Tag: Humility

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The tension between Jesus and the Pharisees is unmistakable in John 7–8. While the Pharisees were preoccupied with protecting their reputation and holding onto their authority, Jesus consistently pointed back to the Father’s glory, not His own. He challenges them — and us — with a radical reorientation: working for the Kingdom requires humility and surrender. It’s not about seeking recognition or credit but about serving God’s greater purpose.

Jesus exemplified this throughout His ministry. Even when performing miracles, He often asked people to keep it quiet, showing that the work of the Kingdom wasn’t about personal fame. His focus remained on fulfilling His mission, regardless of whether He received public acknowledgment. In Luke 9, we see something similar when people who were eager to follow Him were held back by their personal concerns. Jesus’ response was direct: Kingdom work demands total commitment, not partial loyalty based on how much recognition we might get.

This teaching pushes against our modern desire for affirmation and recognition. Whether we serve in ministry, at work, or even in our personal lives, the temptation to crave acknowledgment can be subtle but real. The problem comes when our pursuit of credit eclipses the mission itself. If we work for applause rather than for God’s glory, we miss the essence of what it means to serve in the Kingdom.

Paul’s words to the Corinthians give clarity here: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). It’s a reminder that we’re not here to build our own reputation but to serve the One whose Kingdom is eternal. The challenge for each of us is to ask: Who am I serving, and why? Is my desire to be recognized greater than my desire to glorify God?

At the end of the day, there’s only room for one name on the marquee. Should it be yours or Jesus’?

My Own Hero

In today’s reading of Jeremiah 8:4-11:23, we see a powerful depiction of human stubbornness and self-deception. God observes that when people fall, they don’t get up again; when they turn away, they don’t turn back. Instead, they persist in their own way, often thinking they are justified in their actions. This is a vivid portrayal of how we often see ourselves as the hero of our own story, convinced of our righteousness and unwilling to admit our faults or seek the right path.

Why do we stay down when we fall? Why are we content to lie in the dirt rather than get up and seek God’s way? Part of the reason is pride; we don’t want to admit that we need help or that we were wrong. Another reason is self-deception; we convince ourselves that our way is just fine, even when it’s leading us further from God. We create narratives that paint us in a positive light, ignoring or downplaying the areas where we’ve gone astray.

But God sees through this self-deception. He calls out to us, not to condemn us but to invite us back to the right path. He knows that true heroism doesn’t come from stubbornly sticking to our own way but from humility, repentance, and the willingness to rise after we’ve fallen.

The question for us today is whether we will continue to be the hero of our own story or whether we will allow God to be the hero who lifts us up, dusts us off, and sets us back on the path of life.

Glory & Pride

Glory and pride. One is God’s and the other comes before the fall. What are we to do with our successes and achievements? Is self-loathing the answer?

Years ago I was approached by a woman after I had led worship (I think) and she praised the work I had done. I was very bad at accepting compliments and must have looked like Neo from the Matrix films ducking and dodging her attempts to pat me on the back. Eventually, in a fit of frustration she looked at me sternly and sniped, “Just say ‘thank you’ and take the compliment!” That was rather embarrassing.

I’ve since learned to receive praise much more graciously.

But how do we keep from getting a fat head in circumstances like this? Because this is basically what happened to the nation of Israel throughout the books of the Kings; they mistook the wind of God in their sails as their own expert seamanship and got the fat head. Then God took away His help and Israel fell and fell and eventually end up in captivity. You don’t want to end up in captivity do you??

The good news is that I don’t think it’s all that hard to navigate this issue. Pride is something I think we can take in our work and even in our outcomes, so long as we are sure this pride is relative to ourselves and not others. If we get to the point where we are better than person X or Y then there is a problem! But we we are enjoying meeting our own standards or setting a personal best for output or outcome, then I think we can do that safely. But it’s still important to recognize that we are working as unto the Lord by stewarding the gifts and talents He has given us. Glory is even simpler. Don’t take it. Re-direct it to the Lord. Someone want to lavish praise on you? Receive it graciously, but say something like, “All glory to God!” or, “Praise the Lord for using me.” Now, I’m not advocating for false humility! If you cannot say these things sincerely and give God His due glory and praise, there’s a deeper issue there that you need to seek the Lord about!

In summary: all glory is God’s, but you can take pride in your work… so long as you do it with humility.

Whose Will Be Done?

This is one of those passage where there is almost an overwhelming number of options for things to talk about. Why does Shemgar only get a single verse? Was he a contemporary with Deborah? A female judge? How does that square with the idea of leadership roles being reserved only for men? Jael broke… ALL the hospitality rules of the Ancient Near East. The angel of the Lord chose the smallest man from the weakest tribe to lead a military campaign? The altar of Ba’al worship was used as kindling for the offering on God’s altar. And the people of Israel were going to KILL Gideon for destroying the altar to the false god Ba’al! And that’s just the SURFACE stuff.

But the thing that struck me during today’s reading was actually this passage:

… Then the land had peace forty years. The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord …
Judges 5:31b-6:1a

What do we not see here, nor anywhere in the transition from Deborah to Gideon? Repentance! Now, I know full well that the traditional interpretation is that the people turned back to the Lord, but I just do not see that in the text. I see regret, a desire for help. They know that the God of Moses delivered them before, and they call out to the one true God to rescue them again. But true repentance eludes them.

However, God knows His plans for Israel. In the same way that he uses flawed men like Noah, Abraham, Samson, and David, he uses the nation of Israel to accomplish His goals. Jesus is coming, but not until the fullness of time. Things needed to happen in world history to facilitate the wildfire-spread of the Gospel before Jesus could come. And in the meantime, God would step in from time to time to save the people from themselves. That’s right. Not their oppressors, but themselves!

God told them how to have peace and prosperity, but they decided to go their own way and now that are forced to deal with the consequences of walking out from under God’s umbrella of protection. But they don’t ever seem to realize that they did this to themselves. Gideon says as much! “If the Lord is with us then why has all this happened to us?”

Are we doing this today? Am I? Are you? Have we put ourselves into an unenviable situation and then asked why GOD abandoned US? If you are having a pity party about your circumstances, maybe it’s time to put on your grown-up pants, humble yourself before the Lord, and ask Him to bring the correction you need into your life.

He loves you and He wants what’s best for you. If you won’t say to Him, “Your will be done”, then He’ll step back and say it to you.

Judges 3:31-6:40 | 091/365

The Bravado of Youth

All of Job’s… er… friends… have finished with him and suddenly a new challengers emerges. Elihu — who has apparently been here the whole time — ceases his silence. Frustrated that none of the older men are able to show Job why he is wrong. As a young man I had so many strongly held (though typically poorly informed) opinions and just about any answer you might be seeking. If only people knew they had this fount of knowledge and wisdom standing right in their midst!

Just one small downside. I was kind of an idiot. I had some things right. Some important things. But I had just as many if not more things wrong. And the worst part of it all is the certainty with which I clung to my positions. I lacked at least one virtue: humility.

I think Elihu is in a similar position. He actually has a lot of good things to say and keeps the focus on the Lord and His justice. But He misses some key things… like the fact that God Himself said that Job is the most righteous man alive. He does not have the fullness of knowledge, but acts like he does.

And while this is an easy — and common — trap for the young, we all can find ourselves ensnared in it. Let’s walk humbly. Appealing to the Lord for guidance and clarity. And endeavour to speak the truth with clarity and kindness. Emphasizing grace. Emphasizing love. Emphasizing unity.

It’s as useless to be right the wrong way as is it to just be wrong.

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