Humility Month Day 37: Getting the Heart Right

Posted on September 6, 2024 by Pastor Jesse

What is your heart telling you today? Culture tells us to trust our hearts. The Bible warns us that our hearts can be deceptive. We want to feel things are right in our heart. If we feel the tension, if our hearts are restless, we struggle and seek to put our hearts at peace. What can we do to get our hearts right? This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Get a Bible and work through the prayers, scripture reading, questions, and devotional reading below. May the Lord bless you as you do so. And may the Spirit of God work in each of us to shape us to be a little more like Jesus, today.

— Praise God with Me: (1)
God of light and truth, you are beyond our grasp or conceiving.
Before the brightness of your presence the angels veil their faces.
With lowly reverence and adoring love
we acclaim your glory and sing your praise,
for you have shown us your truth and love
in Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen

— Let us read and reflect on Scripture:
A little background: Most of us know that Jesus taught us love our neighbors. Moreover, he told his disciples to love one another as he had love them, as he loves us. But how? This section of John’s first letter contrasts the way of the world with the way of Jesus, and gets very practical: It calls us to laying down our life beginning with humble generosity.

Come Holy Spirit, help us to accept who we are. Remind us who you are!
I John 3:11-24

— Answer these four questions:
What does this passage say about God?
What does this passage say about people?
As a result of this reading, what is one step God is inviting you to take?
Who is one person you will tell about that step today?

— With a Heart of Prayer, Let us Respond: (2)
God, shape us to be faithful stewards of the time, talents, and money you’ve given us.
Make us thankful, that we might give in gratitude and joy,
Make us prayerful, that we might serve in sacrifice and love,
Make us hopeful, that we want grow weary.
Through Christ our example we pray, Amen.

— Let’s Gather Wisdom from One Who Walked with Christ before us: (3)
The work of God begins while we are asleep and without our help. He continues to work through the day in our worship and obedience. A sacrifice is the material means of assembling a life before God in order to let God work with it. Sacrifice isn’t something we do for God, but simply setting out the stuff of life for him to do something with. On the altar the sacrificial offering is changed into what is pleasing and acceptable to God. In the act of offering we give up ownership and control, and watch to see what God will do with it. With a deep awareness that the God who speaks life into us also listens when we speak, we put into words the difficulties and delights that we foresee in the hours ahead. We assemble fears and hopes, apprehensions and anticipations, and place them on the altar as an offering: “I prepare a sacrifice, and watch”. (Psalm 5:3b).

— Let us surrender this day to God who blesses us and calls us to be a blessing: (4)
God of all creation, your love endures forever.
You bring forth bread from the earth and fruit from the vine.
Nourish us with these gifts, that we might live in the light of your love and
be in this world signs of your gracious presence in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Sources:
(1) From The Worship Sourcebook, 2004, Faith Alive Christian Resources, edited.
(2) From The Worship Sourcebook, 2004, Faith Alive Christian Resources, edited.
(3) From “Sacrifice” in Answering God by Eugene Peterson
(4) From The Worship Sourcebook, 2004, Faith Alive Christian Resources.

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Humility Month Day 36: God Gives Grace to the Humble

Posted on September 5, 2024 by Pastor Jesse

All of us are eventually called to lead somewhere – if it’s just leading a friend or caring for a child or directing an organization – we will find ourselves in a position of leadership where we get the chance to lead like Jesus. Pursuing humility, like Jesus did, is contrary to our natural desires and contrary to the way of the world. However, it is the calling of every disciple and grace is found by those who know they need it. This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Get a Bible and work through the prayers, scripture reading, questions, and devotional reading below. May the Lord bless you as you do so. And may the Spirit of God work in each of us to shape us to be a little more like Jesus, today.

