By Pastor Naomi Mitchell
For Carter County Times
Micah 6:8 says, “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Jesus was meek, humble, and lowly. We said we wanted to be like Jesus in all that we do and speak. Then life, circumstances and things crept in, we began to fall back into the pride of life and the lust of the eyes. We started feeling like we had arrived. It was us doing it, right? Before we knew it, it had become about us and no longer about the Lord.
When did we become arrogant in our worship, our callings, and our ministries, our gifts of help? It used to be that we worked humbly before the Lord in what he called us to do. But now it is “our” ministry, “our” worship, “our” talents, and “our” abilities. Jesus was never arrogant in anything he did for the Father. It wasn’t his ministry. He said, “I only do, and I only say what my Father tells me.” In fact, Jesus told us, “Without me you can do nothing.” We can and we do a lot of things that turn from glorifying the Father to now glorifying ourselves. It is no longer productive in advancing the Kingdom of God. It is no longer worship as unto the Lord causing others to turn their eyes upon Jesus.
We want people to see how much talent we have and that we are good at it. We want our performance to be above others, and we take pride in it. Pride has crept in from the very one who lifted himself up in pride against God. Lucifer lifted himself up with pride and he wanted worship. He began to lust after the things pride would give him. We should examine ourselves in all we do to see if we have allowed that same pride and lust to enter our lives. Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” If we allow ourselves to stay on the road of pride and lust, we will surely suffer destruction and a fall according to the Bible.
The spirit of deception is sneaky and is capable of distracting ANYONE, no matter how long you have been a Christian. NO one is exempt from being deceived by the very one who masters appearing as light.
The Bible tells us in James 4:7, “Submit yourselves, then to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:10 also says, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” The Message Bible says it plain, “Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you will get on your feet.”
To be humble is at the heart of what it means to be like Jesus. All Christians are called to image Christ in their lives, and humility is central to who Jesus is and what he did for all of creation in his life, death, and resurrection. Let us serve one another in the humility of Christ which brings him glory!
Psalm 95:6 says, “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” Psalm 115:1 says, “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness.”
One last reminder. Colossians 3:23-24 states, “And whatever you do, do it heartily unto the Lord and not to men. Knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ!” Get back on track for the glory of God!
Amen! So be it!
JOYFUL House of Prayer, 2519 Quicksand Road, (P.O. Box 856), Jackson, Kentucky 41339. Send Comments/Prayer Requests: Pastornaomi4god@gmail.com. FB: JoyfulHoprayer. Services: 10am Sunday and Joyful Kids Class at 10:30am, 6:30pm Thursdays. Radio Broadcast: WJSN 97.3 FM & WEKG 81.0 AM Sundays 1-2pm.
