sin, he would begin to harbor thoughts more higher of himself than he ought to. God created mankind, not to elevate themselves more than that which pleases the Father, but to walk in humility, so that each member of the family of God, could hear and obey clear instructions on how they are expected to live.

From the time of Adam and his family to now, mankind has become more corrupt, and the mere thought of humility is barely even seen amongst those who claim to be Christians. Fortunately, these times are not surprising to God, nor were they in times past, as He knew they would manifest, so in order to naturally keep men under the subjection of His way of thinking, He allows for foolish things to confound those who are full of earthly wisdom, and has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty in the eyes of men. To confound someone could also be translated as to dishonor, disgrace, or put them to shame.

God loves the world so much, that not only did He give His only Son to save it, but He will continually prove His love by trying to get stubborn men’s attention, even if it embarrasses them. Believe it, or not, there are men walking the earth who think they are the BOMB, when in all actuality, they are no more potent than those little white firecrackers you throw on the ground, that make a little “pop” sound. High-minded, and haughty individuals are in no way capable of carrying the message of the Gospel, nor are they worthy to receive God’s promises, because these persons operate in pride, and 100 percent of men who live with pride in their hearts, always meet an unfortunate, and unfavorable end. If you don’t believe me, look back through history, and you’ll discover that men in biblical times, and most recent, who put themselves before God, never fulfilled what God had predestined for their lives.

Mankind was made to live holy, acceptable, and pleasing lives to God, and while this truth may seem boring or uneventful to some, when a man truly tastes and discovers how amazing God is, they’ll never want to delve into their wicked, and unprofitable past behaviors again. A real God-experience causes the heart of a man to change. If you were once haughty, God can change you to be humble. In those times you may have puffed yourself up to gain the praise of men, but when God touched you, you decided to turn the spotlight away from yourself, and directly toward God.

Walk daily in humility, to avoid being shamed by God, and to always be in the right posture and position, to receive all of His good benefits.

Keep your chin up… it’s easier to see Heaven that way,

Ell

Bow To No Man

Esther 3:1-6

As I study the Scriptures, I try to gain greater understanding of even the most simplest verses. Just because you read something a few times, doesn’t mean that God can’t reveal more revelation from that same text. I found the same to be true, as I meditated on this lesson.

There are countless things God freely gives His people, including love, joy, peace, strength, sanity, and provision, but I learned there’s one thing God will never give to another (especially not to any graven image), and that’s His glory. All glory belongs to God, and when men attempt to take glory upon themselves, they usually end up going through a season of humility. In our society, we praise and give glory to men, as if they are celestial beings, gathered around the throne of God. We stand, applaud, cheer, and treat mortal men and women, better than we honor God. That’s insane! A man can do no more for you, than what his heart will allow Him to, and most men these days are so full of themselves, until they thrive off the glory you bestow upon them.

Men with titles in churches, politicians, and even athletes, are viewed as high priority, while laymen and fans are to acknowledge their high esteem. Well, I show respect to those who deserve it, but I’ll never kiss a man’s behind, no matter who He is. Only God deserves my glory, and all my praise goes up to Him. It matters not if you’re a military general, doctor, or the president of the United States of America, I’ll never give a man the reverence that’s due to the God of all creation.

In our text, Mordecai experienced an uncomfortable situation, when he was frowned upon for not bowing to a newly appointed leader of the princes of king Ahasuerus. Haman hated the Jews, and his hatred grew more intense when he discovered that Mordecai refused to bow to him. Men who harbor burning desires to be exalted over others, are usually met with an unpleasant end. Haman was full of wrath, until he plotted to not only kill the man of God, but he sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.

Pride and haughtiness has caused men to conjure the most brutal and horrific plots, since the beginning of time, and Haman allowed his “bigheadedness” to push his thoughts beyond the realm of morality. If you were in Mordecai’s position, would you bow to a man who sought only to swell his head from your praise? Would you risk your life, and the lives of those you love, to go against what you believe? Although it’s scary, at times, to stand for God, if you remain bold, God will ALWAYS show up, and rescue you, before the enemy has a chance to wipe you out.

Walk in love,

Ell

The Pride Of Life

Luke 11:42-44

Pride embodies the characteristics of an individual, who knowingly ignores just actions, and a righteous attitude, in order to satisfy self-righteous motives and desires. Pride inevitably leads to arrogance, which causes many to promote their own abilities and concerns above everyone else’s. Over time, arrogance takes the form of high-mindedness, haughtiness, and disrespect. At this point, an individual is beyond reproach, and have settled into a hardened state of hypocrisy. All actions and behaviors that proceed from a hypocrite, will never prove beneficial to anyone, except themselves.

