i was reading brother Mikes thread ...
Missing: HUMILITY
https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=4806&forum=36
... and was gonna post this there but while the word "humility" sparked my thoughts my gist didn't seem appropriate for what he's attempting to convey ... So this new thread ...
"Humility", the word that makes my flesh cringe ... The thought of turning the other cheek still doesn't give me happy feet ... i still, even tho i really know better, have difficulty treating with kindness those who dispitefully use me ... And as for heaping coals of fire on their heads, if they ain't literal coals, and if i ain't the one actually pouring them, i'm in need of repenting for vile thoughts of vengeance, but praise God for the progress that it doesn't get past a thought anymore, for there was a time when i'd not rest until i retaliated ...
Humility ... the one aspect of a servant's attitude and heart, exemplified to no greater degree than by God
Himself, in the person of the Son Jesus Christ, allowing His creation to spit in His face, scourage
Him unmercifully, and then nail Him to an old rugged Roman cross, just so the likes of a formerly lost, once arrogant, prideful sinner like myself might be redeemed ...
i've posted this thread because a little over a year ago our Lord demoted me from a middle management
position on my job, along with a 3K paycut, and i found myself in the prospect of answering to a much younger guy that i'd hired ... Now i was further enough along in my Christian maturuty to know that it is the Lord that promotes and demotes and told my employer so, and i knew it was God because i'd kept my nose squeaky clean in the position and had worked it as unto the Lord, upper management's only problem with me being that i was no "yes" man to their unethical program ... So when it happened, right away i literally said out loud to Jesus, "OK Lord what is it that you want me to learn now? ... If it's more humility, i'm about sick and tired of humility" ... i actually said that to Him, with an attitude that i latter had to beg His forgiveness of, and the mere fact that i so quickly reacted like that let me know that i've got a lot more notches to be taken down in before i can ever be used most effectively by Him in a servants position to Himself, His Body and the heathen ... Our Lord has been most gracious and kind to me especially in the past two years because He's used quite a few saints from the OT in which to parallel my life, and thru it i have been able to see that He works in each and every one of our lives the same way now as He did then ... When i look at the young guy that was brought in under my supervision, whose supervision i am now under, i see God's hand all over it, and by His grace He has been able to deliver me thru as a witness to Himself in ways that are just mind blowing ... It has been amazing how many of my fellow employees i've been able to witness to out of the fact that they just can't seem to understand how that i'm even much more pleasant now, and am still putting in an overage of hours just as i had before ... i tell them it's Christs way of preparing me ever deeper to His service ...
i was as cool as a cucumber when my employer sat me down and told me of the demotion because i knew i couldn't blow my testimony, but afterwards my mind began throwing private tantrums and i began complaining to our Lord that i felt as though i was in a box and that i wanted Him to get me out ... We'll He's recently taken me thru the life of Joseph and subsequently let me know that what i'm feeling is correct ... He does at this point have me in a sort of spiritual "humility" prison, and He's let me know that it doesn't do me any good to pray, beg, scream, fret, throw tantrums or appeal to any other human being to free me from this prison, until His appointed time for it to be so ... So in ending this is what i've heard our Lord say to me ... "Rahman you will never be able to do My work in the palace place until I have done My work in you in the prison place ...
So like Paul, me, you, and all other saints who have been bought and paid for by His blood are prisoners of Jesus Christ, and the mere fact that it's Holy Spirit's mission to transform us into the likeness of Christ means lots, and lots of lessons in, you guessed it ... H-U-M-I-L-I-T-Y! ... Proof of our ultimate humilty will be evidenced when like Paul we've learned to pray to and praise Him in all thanksgiving, content in Christ in whatever circumstance He places us in ... All praises to His most holy name ... Amen
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