Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Walk humbly with thy God

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

I searched mishpat (judgment) and chesed (mercy). Now for walk humbly with thy God. Funny thing is, this is the only occurrence of this word in the Old Testament. So there's no word search but just a few thoughts on to walk humbly…

Pride is a problem we all face. But it is an especially insidious temptation in spiritual matters. What?!? What could I ever be tempted to be proud about? This is spiritual pride: I know something, have something, experienced something that you don’t know, don’t have, have not experienced.

“I know God. My sins are forgiven. I have eternal life. I have a spiritual gift. I know the Bible. God answers my prayers. I’m walking in victory. Our church is growing. Our church is Bible-based… and you don’t.”  You don’t consciously think this way, but it so easily creeps in. “Those that are spiritual proud, have a high conceit of these two things, their light, and their humility.” (Jonathan Edwards).

But this need not be! But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble… Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. James 4:6, 10

I can humble myself. And as I consciously humble myself before God, he will give me more grace.

Colossians 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 

Ephesians 4:1-2  I … beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love

Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 

Amen. I put on lowliness of mind and God gives me grace to be truly humble.

“The eminently humble Christian is as it were clothed with lowliness, mildness, meekness, gentleness of spirit and behavior, and with a soft, sweet, condescending, winning air and deportment; these things are just like garments to him, he is clothed all over with them.” Jonathan Edwards

Amen. Be a doer of his Word (do judgment), love mercy, and walk humbly with thy God.


Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.


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Spiritual Pride
by Jonathan Edwards

"those that are spiritual proud, have a high conceit of these two things, their light, and their humility"

Spiritual pride is very apt to suspect others; whereas an humble saint is so suspicious of nothing in the world as he is of his own heart. The spiritually proud person is apt to find fault with other saints, that they are low in grace; and to be much in observing how cold and dead they are; and being quick to discern and take notice of their deficiencies. But the humble Christian has so much to do at home . . . that he is not apt to be very busy with other hearts . . . He is apt to esteem others better than himself, and is ready to hope that [everyone] has more love and thankfulness to God than he.

Pride magnifies the faults of other Christians and diminishes their graces, while it diminishes the faults and magnifies the graces of its subject. It is apt to treat the needs of others as occasions of contempt and laughter rather than as sources of concern or shock.

"Spiritual pride takes great notice of opposition and injuries that are received, and is apt to be often speaking of them, and to be much in taking notice of their aggravations, either with an air of bitterness or contempt."
The humble Christian is as it were clothed with lowliness, mildness, meekness, gentleness of spirit and behavior, and with a soft, sweet, condescending, winning air and deportment; these things are just like garments to him, he is clothed all over with them . . . Pure Christian humility has no such thing as roughness, or contempt, or fierceness, or bitterness in its nature; it makes a person like a little child, harmless and innocent, that none need to be afraid of; or like a lamb, destitute of all bitterness, wrath, anger, and clamor; agreeable to Eph. iv.31. . . . [Ministers] ought indeed . . . not to be gentle and moderate in searching and awakening the conscience, but should be sons of thunder . . . Yet they should do it without judging particular persons, leaving it to conscience and the Spirit of God to make the particular application. But all their conversation should savor of nothing but lowliness and good-will, love and pity to all mankind; so that such a spirit should be like a sweet odor diffused around them wherever they go. They should be like lions to guilty consciences, but like lambs to men’s persons.

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And for a fuller discussion of spiritual pride:

http://www.grace-abounding.com/Articles/Sin/Pride_Edwards.htm

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