The most prominent group of hypocrites Jesus encountered often were, the Pharisees. These men preached false doctrines, that caused many innocent souls to waver from faith in God. They took pride in appearing relevant and well-respected to crowds, by giving consistent tithes, sitting in higher seats in synagogues, and meandering through the markets, only to bask in the praise and greetings of the people. Rather than seek vain glory, or appear righteous before men, the Pharisees should have focused more on their neglect for judgment, and the love of God. This religious group knew right from wrong, as well as what God expected from them, yet they couldn’t separate themselves from the snares satan had them trapped in.

Turning from evil to good, requires a choice, followed by consistent righteous living. Although the Pharisees were known for their hypocrisy, they were given ample time to remove the evil from their hearts. God’s grace and mercy is still relevant today, and many have been given time to turn from evil, to good. Whether they decide to surrender their hearts to God, is based upon their choice. Death and life have been placed before all men, and I strongly suggest everyone choose life.

Walk in love,

Ell

All Puffed Up!

Isaiah 10:12-14

“By the strength of my hand I have done it…” (vs. 13a). Can you recall a time, when you puffed yourself up, to gain praise from men, then God quickly humbled you, before your head swelled too big to pop? I can think of multiple examples from my own experiences, when God politely humbled me, to prevent me from humiliating myself.

Pride sucks, because it reveals that your true intentions are to take the glory that belongs to God, all for yourself. Some truly believe, that because they have the ability to do a thing, it’s justified, by default, simply because they can do it, but according Colossians 3:23, everything we do on this earth, we are to “do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men”. I’ll give you 37 seconds, to think of one thing you can accomplish, without God’s help (playing the Jeopardy tune in the background). Have you thought of something yet? Probably not, because there’s not one thing man can do, except God allow it. For example, if God borrowed the breath He breathed into you for a few days, what would happen to your physical body? Yeah, now you’re beginning to see my point.

God created man with amazing skills, talents and special abilities, that are all to be used to fulfill His purposes in the earth, but when we start to toot our own horns for things God was responsible for, there will always come a season of “straightening”. “When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2 KJV).

God is fixed on getting the best out of His children, and causing their light to shine bright amongst men, but seeking to outshine the God of all creation, places one in the same category as satan, when he was in heaven. When we value and appreciate who we are in God, we’ll spend less time focusing on self, and more time contemplating how to make others better.

Walk in love,

Ell

Can’t Touch This

Hebrews 4:14-5:10

The longer I live, the more disgusted I become toward men who have yet to vomit from smelling the stench of their own egos. Gone are the days when the average Christian walked in humility, and men actually considered others, over themselves. I expect worldly men to think highly of themselves, or maintain a haughty demeanor, because they are under the influence of sin, but when men who claim to have the love of God in their hearts act as if they’re too hot to touch, this is what causes problems on both sides of the spiritual war. Leaders have allowed the fame and glory of hearing crowds of followers promote their name, to the point they’ve succumbed to pride, and self-exaltation. God ordained men to bear leadership roles for the purposes of edifying the church, and bringing glory to His name. Positions were never intended to be used to promote self, nor as a means to gain riches.

Jesus set the perfect example of how leaders should conduct themselves in the presence of the church, as well as to the world. Christ walked in humility, although he was, and is, the only begotten Son of the almighty God. Jesus could have easily puffed Himself up everywhere He went, but He shunned the spotlight in favor of setting an example that would help make life better for us today.

Jesus is the true high priest, who intercedes on our behalf to the Father. He is our mediator, and the means by which all our sins were wiped away. Unlike men, who have the tendency to ignore the needs of others in place of their own selfish desires, Jesus always puts the needs of others at the top of His to-do list. The same way we feel and struggle with making the right decisions, Jesus relates well to our situation, because He dealt with all the temptations we guard against today, yet He never sinned.

Men who think they are above everyone else, are in for an inevitable rude awakening. So always remember, God honors the humble, and makes examples out of the proud. “When pride cometh, then cometh shame, but with the lowly is wisdom” (Prov. 11:2 KJV). “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate (Prov. 8:13). “A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit” (Prov. 29:23).

Walk in love,

Ell

Treat each other like Jesus does

John 13:12-20

Some of the hardest things for men to do is deny themselves, render unselfish services to others, and prefer the least honor for themselves. Today’s society focuses more attention on self-promotion, rather than unified efforts, and men often boast in themselves, rather than uplift those who truly need encouragement. While the world is expected to behave according to its master (money/satan), the church was commanded to love God and keep His commandments, love their neighbors as themselves, and do unto others, as they would have others do unto them.

