LIVING WATER DAILY DEVOTIONAL
STAY
HUMBLE, OR BE HUMBLED!
15TH
JANUARY,
2022
EXTRA READING FOR TODAY: Genesis 41-42
READ: Matthew 23:1-12
1 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples,
2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.
3 Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.
4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
5 But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.
6 They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues,
7 greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’
8 But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.
9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.
10 And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.
11 But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.
12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
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MEMORISE: And
whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself
will be exalted . (Matthew
23:12).
EXPOSITION
It
is better to be humble than to be humbled. Humility is deliberately
bringing oneself low, in spite of one’s high status, spiritual and
physical achievements, etc. On the other hand, to be humbled implies
that one is being degraded, pulled down, disgraced, or humiliated in
spite of whoever or whatever he/she thinks or claims to be.
There
have been cases of people who got angry just because they were not
“well introduced” or “well-recognised” at gatherings, thereby
losing their dignity and the people’s respect. Contrarily, there
are doctors, professors, etc. who prefer to be called and introduced
as brothers/sisters in the Lord.
James 4:6b says, ‘God resists
the proud, but gives grace to the humble’.
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To
resist means to “fiercely stand against,” “to reject,” “to
disapprove of.” This infers that God stands against, rejects and
disapproves of the proud. That is, He drives them far away from Him,
‘but gives grace to the humble’, and lifts them up in due time
(Jas. 4:10). To lift up is to promote, approve of, motivate, and
encourage, which means God promotes, approves of, motivates and
encourages the humble. The humble has nothing to lose; the proud has
everything to lose.
What status have you attained? This should
make you humbler and calmer. In John 3:27, it is clear that no man
has anything except all that is given from heaven.
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So,
if God has given you all your achievements, why boast and oppress
others with them as if you got them by your own might? Remember the
humbled Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar and Herod! What about Queen Vashti?
Conversely, remember David, Joseph, Daniel, Mary (the mother of Jesus
Christ), Esther, and even our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. They were
all humble people who God exalted and promoted in due seasons. If you
refuse to be humble, you will soon fumble, and be humbled. God
forbid!
PRAYER
POINT:
1.
Lord, instil in me the spirit of humility like the mind in our Lord
Jesus.
2. Lord, let me never be carried away by worldly
achievements.
3. Pray for CAC Latunde Region, our father in the
Lord, the Superintendent, and its officers at the various levels, as
led by the Spirit of God.
DO HAVE A BLESSED DAY
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©2022 LIVING WATERS IS a daily devotional by THE CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHURCH |