Humility is a constant struggle. It's worse still when there is seemingly less to degrade one's self over (though degradation is not really humility at all), though there's also a place for praise, even towards people. One of the hours of talk show on the radio station KKLA 99.5 is some guy whose name I've forgotten (he wrote something about 5 main "languages of love") speaking to and answering specific questions about these five love languages: acts of service, words of affirmation, physical [not necessarily sexually related] touch, gift-giving/receiving, and one more. Argh.
Google search is my friend! The guy's name is Gary Chapman, the book is The 5 Love Languages, and the last "tongue" is quality time.
Yeah. Anyways, his main point is that people all share all of these archetypal languages of how to communicate love, but perhaps each person specializes in one or two of these, thus making it easier for a spouse to know how best to communicate love and to know which language to NEVER violate (e.g.- if a wife's primary language is words of affirmation, her husband would hurt her the most by yelling at her. Or cursing. Or perhaps calling her names. Thus, he must never do this, once he knows better, and he would then be enabled to know how best to comfort and love her).
Here's my paragraph (how else can I measure these, O Lord?) of gripage: my mom is a tiger mom, which is a good thing, honestly. Her insistent and selfless patience is paralleled only by my stubborn sinfulness. But this does yield itself in the absence of praise--words of affirmation. She believes that these things are understood, and, since my brother is taking trigonometry, a mathematical given. This is not true, reader--a child does not assume love forever, which is what makes the message of the cross of Christ's love crucified "foolishness." Which brings me sorta back to the topic I'd intended on writing: humility.
Humility is something God prizes. God opposes the proud, the proverb states, but raises the humble. He dwells with the one of the humble and contrite heart. The sacrifices of God are a broken and contrite spirit--these He will not deny. God gives grace to the humble.
Quote from tonight's sermon! "All those God calls will be knocked off their horse like the apostle Paul." (I don't know how covenant children [that is, of those who don't follow the liturgy of apostating (THAT's the word! I'd been striving to remember that word for a week now, to no avail. Apparently it doesn't exist in the gerund. I'm making it be. Also, the circumstances of the apostate are the most pitiable, and my heart is torn daily from tearful prayer.) and then returning to the Lord and Savior of their parents] really play into this. I, at any rate, was knocked off my horse.)
Sidebar: Joseph, stop doing that silly infinite inception-style thought process. That only looks cool to you. It doesn't make things easier to follow, and you probably should learn how to speak in a way that doesn't require this close attention to detail. We're not Greeks.
So how does a Christian deal with the pride that so easily jumps at opportune moments such as rightful praise? I'm not referring to a 100% on a test. I'm saying, "What do you do when someone praises you for holding a door open for women? When you give up your seat on the bus? When you evangelize?! Or what about even modeling fruits of the Spirit?" What do you do then?
But for the grace of God, go I.
"He only, who is reduced to nothing in himself and relies on the mercy of God, is poor in spirit."
"You, Lord, bruise me, but I am abundantly satisfied, since it is from Your hand."
"You must submit to supreme suffering in order to discover the completion of joy."
"A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw God's truth attacked and yet would remain silent."
"I offer my heart to You, Lord, promptly and sincerely."
-John Calvin
I must learn to think of myself less, much less than thinking less of myself; I need to learn to be self-forgetful.
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, (asserted/ utilized)
but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, being made in the likeness of men.
Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death of a cross!
For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus
"every knee will bow," of those who are in heave and on earth and under the earth,
and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
--Philippians 2:5-11 (NASB. parenthetical is the study note; quote is from Isaiah 45:23)
Google search is my friend! The guy's name is Gary Chapman, the book is The 5 Love Languages, and the last "tongue" is quality time.
Yeah. Anyways, his main point is that people all share all of these archetypal languages of how to communicate love, but perhaps each person specializes in one or two of these, thus making it easier for a spouse to know how best to communicate love and to know which language to NEVER violate (e.g.- if a wife's primary language is words of affirmation, her husband would hurt her the most by yelling at her. Or cursing. Or perhaps calling her names. Thus, he must never do this, once he knows better, and he would then be enabled to know how best to comfort and love her).
Here's my paragraph (how else can I measure these, O Lord?) of gripage: my mom is a tiger mom, which is a good thing, honestly. Her insistent and selfless patience is paralleled only by my stubborn sinfulness. But this does yield itself in the absence of praise--words of affirmation. She believes that these things are understood, and, since my brother is taking trigonometry, a mathematical given. This is not true, reader--a child does not assume love forever, which is what makes the message of the cross of Christ's love crucified "foolishness." Which brings me sorta back to the topic I'd intended on writing: humility.
Humility is something God prizes. God opposes the proud, the proverb states, but raises the humble. He dwells with the one of the humble and contrite heart. The sacrifices of God are a broken and contrite spirit--these He will not deny. God gives grace to the humble.
Quote from tonight's sermon! "All those God calls will be knocked off their horse like the apostle Paul." (I don't know how covenant children [that is, of those who don't follow the liturgy of apostating (THAT's the word! I'd been striving to remember that word for a week now, to no avail. Apparently it doesn't exist in the gerund. I'm making it be. Also, the circumstances of the apostate are the most pitiable, and my heart is torn daily from tearful prayer.) and then returning to the Lord and Savior of their parents] really play into this. I, at any rate, was knocked off my horse.)
Sidebar: Joseph, stop doing that silly infinite inception-style thought process. That only looks cool to you. It doesn't make things easier to follow, and you probably should learn how to speak in a way that doesn't require this close attention to detail. We're not Greeks.
So how does a Christian deal with the pride that so easily jumps at opportune moments such as rightful praise? I'm not referring to a 100% on a test. I'm saying, "What do you do when someone praises you for holding a door open for women? When you give up your seat on the bus? When you evangelize?! Or what about even modeling fruits of the Spirit?" What do you do then?
But for the grace of God, go I.
"He only, who is reduced to nothing in himself and relies on the mercy of God, is poor in spirit."
"You, Lord, bruise me, but I am abundantly satisfied, since it is from Your hand."
"You must submit to supreme suffering in order to discover the completion of joy."
"A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw God's truth attacked and yet would remain silent."
"I offer my heart to You, Lord, promptly and sincerely."
-John Calvin
I must learn to think of myself less, much less than thinking less of myself; I need to learn to be self-forgetful.
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, (asserted/ utilized)
but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, being made in the likeness of men.
Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death of a cross!
For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus
"every knee will bow," of those who are in heave and on earth and under the earth,
and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
--Philippians 2:5-11 (NASB. parenthetical is the study note; quote is from Isaiah 45:23)
No comments:
Post a Comment