The passage I read
was James 4:1-10
You can find that passage here:
The verse that most
stood out to me:
10 Humble
yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
As I reflect:
There’s a lot here
to meditate and more importantly abide by daily. The world is plenty full of prideful and
selfish men who still to this day live only for themselves, taking all they can
before going into the grave with nothing.
I run into many on a daily basis that could care less about God, the
poor, the hungry, the dying, or anything other than what they can gain out of
running into me. It’s tough. It’s tough for a couple reasons. It’s tough because I used to be that
person. I used to be a friend to the
world and an enemy of God, acting in every perverted, self-seeking, prideful
way. Looking back, I was my own god. I’d argue to no good end trying to prove that
I was right. My pride got me into many
unfavorable situations and ultimately it led me to death. It’s also tough because these people I speak
with or see daily are completely unreceptive to the one thing that can save them. God opposes their pride so they will turn and
seek God, and yet they see His opposition as a reason to curse Him, or pretend
He doesn’t exist all together. For them
I pray, and for them I try daily to make some sort of impact and be a useful
vessel to the Lord to reach them in any way possible. This is something I can’t do by myself...In fact;
it’s something I can’t do at all.
Knowing this, that
without God I am nothing, I can then go to the One Who is all powerful and all
knowing and I can submit myself to His full authority. I can daily kneel before my King and ask of
Him his will of me. Only He can guide me
to reach others and teach me to resist the devil. Only He can purify me heart and change my
character. And only He can truly lift me
up. Sure, there are many foundations on
the earth that I may have been able to lift myself up to, but God could have
shaken any of them to the ground and allowed me to fall at any time. Only God can set me high upon the rock that
doesn’t move. Only His grace is
sufficient. So daily, before I leave my
house, before I take a shower, before I even leave my bed, I come before the
throne of the Most High and place all my trust in Him, asking for eyes to see,
ears to hear, and a heart that understands His guidance that today I may do His
will. I recognize my inability to do
anything without Him and with head bowed low I ask for Him to help me bear the
armor and the assignment to move forward in the battles I face. I ask Him to go with me into battle that if I
fall He will lift me up and when I swing my sword He would guide my strike to
be of right words. I ask for His light
because I know that my example alone is powerless without His movement and use
of it. I don’t recall ever leaving
morning prayer in hopes of being lifted up or I’m sure I would have been
brought low. But rather, I leave prayer
thankful that He chooses to hear my cries as a wretched man unworthy to be
heard. That He hears me and shows me
grace brings me great joy. Join me in
daily submission before God and if you see in me an unrighteous pride, then
tell me so that I may humble myself before the Lord need bring me low.
My response to the
Lord:
My King, today I have cried from a grateful heart because
though I am unworthy, You have saved this sinner from himself. You have saved me from who I was and the
self destructive path I was on. You have
saved me from eternal separation and destruction in fire. You have protected me from my foes and chosen
me to be separated from the world as a royal priesthood by your grace. I deserve your wrath and yet you have given me
great mercy and grace. You have loved me
when I was owed only hate. For me to
submit myself to you is only the least I can do. I owe you my everything Lord. Thank you for your favor, unmerited. May your name be lifted high and may my life
be used to glorify you always. In Jesus’
name.
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