— Praise God with Me: (1)
O God, you summon the day to dawn, you teach the morning to waken the earth.
For you the valleys shall sing for joy, the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
For you the kings of the earth shall bow, the poor and the persecuted shall shout for joy.
Your love and mercy shall last forever, fresh as the morning, sure as the sunrise.
Great is your name. Great is your love. Amen

— Let us read and reflect on Scripture:
A little background: This section of 1 Peter was written to leaders of the local churches. When these churches gathered, they likely numbered fewer than fifty, would probably meet in homes, and functioned much like extended families. In this section, Peter is speaking to the leaders (shepherds) of these churches and reminds them of the example of Jesus.

Come Holy Spirit, help us to accept who we are as we remember who you are!
I Peter 5:1-11 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

— Answer these four questions:
What does this passage say about God?
What does this passage say about people?
As a result of this reading, what is one step God is inviting you to take?
Who is one person you will tell about that step today?

— With a Heart of Prayer, Let us Respond: (2)
We cannot come before God unless we are first honest with ourselves about who we are,
about the mistakes we make, and about how well or poorly we care for others.
In this spirit, let us offer our prayers to God. Help us, O God of our salvation,
for the glory of your name; deliver us, and forgive our sins, for your name’s sake.

— Let’s Gather Wisdom from One Who Walked with Christ before us: (3)
Many people have often been humbled, and yet they have not become humble. There is a great difference between the two. If God withdraws His grace and allows a Christian to fall into sin, that fall humbles him in the eyes of all good people, and yet he may not become humble. He may never give a true sense of how evil his actions have been. He may still persevere in his lofty spirit and be far from humility.
When this is the case, the proud spirit may expect a fall, for the rod will make wounds when pride is not abated with gentler blows. The most hopeful way of avoiding this humbling affliction is to choose to humble yourself. Be humble that you may not be humbled. Put yourself into a humble attitude and draw near to God in a lowly spirit, and He will cease chiding.

— Let us receive this blessing from God today: (4)
Receive this good news: We are sinners loved by God.
The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross,
that we might be dead to sin, and alive to all that is good.
In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Thanks be to God.
Let us live in the light of this good news!

Sources:
(1) From The Worship Sourcebook, 2004, Faith Alive Christian Resources.
(2) With portions drawn from Psalm 79:9, NRSV as found in The Worship Sourcebook, 2004, Faith Alive Christian Resources, edited.
(3) From “Grace to the Humble”, an excerpt from Beside Still Waters, daily readings from the works of Charles Hadden Spurgeon (19th Century)
(4) From I Timothy 1:15 and I Peter 2:24 as found in The Worship Sourcebook, 2004, Faith Alive Christian Resources, edited.

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Humility Month Day 35: Getting Close to God

Posted on September 4, 2024 by Pastor Jesse

Double-mindedness: to want God’s favor and everything the worldly culture offers – especially power, influence, and wealth. Divided loyalties lead to divided hearts and divided churches. It leads to sin. But God has more grace than we have sin. And he shows us a better way: the way of humility. This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Get a Bible and work through the prayers, scripture reading, questions, and devotional reading below. May the Lord bless you as you do so. And may the Spirit of God work in each of us to shape us to be a little more like Jesus, today.

— Praise God with Me: (1)
Almighty God, Your love for us and for all people is powerful beyond measure.
Your love is so vast that nothing will prevail against it.
We know this love is trustworthy because of Jesus Christ:
His life of compassion, death on the cross, and resurrection from the dead.
In life and death, we belong to you, holy triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

— Let us read and reflect on Scripture:
A little background: In this section of James, he takes on a common problem for God’s people: preferring the ways of the world to the way of God. James calls this “friendship with the world.” Ultimately, this divides our loyalties, threatens our fellowship, and leads to “double-mindedness”: we want God and the world. As Jesus warned us, we cannot serve two masters. Drawing from the Old Testament wisdom, James shows us how to put God first.

Come Holy Spirit, help us to remember who we are and who you are!
James 4:1-10

— Answer these four questions:
What does this passage say about God?
What does this passage say about people?
As a result of this reading, what is one step God is inviting you to take?
Who is one person you will tell about that step today?

