Posts Tagged "humility"

Do you ever get the feeling maybe you’re not seeing yourself accurately? “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”  -Romans 12:3 The word Paul uses here for “Sober judgement” is the greek word “sophroneo.”  It literally means, “to be in one’s right mind.” This same word is used in the Gospels for a man who was set free by Jesus after being possessed by a “legion” of demonic spirits.  In Luke 8, Jesus casts out the demons and the man is then described as being sophroneo, “in his right mind” (Luke 8:35)....

Have you discovered how subtly bitterness can sneak in to your soul?

Have you ever damaged a relationship because of disagreement?  Consider this… Compassion is an antidote to controversy.  It empowers you to hold different perspectives from another person and still have peace between you.  Here’s why. True compassion goes hand-in-hand with humility.  It does not arrogantly look down on people as fools if they see things differently, but looks first in the mirror to see that even our own understanding is a gift, and our own perspective may yet be proved lacking. Compassion is a preserving agent that ensures the survival of the relationship beyond the point of argument – at least as far as it depends on us. Of course, that’s all we’re really responsible for, isn’t it?  Us. PRAYER: O Lord,...

It’s hard to see ourselves for who we really are. “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” -Romans 12:3 Paul realizes that the self-image called for here is only possible through and by the grace of God.  There are too many forces pulling us one way or another for us to do it in our own strength. When we think of ourselves too highly, grace reminds us it’s all a gift.  When we think of ourselves too lowly, grace reminds us that the gift was given because in Christ, God loves us deeply. Grace is the balance that keeps us steady in Him.  May you walk steady...

We praise the idea of the “self-made man”, but is that a good thing? A spirit of self-reliance takes a man’s affections and warps them inward. If he has money, it is HIS money because he worked for it. Therefore what he does with it is his decision alone and he will loathe the thought of anyone else’s fingers on his hard-earned currency. If he has children, they are HIS children, whose purpose is to make him look good, to make his name great, to serve the cause of his ego by following his desires for their lives, not theirs. If he has a wife, she is HIS woman, there to serve his wants and meet his needs. After all, did he not win her with his prowess, woo her with his charm? Does he not provide and pay for her needs by the work of his...