We ALL want to be humble , like CHRIST.
We DON’T want to be humiliated , like CHRIST.
How do we learn humility ?
Humility , that wonderful virtue of CHRIST, draws us to HIMSELF+ . That virtue is what makes us NOT afraid to come to CHRIST with our soiled, messed-up, sin-filled lives. HE+ does indeed receive us “just as I am.”
The KING+ of kings and LORD+ of lords is “meek and lowly of heart” and we can approach This KING+ in repentance with honesty.
In contrast, not a one of us can approach ANY earthly head-of-state being soiled, messed-up, and . . . un-important .
Who teaches us humility ?
The proud, the over-bearing, the rude. The ones who demean us. The ones whose tongues strut upon the earth. These are our teachers.
When they fancy they have us under their control, they lift themselves up in arrogance against us. They bring accusations against us which are LIES mis-construed by their blind arrogance.
It is most unpleasant.
If we wish --- or more accurately, if the LORD wishes --- to teach us humility, then we must learn to SANCTIFY these humiliating experiences unto CHRIST.
SO FIRST, we must monitor our response.
If we wish for PEACE, we must modify our words, speaking nothing in haste, monitoring even our demeanor. Generally, we should listen more and speak less.
It does no good to defend ourselves; the arrogant will receive this as resistance. They only wish to be in control, so they see our “explanations” as trying to wrest that control from their hands.
Unfortunately, only humiliating interaction with the proud, arrogant , and rude will teach us humbleness of mind.
WHY do we want this CHRIST-like virtue ?
It opens the door for the HOLY SPIRIT to work in their lives. The satan cannot “accompany” our humbleness of mind, but The LORD JESUS can and does. This particular “witness” will trouble their thoughts even if they dismiss it. Furthermore, they will have to dismiss it over and over again, for the HOLY SPIRIT will see to it that the witness doesn’t evaporate.
All the over-bearing wants is to proclaim their control over others. That is exactly what the Roman soldiers did whenever they forced the Jews to carry their backpacks a mile. The LORD JESUS said when that happened, “ Go with them TWAIN.” --- that’s 2 miles !
WHY ?
Because: It wrested the CONTROL back into the hands of the Christian --- [ think: enter the HOLY SPIRIT ] --- and out of the hands of satan.
The witness for CHRIST JESUS could not be stopped nor hindered by satan. HE+ was lifted up in a way that the sinner could see and feel.
The demand of the arrogant and proud is reversed into our giving . . . instead of being “taken from.” They become our debtors. [ That is, they become indebted to The LORD ! ]
Likewise, our part is to FORGIVE the demander --- not smolder in anger.
REMEMBER: to this we were born . . . and Born Again . . . so that we can do our part in opening their closed hearts unto CHRIST JESUS.
Thus it is, that our humbleness of mind received through humiliation presents a STRONG, unyielding WITNESS FOR CHRIST.
In contrast, our resistance bears witness for our fleshly man. Our resistance bears witness to our Adamic nature.
YES, it is a hateful thing to yield to the proud and arrogant. The human spirit detests doing that.
YET, The SPIRIT of CHRIST leads us down this pathway of humiliation.
Let humiliation work a TRUE spirit of humility in us. Then, CHRIST will be glorified . . . and exemplified . . . in us.
Some Day Soon, it will all be rectified.
And during this process of Sanctification, let humiliation have its perfect work.
Let us search our own hearts and find all the times we have been proud, over-bearing, or arrogant --- even in thought as well as in word and deed. Likely, we shall find a need of repentance ourselves.
Are WE perfected yet ?
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