In our text, Jesus gave the perfect example of self-denial, when He washed the disciple’s feet. Jesus used the example of foot washing to teach his disciples the importance of service to others. Earlier in the chapter, Jesus arose from supper, laid aside His garments, then prepared Himself to wash the feet of His followers. In Bible days, foot washing took place when visitors entered a person’s home, because sandles were the typical footwear, and hosts would offer water for their guests to wash their filthy feet. When Jesus approached Peter, the often strong-willed disciple refused to allow the Son of God to wash his feet. It’s not difficult to understand why Peter felt the way he did concerning His master condescending to his level, because He considered himself unworthy to have Jesus wash his feet, but Jesus wanted to teach a valuable lesson His disciples would find of great importance, after His departure. Jesus quickly changed Peter’s mind when He said, “If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me”. Jesus knew His position on the earth, as well as in Heaven, so rendering a selfless service to those who served Him, did nothing to taint, or diminish His authority as their Master and Lord.

Even during this age of selfishness and pride, the body of Christ is to continue performing selfless acts to mankind. Just as God is no respecter of persons, we shouldn’t be too proud, or consider ourselves too good to serve others as well. WWJD (What Would Jesus Do)!

Walk in love,

Ell

Clean feet, clean hands

John 13:2-7

Footwashing occurs frequently in the Old and New Testaments. Generally, there were two known situations where footwashing was observed: domestic settings for hygiene and comfort, and domestic settings devoted to hospitality. In the Torah, priests were required to wash their hands and feet before entering the holy place of the tabernacle to offer sacrifices on the altar. Moses received these commands in Exodus 30:17-21. The hands and feet would be washed regularly because of their relatively higher exposure to being contaminated. In the Old Testament it is common to associate footwashing with the priestly admission into the tabernacle and temple as well. Footwashing also prepared you for a variety of activities, like a meal for example, and was used for personal hygiene and comfort, as mentioned earlier. One of the primary forms of footwashing was as a sign of welcome.

In our text, we find where Jesus had finished supper, and began to wash the disciple’s feet. This act wasn’t a knock against tradition, instead, Jesus felt the need to teach another example of humility to His unwise disciples, after they held an ill-timed discussion concerning which of them should be accounted the greatest in the Kingdom. How could they think on such things during the final hours of Jesus’ time on the earth? While all their attention should have been focused on the sufferings Jesus was about to endure, the disciples chose to care more about their status in the kingdom, than on the unbearable persecution Christ was soon to face.

Even today, many churches still practice the footwashing tradition, and I’m in full support of it, but it hasn’t removed that same evil spirit that causes men to fight over power and position. It is still being manifested in churches across the globe, despite how clean the members feet may be. In Matthew 18, Jesus had rebuked this same spirit by setting a little child in the midst of the disciples, and said they had to become as little children, and not seek to hold authority over one another. Years after this teaching, the disciples still didn’t learn their lesson. Before He left the scene, Jesus had a desire to do away with this spirit for worldly honor and recognition, because this behavior could have become detrimental to the foundation of the church.

As the body of Christ, we too must get rid of the spirit of self-exaltation, and the desire to have rule and authority over all other Christians, because refusing to do so can severely damage our mission and purpose to win the lost. Our reflection of godliness is marred when we give in to satan, and his unholy ways, so love one another, as Christ loves us. Whether you participate in footwashing, or some other outward act of humility, make sure that after all you do, you heart changes too.

Walk in love,

Ell

Called to humanity and hospitality

Luke 14:7-14

One principle Jesus taught on multiple occasions was deflecting attention from self, and directing all of it toward God. Pride and haughtiness are two of the worst character traits a man can entertain, because the end result of both vices only lead to pain, shame, and misery. It’s because of Lucifer’s pride, that he was kicked out of Heaven, and sentenced to eternal damnation at the appointed time. If pride has the power to keep one of God’s most beautifully created beings from entering into His eternal glory, why is it that so many so-called Christians operate in it today? We see and hear self-promotion in movies, tv shows, video games, churches, and in nearly every secular song written. The great and wise king Solomon taught that, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). When we aim to live in the spotlight, and refuse to focus the glory on God who deserves it, we open ourselves up to be detained, and overwhelmed by legions of demonic influences, that have the power to literally wreck our lives. For this reason, Jesus commanded His followers to walk in humility, and obedience to the Word of God.

Christ also taught, in this text, that whenever we are invited somewhere, be sure to avoid sitting in the “popular” seats, in case someone more honorable shows up. Not saying that we aren’t worthy to sit in a seat, but that some are well-respected to some degree, and should be honored at times. It is better to be called to take a higher seat by the host, than to make haste to claim it before its taken. This way, you’ll have more honor and respect in the presence of those gathered at the meeting. Jesus said that everyone who exalts themselves will be abased, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. If believers were commanded to love, how is it possible to entertain pride and selfishness? When all your focus and attention is fixed on pleasing God, there’s no way for any child of God to get tied up with anything that resembles self-exaltation. Walk in humility daily, and let God be the one who promotes you, when the time is right.

Walk in love,

Ell