Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: grace

Humility Matters

Encouragement

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

Take every opportunity to promote yourself before and above others. Seize occasions for recognition and manipulate your way into the center of attention. According to the world, this is the way to attain high esteem. 

But according to God’s design, you must put others first. Humble yourself. It’s when God sees your humility that He will exalt you.

If we put our efforts into promoting ourselves, we will be brought down and humiliated. Jesus spoke of a man who tried to enhance his own image (Luke 14:7-11). While attending a dinner, he quickly claimed the seat of most honor. When the host saw this take place, he humiliated the man by asking him to move to another seat, the lowest seat in the room. 

Jesus said the wise thing to do is seek the lowest position and allow someone else to exalt you when they feel that you need to be recognized. 

When we strive to remain humble, we bring glory to God and not ourselves. If we honor God, He will honor us. When the world exalts you, you are the center of attention. But when God exalts you, others will praise Him for what He has done in your life.

Allow God to be the One who honors you in the way that pleases Him!

Pray

Lord, please keep me humble. I ask You to remove all pride from my heart. May Your Holy Spirit transform me and change me.

Guilty or Guilt-Free

Encouragement

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Genesis 3:8

Since the fall of man, mankind has been hiding from God. The shame of our sin creates an urgency to hide from the presence of God. Immediately after Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden tree they hid from God. 

Their shame and guilt made them flee from the holiness of God. But notice most importantly that it was God who came searching for them.

It is a natural reaction to want to hide from God when we are caught up in sin. Have you noticed in your life that when you are free from the guilt and shame you desire to be in the presence of God? 

When we have unconfessed sin we try to hide and shield ourselves from God. Adam and Eve covered themselves and hid behind some trees. But God knew what they had done and went seeking after them.

Sometimes we think that God is mad at us when we sin. We think that His anger is going to be severe or that He will not forgive us. So we do what is natural and hide. 

For some reason we honestly think we can hide from God. The truth is, we can’t hide from God and He isn’t mad at us. 

God has been pursuing man since the fall of man. God has been actively chasing after His children since the beginning. He wants a relationship with us. 

It was God who initiated the search and rescue mission for us. Luke tells us that Jesus came to seekand to save those who are lost. (Luke 19:10) God knows that we are sinners and He has provided a way for us to have a relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus.

Are you running from God? Are you trying to hide something from God? Just know that you can’t. 

God knows exactly where you are and what you are doing and most importantly, He cares for you. He wants you to free yourself from the shame and guilt of your sin and open yourself up to Him.

Pray

Lord, You know my heart and You know my every step. I confess to You all of my sins and ask for Your forgiveness. Keep me in Your presence and shield me with Your grace. 

Enjoy His Presence

Encouragement

But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:41-42

It’s easy to lose sight of the things that are most important in life especially when there are distractions. We all struggle from time to time with keeping our focus on what matters the most. 

Jesus said there was only one thing that is necessary, one thing important, but very few of us operate our lives like that’s true. Sometimes urgency of life robs us of the one thing that is most important.

Mary shows us in this story of her encounter with Jesus in Luke 10:38-42 what that most important thing is. Two sisters, Mary and Martha, along with their brother, Lazarus, offer hospitality to Jesus as they host Him in their home. Luke tells us that Mary is sitting at Jesus’ feet, soaking in His presence and His words.

On the contrary, Martha is preoccupied with the busyness of cooking, cleaning, and hosting. She is running around making sure everything is prepared and ready for a big meal. She got so busy that she ended up missing out on the most important thing.

Listen to what Jesus told Martha, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things! Calm down! There is only one thing necessary.” 

Today, do the one thing that is necessary. Put everything on pause or mute for a few minutes and be still. Sit and listen to the words of Jesus and enjoy His presence. Be like Mary, you won’t regret it.

Pray

Lord, I want to be in Your presence today. Fill my heart and soul with joy and give me peace. Allow me time to spend with You today.