Humility Devo

       June 5th, 2016  

Devotional

“Simple Spirituality: Humility” - James 4: 10, John 21: 4-7

Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com

Monday: “Thinking We Know it All” - Matthew 12: 22-24

One of the marks of pride that we often overlook is self-righteousness or thinking that we know it all. Now, there are certainly times that we are educated in specific areas more than other people, and should be listened to, but no one knows everything about ever topic. The self-righteousness of the Pharisees can be seen in today’s scripture passage as Jesus healed a man in an amazing way and the crowds rightly recognized his power and place as they asked “Can this be the Son of David?” The crowd collectively got it right! But the Pharisees could not accept Jesus because he didn’t act as they expected the Son of David to act, so instead they accused him of being the Devil, thus assuring their power and privilege.

Sometimes it is hard to recognize our own self-righteousness, our own pride. Sometimes we need a trusted friend to point it out to us, or to show us how the crowd was right. May we be open to being humbled for the sake of the Kingdom. 

When is a time you thought you were right and found out you weren’t? How did you react?

What makes it  easy for you to become prideful? How do you practice the spiritual discipline of humility in your own life? 

Prayer: Jesus, we confess that sometimes we are wrong. Sometimes even when we think we are right, we miss the point you are trying to make, or miss your presence in front of us. Open up our spirits to being humbled so that the root of the sin of pride does not destroy us. Purify us, O Lord. Amen. 

Tuesday: “The Greatest” - Matthew 18: 1-5

Most of us have grown up being told that we can be great if we only try, or perhaps this is something you have communicated to your children or grandchildren. There is nothing wrong with trying to encourage children to go after their dreams, but we need to be clear that there is a difference between being great and being the greatest. Only God can be the Greatest, yet the disciples quickly forgot that in today’s scripture passage. They started asking Jesus who was the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven - they missed the point of all that Jesus had been trying to teach them over the years. 

So Jesus took a small child, one who would have been looked down upon in ancient society, and said that the one who could humble themselm like a child was the greatest - the one who could set aside power and knowledge, and instead seek to have a pure heart.

How can we have the humility of children today? How do you keep yourself humble?

Prayer: Lord, life can lie to us sometimes. If we listen to the world that surrounds us, we think that we need to be the greatest, which can quickly lead us to forgetting that you alone are the Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Keep us humble, O Lord. Keep our perspective pure. May we worship you alone as Above All. Amen.  

Wednesday: “ Save the Lost” - Luke 19:1-10, James 4: 10

Every time I read and study the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus, I seem to pick up on something new. But one thing that I always appreciate is that Zacchaeus understood that he was in need of being saved. He understood that while his life looked successful to those outside looking in, he knew that he was empty inside. He knew that he was in need of a Lord.

Sometimes we can trick those looking at our lives from the outside into thinking that we have it all together. But we know that we are in need of Savior. James tells us to humble ourselves before the Lord, which is exactly what Zacchaeus did. He didn’t promise Jesus that he would change in order to trick him or to show off. He changed in response to meeting his Savior that day, as he stripped away his pride and picked up humility in its place. 

Tell about a time you knew that you were in need of accepting a Savior. 

How do you humble yourself before the Lord?

Prayer: Lord, you are the only are worthy of our praise. Help us, O Lord, to humble ourselves before you. Help us to recognize that we don’t have it all together and that we are in need of a Savior. Thank you, O Lord! Amen. 

Thursday: “Hidden Treasure” - Matthew 13: 44

Humility is a hidden treasure that helps put us on the path to spiritual refreshment. We live in a world that tells us to claw our way to the top, while God invites us on the path that leads to life abundant. We live in a world that tells us our worth comes from others honoring us and being proud of us, while God tells us our worth comes from being a child of God. We live in a world that tells us that we need to know it all, while God invites us to rest in the knowledge of God alone. 

Humility is not a trait that many people in the world uplift today, other than perhaps false humility that is simply another form of pride. But humility allows us to recognize God working in and through us to do things bigger than we could ever do on our own. Humility allows us to set ourselves aside for the sake of the Kingdom of God. 

What have you learned about humility from the world? What have you learned about humility from God? How do the two relate?

How does humility allow you to more fully recognize God at work in your life? 

Prayer: Lord, forgive us for the times we have failed to be humble. Forgive us for the times that we have claimed that we have done it all on our own, when really it was you working through us. Use us, O Lord, for your Kingdom purposes. Amen. 

Friday: “When Did We Do That?” - Matthew 25: 31-46

The parable of the sheep and the goats is one of the most troubling to me in scripture because neither set of people remember doing what Jesus said they did. They did not remember turning people away or accepting them. They do not remember when they saw someone who needed food or clothing or how they responded.

But the sheep group - they at least responded as Jesus would have. They responded in a way that reflects the heart of God. The humility that they show in this passage is authentic, they aren’t pretending to forget doing these things all for the sake of making themselves look better. These are simply things they did without thinking, things that came out of having a Christ like heart. 

The discipline of humility is hard at first, until it simply becomes part of who we are. Humility is not about downplaying or bearding ourselves - its about having the heart of Christ take root in us to the point where we naturally become the hands and feet of Jesus. 

Write down your thoughts about this parable. How does it reflect humility? How are humility and service in Christ name connected? 

Prayer: Lord, free us to serve others in your name. Free us to have your heart in our heart. Free us to care as you care for this world. Use us, in the power of your name, Lord Jesus. Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “Simple Spirituality: Community” - Matthew 25: 42-43 and 1 Cor 12: 12-31

Family Activity: Keep a gift journal. Every day write down something you were gifted to do and  thank God for giving you the ability to have and use that gift.