FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK:

The other day I was reading an old Upper Room as my daily devotions, and at the bottom of the page as the “Thought for the Day”; it read this When I Am Humble, I Am Teachable” and this really stroke me.

Humble is a word that sometimes you can associated with weakness, with under esteem, in today world it is more negative than positive.

Humble - means modest; meek; not proud or arrogant. To humble oneself is to perform an act of submission. So how can this be? “When I Am Humble, I Am Teachable” What really stop my learning?

In 1 Peter 5: 5-6 it said: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time.”

The higher we are placed, the more humbly should we walk. Humility before God and before humanity is a virtue every child of God needs to strive for. A spirit of pride in human relations indicates a lack of humility before God.

In the Epistle to the Philippians Paul explained how humility can be expressed. Instead of concentrating on self, each believer should be concerned for the interest of others in the household of faith. Preoccupation with oneself all the time can become a sin.

Christ is the supreme example of humility and self/less for himself. WE the believers are exhorted to have the same attitude. Christ’s humiliation included His making Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant and being made in human likeness. The words “MAKE HIMSELF NOTHING” are literally ‘HE EMPTIED HIMSELF” of his self-interests, He was willing to obey the Father, and to serve others.

“When I Am Humble, I Am Teachable” So what stop my learning in the Christian life is my pride, my preoccupation with myself, my unwillingness to obey the Father and to serve other.

In the Old Testament, God reminder the Israelites that He has led them 40 years in the wilderness, in order to humble them, and testing what it is in their hearts. Can we remember the story when the children of Israel arrived at Kadesh, only a few days of travel could have brought them to the Promise Land. But they feared the giants in the land and did not have faith in God’s protection. So what could have been a short journey became forty years of wandering in the wilderness.

God mercifully and miraculously provided for their physical needs, but the time in the wilderness was a difficult time of testing and learning for the Israelites. The provision of manna was a test, to see if Israel would depend on the Lord’s word. Such dependence is humbling. The people could avoid pride in their wealth and strength if they would constantly remember the Lord and the lesson of the wilderness; all of life is a gift from God and nothing is possible apart from Him.

Sometimes we find our self going through the difficult times, a wilderness causes by our own unbelief, selfishness, and price. We cry out: “Lord, what is happening to me? Where are you?

“When I Am Humble, I Am Teachable” Nor man or woman will learn anything at all, unless he/she first will learn humility. Going through the wilderness is a humbling experience, and it teaches us to depend upon God alone. When we are humble, we become teachable. It is then that God is revealed to us as our provider and God’s grace is sufficient for us.

George Bernard Shaw says: “The Churches must learn humility as well as teach it.” The Christian is like the ripening cord; the riper its grows the more lowly its bends his head.

So, let not say to ourselves, my power and the mighty of my own hand have gotten me this wealth, but to humble, so we can be teachable by the Lord, our God.

Pastor Dora