“Humble Yourself Before Men And God!”

“Humble Yourself Before Men And God!”
The holy Scriptures is active and living, speaking to every generation in their socio-cultural context and with familiar idioms. To be relevant heaven-bound is to have an eye and ear to the day-to-day life patterns of each context and to use it to illustrate heavenly realities.
Jesus and New Testament writers emphasised the place of social and cultural importance in spiritual matters. Believers are not of this world but they are in the world.
Jesus may not have agreed with the Pharisees on many issues of faith, but he still socialised with them. Being a teacher par-excellence he never missed an opportunity to transmit important social teachings which served as a function of heavenly realities.
On one ocassion when he “went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee…he noticed how guests picked the places of honour at the table, and he told them this parable: ‘When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honour, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, “Give this man your seat.” Then you will be humiliated, and you will have to take the least important place…For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted'”(Lk. 14:7-11).
“The meek shall inherit the earth.” “God opposes the proud but gives life to the humble.” Jeremiah says neither the wise man should boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the rich man in his riches. Whoever wants to boast should boast “that he understands me and knows me, for I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth…”(9:23-24).
Humility is not a lesson to teach others it should be the lifestyle of believers! A teacher or a preacher shouldn’t be a sign post directing people to where it does not go! To this end Paul says, “I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize”(I Cor.9:24-27). This is my prayer on a daily basis. It should be yours too!
Prayer: Holy Spirit continue to enable me to remain humble before humanity and before God so that I too will win the heavenly prize in Jesus’ name! Amen!
Happy and blessed Sunday! Peace be with you!