— With a Heart of Prayer, Let us Respond: (2)
Almighty God, You have called us out of darkness into a marvelous light.
And we confess that we are often swept up in the tide of our generation.
We have failed in our calling to be your holy people, a people set apart for your divine purpose. Help us to turn our hearts toward you, to surrender our lives for you.
By your Holy Spirit, forgive us, revive us, and reshape us in your image. Amen.

— Let’s Gather Wisdom from One Who Walked with Christ before us: (3)
Jeremy Taylor writes, “Humility begins as a gift from God, but it is increased as a habit we develop. That is, humility is increased by exercising it.” In the excerpt below, he offers twenty examples of these exercises. Here are two:
“Sixteenth: Do not constantly try to excuse all of your mistakes. If you have made a mistake, or an oversight, or an indiscretion, confess it plainly, for virtue scorns a lie for is cover. If you are not guilty (unless it be scandalous), do not be overly concerned to change everyone’s opinion about the matter. Learn to bear criticism patiently; knowing the harsh words of an enemy can be a greater motivator than the kind words of a friend.
“Seventeenth: Give God thanks for every weakness, fault, and imperfection you have. Accept it as a favor from God, an instrument to resist pride and nurse humility. Remember, if God has chosen to shrink your swelling pride, he has made it that much easier for you to enter in through the narrow way!”

— Let us receive this blessing from God today: (4)
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

Sources:
(1) From The Worship Sourcebook, 2004, Faith Alive Christian Resources.
(2) From The Worship Sourcebook, 2004, Faith Alive Christian Resources, edited.
(3) From “The Grace of Humility”, an excerpt The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living, by Jeremy Taylor. (17th Century)
(4) From 2 Corinthians 13:14 as found in The Worship Sourcebook, 2004, Faith Alive Christian Resources.

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Humility Month Day 34: No Favoritism

Posted on September 3, 2024 by Pastor Jesse

Favoritism – making distinctions and showing partiality – is back in fashion (as if it ever went out). Cultural commentators call it “tribalism.” We divide ourselves by status, age, politics, gender, ethnicity, education, etc. It shows up and brings divisions within God’s church. But God desires his children to be a loving family: the salt of the earth, a light shining in the darkness of our culture. This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. I invite you to get a Bible and work through the prayers, scripture reading, questions, and devotional reading below. May the Lord bless you as you do so. And may the Spirit of God work in each of us to shape us to be a little more like Jesus, today.

— Praise God with Me: (1)
O God of all creation, you alone are God and you alone can satisfy our longing
for a support that earth cannot give and that heaven will not take away.
Help us, in recognition of our common dependence on you,
to acknowledge our need of one another.
Let this recognition and acknowledgement make us one
You love us. Let this truth humble us and shape us to one another. Amen.

— Let us read and reflect on Scripture:
A little background: Today we shift to the book of James – which was written by the brother of Jesus, who was a key leader in the early church. Privilege associated with cultural rank played an important role in the Roman Empire, and this cultural value was quite contrary to the church, where all were to be valued, seen as neighbors, loved, and “one in Christ Jesus”. James is writing o address divisions showing up in their fellowship based on rank.

Come Holy Spirit, help us to remember who we are and who you are!
James 2:1-13 Has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?

— Answer these four questions:
What does this passage say about God?
What does this passage say about people?
As a result of this reading, what is one step God is inviting you to take?
Who is one person you will tell about that step today?

— With a Heart of Prayer, Let us Respond: (2)
We pray, O Lord, for the Church, which is one in the greatness of your love,
but divided by the littleness of our love.
May we be less occupied with the things that divide us,
and more with those we hold in common and the love that enfolds us all. Amen.

