“Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table.
Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better
place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. For
those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves
will be exalted.”
Then he turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a
banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich
neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward.
Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God
will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.” Luke 14:10-14
Now that my sound as if Jesus was telling us to sit at the
lower seat so that we could be lifted up but I think He is saying to take that
lower seat happily, and then if we should be lifted up and given a better place
then so be it, but do not brag about it. Do not take a position of ease before
you offer it up to someone who may enjoy it more because they did not get that treatment
before.
Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that
God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to
him. And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the
proud but gives grace to the humble.”
So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he
will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash
your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided
between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there
be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom
instead of joy. Humble yourselves before
the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. James 4:5-9
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching
and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing
with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do
all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Colossians 3:16-17
Someone once told me that if I get honored here on earth,
well that is my honor, or prize. If I get honored in heaven, greater are the
rewards! If I keep that in mind then when I am not noticed for doing something
in the name of the Lord then it is okay because I can remember that my reward
is in heaven. When you think about it,
it is better to be honored by God than man! Man can use lip service God can answer
our desires of our heart in honor of our prayers and our deeds. In other words when
we live our lives to please the Lord, He will bless us in ways we did not think
of. He will show us greater things that we can imagine. He will enlarge our boarders
like Jabez He will grant people children in their old age, as with Abraham and
Sarah. He will bring us into the Promised Land, as with the Children of Israel!
We need to give God the honor, and be humble before Him each day in prayer.
Giving Him praise, and thanking Him for all that He has done, bring others into
His presence and humbly instruct them in righteousness just as Christ has
instructed us today.
If nothing else, we will get peace when we humble ourselves
in the sight of the Lord.
Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from
the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the
everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will,
working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to
whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Hebrews 13:20-21
So, what must we do to humble ourselves and receive honor
from God? Nothing really. His Word shows us again and again to honor Him, be
humble, to love His mercy and to walk justified in His presence. When we accept Christ, and truly look to Him
daily for guidance in His Word and prayer, then we will please the Lord in our
humbleness.
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams? Ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression? The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you; but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:7-9
We need to think less of ourselves and more of Jesus and meditate
on His directions and guidance to follow. Our time on earth is not just about
pleasing us and making us happy. Let us follow the Word and listen for His hope,
love, and peace each day and apply the attribute of humility to our lives today
as we walk in the steps He has put before us. In Jesus’ name…