Pastor Stephen Dedman

Category: Trust

Be Humble

Encouragement, Trust

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭14:11

It is natural for us to desire places or positions of honor and importance that make us look good. But it’s not biblical.

Jesus taught a very valuable lesson as He spoke to a multitude of people seeking to hear Him. He spoke a parable about attending a wedding reception and intentionally not taking the seat of honor just in case someone else arrived who was more important.

He said it would shame a person to place oneself in a place of honor when someone else deserves it more. Instead He said to sit at the lowest place and let the one who invited you place you at a higher place and then you will be honored by those you sit with.

Jesus spoke this parable to teach us about humility. When we seek to take honor to ourselves, we will always be humbled or humiliated. It is important for us to start off being humble and then let someone else exalt us.

Jesus was the perfect example of this. He deserved the highest place of honor but chose the lowest place and then God granted Him the highest place. Philippians 2:5-9 says, “though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,”

We live in a world that places so much value on being successful. While it’s good to strive to be the best at what you do, it’s equally important to consider how you treat others in the process. Lift others before yourself. Your actions reflect the condition of your heart.

Pray

Lord, help me to be humble. Let me notice what others need and want before myself. Thank you for being lowly and setting the perfect example for me to follow.

Happy Are The Meek

Encouragement, Trust

‘Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.’
Matthew 5:5

Meekness is never described as weakness. In fact meekness consists of strength and self-control. It takes strength to remain meek and gentle.

Moses was considered as one of the meekest according to Numbers 12:3, “Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.” Moses never showed weakness as he led the children of Israel in the wilderness for 40 years.

Meekness is defined as humility, patience and discipline under control. Sometimes when we are not under the control of the Holy Spirit we may say or do something that later we regret. Meekness is a characteristic of God that needs to be learned and practiced in every Christian.

Jesus said in Matthew 11:29, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” We can learn from Jesus as He was the example of meekness for all to see.

Submitting to God and obeying His Word takes self-control, patience, and discipline. Blessed are the meek. What or who are you facing today that requires you to be meek? Be patient and be humble. Be gentle and exercise self-control.

Pray

Lord, I love You and trust You. Instruct me in all my ways. Strengthen me to be meek and gentle yet bold and courageous.

He Will Assist You

Encouragement, Trust

‘Cast your burden on the Lord , And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.’
Psalms 55:22

Have you ever given something to someone but when you reached out to hand it to them you couldn’t release it? That sounds pretty silly doesn’t it?

To not let go means it’s valuable and you don’t want to get rid of it. So what’s keeping you from giving your burdens to the Lord?

When you give a burden to the Lord, you hand it over for God to deal with it. Look at what the psalmist says after casting your burden on the Lord… “and He shall sustain you.” The true meaning of the word sustain means to assist.

When we cast our burden on the Lord we allow Him to carry the load. We allow God to take the heavy load off our shoulders so that we can walk freely in His grace. It takes the pressure off of us.

It doesn’t mean that your troubles disappear. It doesn’t mean that you won’t have to make tough decisions or deal with difficult situations. But it does mean that God will give you the strength to get through. He will assist you.

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” The only way that we can rest is to fully trust in the Lord. Jesus wants us to have peace and not be anxious.

The best thing we can do with our burden is to release it. It’s very similar to throwing a fishing lure into the water. Once it’s released there’s nothing we can do but wait. And with our burdens, we wait on the Lord to do His great work.

Pray

Lord, I know You care but You are waiting on me to ask for help. So Lord, help me! I can’t do it alone. I praise You for what You are doing in my life.