— Let’s Gather Wisdom from One Who Walked with Christ before us: (3)
God’s exceeding desire to be loved comes from loving exceedingly. This is why Jesus said, “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me.” He even calls us to esteem that which is most precious t us – our soul – as second to the love of God, for our Father wishes to be loved by us entirely.
When we do not love a person we do not wish to be with them, no matter how great or noble that person may be. But when we love someone, we want to be with them, and we view their love for us with great honor even if they are not a person of great rank. For this reason – and not because of our great rank – God values our love. So much, in fact, that he suffered greatly on our behalf.

— Let us receive this blessing from God today: (4)
May the God who makes everything holy and whole,
make you holy and whole, put you together—
spirit, soul, and body—
and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ.
The One who called you is completely dependable.
If he said it, he will do it! Amen.
—
Sources:
(1) From The Worship Sourcebook, 2004, Faith Alive Christian Resources, edited.
(2) From The Worship Sourcebook, 2004, Faith Alive Christian Resources, edited.
(3) From “Dying to Sin”, John Chrysostom (late 4th Century)
(4) From 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, The Message as found in The Worship Sourcebook, 2004, Faith Alive Christian Resources.

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Humility Month Day 33: The Right Things to Think On Deeply

Posted on September 2, 2024 by Pastor Jesse

How would your world be different if you trained your mind to look at the best? How would your heart be different if, every time you felt a little anxiety, you named it and prayed about it with thanksgiving? This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. I invite you to get a Bible and work through the prayers, scripture reading, questions, and devotional reading below. May the Lord bless you as you do so. And may the Spirit of God work in each of us to shape us to be a little more like Jesus, today.

— Praise God with Me: (1)
God of all faithfulness,
you have opened the gate of mercy for your people
and are always ready to welcome those who turn to you.
Look on us in your compassion,
that we may gladly respond to your love
and faithfully walk in your way
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

— Let us read and reflect on Scripture:
A little background: As already mentioned, the church in Philippi was a good church with a few problems. Here, Paul invites the whole church to adopt disciplines and practices of thinking and responding that will lead to peace, joy, and contentment. Can you imagine what would happen if we did this? Read the passage in full and answer the questions.

Come Holy Spirit, help us to remember who we are and who you are!
Philippians 4:4-13 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, with prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God and the peace of God which transcends understanding will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.

— Answer these four questions:
What does this passage say about God?
What does this passage say about people?
As a result of this reading, what is one step God is inviting you to take?
Who is one person you will tell about that step today?

— With a Heart of Prayer, Let us Respond: (2)
In the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus,
we are assured that there is no sin so terrible
that God cannot forgive,
no hurt so terrible that God cannot heal.
God accepts, God forgives, and God sets free.
Receive the forgiving love of God.
Thanks be to God.

— Let’s Gather Wisdom from One Who Walked with Christ before us: (3)
Happy are they who give themselves to God! They are delivered from their passions, from the judgments of others, from their malice, from the tyranny of their sayings, from their cold and wretched mocking, from the misfortunes which the world distributes to wealth, from the unfaithfulness and inconstancy of friends, from the wiles and snares of the enemy, from our own weakness, from the misery and brevity of life, from the horrors of a profane death, from the cruel remorse attached to wicked pleasures, and in the end from the eternal condemnation of God.
We are delivered from this countless mass of evils because by placing our will entirely in the hands of God, we want only what God wants, and thus we find his consolation in faith and, consequently, hope in the midst of all sufferings. What weakness it would be then to fear to give ourselves to God and to undertake too soon so desirable a state!

— Let this glorify God today: (4)
Go in peace as the reaffirmed church of Jesus Christ.
We go to be his body in a broken world.
May the grace of God and the love of Christ go with you. Amen.

Sources:
(1) From The Worship Sourcebook, 2004, Faith Alive Christian Resources.
(2) From The Worship Sourcebook, 2004, Faith Alive Christian Resources, edited.
(3) From A Will No Longer Divided, Froncios Fenelon (early 18th Century)
(4) From The Worship Sourcebook, 2004, Faith Alive Christian Resources.

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