Two Kinds Of Humility

​Love you all, praying for you,
 
I just love God’s Word. It teaches you - God’s Truth, God’s Character, God’s Love, and His promise.  But it also teaches you… things about you.  One thing I’ve noticed about me.  How much I just want to obey God… selectively.  How much I want to do His work, and minister to others… selectively.  I want to serve God as the rider in the steeplechase.  Where everyone can see me gliding over the jumps on my magnificent steed, hair flowing in the wind… I don’t really want to serve God – by cleaning the stalls, I’d rather ride the horse for Jesus.  God reminded me of Isaiah 6:8 – Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”  And I said, “Here am I.  Send me!”  Isaiah didn’t know where God would send him, or what God would send him to do, he just said,  I’m here, I’ll go where you send me.  I’d rather be the David God chooses – that wins all the victories, or the Solomon God chooses – the really smart guy.  But sometimes he chooses Jeremiah the weeping prophet.  Sometimes he chooses the one who will persevere in prayer for fifty years.  Serving the LORD takes humility.  There are actually two kinds.  Humility before God means obeying.  Whatever He says to do, wherever he says to go. Whoever He says to serve or serve with.  I’d rather serve as the Chaplain of the NBA, than the chaplain of the homeless shelter.  I’d rather serve the cool people, with the cool people with me.  Do I want to make an appearance, or really do what God told me to do?  The other kind of humility is humility before others – preferring them over yourself.  I find I really want to obey God selectively, and occasionally.  That’s what I prefer.  He prefers me to obey always  - no matter what.  One thing I’ve also found.  That when I do, the things He has for me are way better than I could ever imagine.  Not always easy, not always convenient, not even always fun… but always a blessing for me, as much as a blessing for anyone else.  Praying that you will take joy in humility.  There is a joy that comes with it.  And a promise – He will exalt you.  You may be cleaning stalls now, but He will exalt you.  You may be unseen now, but He will exalt you.  And when you come to the place where it doesn’t matter if you ever get seen, as long as you're seen by Him, and as long as Jesus shines – there is a joy there, that you just can’t explain.  God loves you, He has good for you, He longs to bless you, and everything he asks you to do for His glory – is always for your good.  It makes you humbler, (yes, you can make up words if you want to), It makes you stronger, it makes you wiser and it makes your joy to overflow.  Praying that you will be both kinds of humble today.  So your joy is fresh and new, and overflowing in His grace. 
 
Love you all,
dad