Go and Humble Yourself

Learning to forgive others can be hard, but for me at least, it can be just as hard asking forgiveness for something I've done wrong.

In my earlier blog post (http://elliejoi.blogspot.com/2012/04/relationship-vs-fellowship.html) , I talked about the difference between our Relationship and Fellowship with God. We need to confess our sins to the Lord to restore fellowship, but sometimes (in fact a lot), part of that repentance is confessing and asking forgiveness from other people--especially if you've done something to wrong them and they don't even know it!

And man, I was feeling it this morning. My own words were coming back to haunt me as the Lord convicted me of a couple sins that I hadn't confessed to the people I'd wronged. It was one of those kick-yourself-in-the-pants moments. :)

I felt stupid, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that asking forgiveness isn't just the right thing to do, it's also part of growing in humility. The part of me that thinks "I'm gonna look stupid" is plain old pride.

Here's some verses I looked up on humility:

- "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." ~ Proverbs 11:2
Notice that this verse equates humility with wisdom...as in the opposite of being stupid. :)

- This one is a personal favorite of mine: "My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have struck hands in pledge for another, if you have been trapped by what you said, ensnared by the words of your mouth, then do this, my son, to free yourself, since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands: Go and humble yourself;" ~ Proverbs 6:1-3

- "Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life." ~ Proverbs 22:4

- "He {Jesus} called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: 'I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.' " ~ Matthew 18:2-4

So just from these verses, what are the benefits of humility?
- Wisdom
- Freedom
- Wealth, honor, and life
- Some kind of greatness in the kingdom of heaven

So the next time you feel stupid or humiliated when asking forgiveness from others, just remember that the benefits far outweigh the temporary feeling of embarrassment if you are truly seeking reconciliation with others and God.

In Christ,
Ellie


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

People Matter

Image
Today was one of those first time experiences that I'll never forget. I've been a part of our local Church Body - Southwest Wake Christian Assembly (SWCA) - for right around eight years, and although we've had a dozen births and a handful of marriages, we've never had a death of one of Body members. One of our oldest members, Mr. Bob, was just transferred to Hospice this week with likely only a few more days to live on this earth. The whole situation was rather sudden - I knew he'd struggled with health issues for a while and was weak, but I didn't realize how close he's been to death. Today I got to visit him. Unfortunately, he was sound asleep the whole time, but I still got to talk and sing loudly to him. Even if he didn't hear anything I said or sang, I'm sure God will pass along the message when Mr. Bob falls into His embrace. I admit, I cried. It was emotional seeing him there, knowing he won't be here for much longer. I was also sad tha...
Read more

Joy and "Genesius"

Image
So much has gone on in the past couple weeks!! Not only did I finish my joy study (yay!), but I got through the last two weeks of rehearsals and three performances of a Christian Youth Theatre play! (www.spiritualtwist.com) The play, titled "Genesius", focused on the persecution of early Christians in Rome, 303 AD. It explicitly shared the Gospel, and touched on themes like sacrifice, surrender, faith, love, joy in trials, and much more! I was HUGELY blessed to be able to be a part of this production, and know I will never be the same, especially after the role I played. My character's name was Claudia. Not only was she a Christian, but she was also a noblewoman, which was less common in those days. Her (fictional) husband was also an important official and a close friend of the Emperor, Diocletian. When Claudia and her daughter, Lydia, are captured and brought before the Emperor (which happens during the play), he tries to get Claudia to renounce her faith, first by a...
Read more

Dance Before the Lord

Image
Today I read 2 Samuel 6. This is when David and all of Israel are bringing the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem. The first time is a failure (the dude touches the Ark and dies, David gets spooked, and lets some other guy take care of it for a while), but I focused my study on the second part of the chapter, when they're bringing it in again the right way. It says that David danced before the Lord (and subsequently all of Israel) with "all his might". There were shouts, and trumpets, and other musical instruments blaring, I'm sure. Then David began "leaping and dancing" in celebration and thankfulness before the Lord. Not only is David held in honor by the people for this whole-hearted display (as we find out later in the chapter), but David also blesses the people by giving them all food. However, David's wife Michal (Saul's daughter), despises and condemns David for his dancing, saying that he made an utter fool of himself before the people....
Read more