I have always thought that a male peacock was the epitome of pride! Male peacocks strut and show off as if they believe they are so wonderful and special and spectacular! Actually, they are! Most people have heard how some people view short of stature men who boast and strut around and puff out their chests as if they are similar to a banty rooster! This post does not intend to criticize and "bash" anyone, but only to point out that pride is NOT becoming; worse, it is a sin that God hates most of all! We all tend to have a bit of a pride problem; we were born with it; it comes from within - and we inherited it from the fall of Adam in the Garden.
God hates pride because it is a sin that caused the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden. And pride made a beautiful angel into a devil - pride created Satan, the deceiver and destroyer! Satan's kingdom is founded on pride. And when a person is extremely proud, they tend to be independent of God Himself. A proud person thinks "I can handle it", and a proud person wants things their own way and not God's way.
Following is a 38 minute excellent sermon by Pastor Adrian Rogers on how pride can devastate a life! It is a helpful and insightful sermon - the best sermon I have ever heard on the subject of pride!
In his sermon, Pastor Rogers includes an abundance of Scriptural references.
By the way, he passed away in 2005. He was an American Southern Baptist preacher and an author as well.
The reason I choose the topic of pride for this article is because my previous post was about meekness and Jesus' teaching on that subject in His Sermon on the Mount, or the Beatitudes, found at Matthew 5:5. And another reason is because in my daily Bible reading recently, I came across Psalm 138:6, which also deals with pride. It follows:
"Though the LORD be high, yet hath He respect unto the lowly: But the proud He knoweth afar off."
In Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Psalm 138:6-8 he explains:
"Though the Lord is high He has respect to every lowly, humbled sinner, but the proud and unbelieving will be banished from His blissful presence. Divine consolations have enough in them to revive us even if we walk in the midst of troubles, and God will save His own people that they may be revived by the Holy Spirit, the Giver of life and holiness. If we give to God the glory of His mercy, we may take to ourselves the comfort. This confidence will not do away with, but quicken prayer. Whatever good there is in us it is God Who works in us, both to will and to do. The Lord will perfect the salvation of every true believer and He will never forsake those whom He has created anew in Christ Jesus unto good works." - end of Henry's quote
[Rooster at Hanauma Bay - Oahu, Hawaii (Acrylic painting on canvas]
As I prayed for the Holy Spirit's guidance and help in writing this article, I at once was answered partially by a Scripture popping into my mind which was:
"But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth ME, that I AM the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgement, and righteousness in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD." - Jeremiah 9:24
In Webster's 1828 dictionary it tells us that to glory or glorying means exulting with joy, or boasting; a display of pride.
So we should not take ourselves so seriously! We should not be all wrapped up in ourselves and our accomplishments. Instead, whatever we have or whatever we do accomplish or we are capable of, whatever gifts or talents we have -- bottom line: It all comes from God and His blessings to us! It is the good Lord in His love and mercy Who provides. We should fall on our knees every day in gratitude to Him and thank Him for His goodness and love and provisions! For all He has done for us! Be grateful to Him. All of God's kindnesses to us should humble us.
Albert Barnes' Notes (Commentary) explains Jeremiah 9:24 for us:
"This is the prophet's remedy for the healing of the nation (Israel). It is the true understanding and knowledge of God of which the first means the spiritual enlightenment of the mind (1Corinthians 2:13-14), the other, the training of the heart unto obedience (John 8:31-32). This knowledge of God is further said to find in Him three chief attributes: (1) lovingkindness - i.e., readiness to show grace and mercy; (2) judgment - a belief in which is declared in Hebrews 11:6 to be essential to faith; (3) righteousness - which is essential to religion absolutely. .... Unless men believe that God's dealings with them in life and death are right and just, they can neither love nor reverence Him." - end of Barnes' quote
[Loving Spoonbills]
So the opposite of pride is humility! At the GotQuestions.org website there is an excellent article concerning what the Bible says about how to humble yourself. Here is the link to that article: https://www.gotquestions.org/how-to-humble-yourself.html
Here are a few quotes from the above article, but I pray that you will go to the above link and read it all ! "We cannot become more humble by focusing on humility, as it becomes a source of pride when we believe we have achieved it. .... The Bible has much to say about seeing ourselves in proper perspective. Holding the Biblical perspective humbles us. Humility increases when we are willing to be humbled by God, circumstances and others. Our sinful natures do not want to be humbled."
Following is a wonderful video by Christian You Tube Channel "Lion of Judah" that explains how to be more like Jesus. Enjoy and be blessed!
And another awesome video by Christian You Tube Channel "Grace For Purpose" which encourages us to put our complete trust in God. Powerful!
The above video includes Psalm 9:10, which reads:
And those who know your name put their trust in You, for You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You."
In these troublesome and chaotic and uncertain times in which we are now living, the above Psalm gives comfort. One thing is certain, God is never changing and He loves you and will never forsake you. Trust Him! He keeps His promises!
True believers in Jesus, the Savior, derive comfort in the promise that He will return soon for us and take us to be with Him in heaven. How awesome is that! Many Christians are "battle weary" from numerous things happening in our world these days! On a global scale as well as on a personal level. But we have a blessed hope:
"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." - Titus 2:13-14
But what if you are not a true Christian, a person who has been born again - saved by a spiritual birth - by a belief that Jesus is the Savior and the only way to heaven? He died a cruel and painful death on the Cross in your place - a substitute for you in the sense that He took mankind's sins upon Himself - paid the debt in full for our sins - ransomed us and became sin for us and shed His precious blood as the Lamb of God, so that when we believe with all of our very being that He is The Savior, His shed blood washes us clean, so to speak. We are born again - spiritually!! What love He has for us!!
Following are "Salvation Scriptures" for the unsaved, as well as for Christians to share with unbelieving family members and others.
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." - John3:36
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." - John 14:6
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16
HAVE A BLESSED AND CHRIST CENTERED WEEKEND - AND LIFE!
My photograph of the deer was taken from the window of my home in Texas, which was in a beautiful and awesome community centered around a very large lake. The deer were in the area long before the homes were built, and these calm and quiet gentle animals still claimed the land there as their territory. I had several bird feeders hanging from a large, low branch of a tree outside one of my windows, and the deer would come and eat the bird seed which fell to the ground; which eventually led to my buying "deer corn" just for these sweet animals. They felt safe outside my home, and I was treated year after year when the females would bring their fawns (sometimes twin fawns) to feed on the corn I provided. Where am I going with all of this? Well, for the most part deer are meek and quiet. Kinda like we should be around other people, but especially so where the Heavenly Father is concerned.
"As a deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for Thee, O God." - Psalm 42:1
A deer needs water not only for nourishment, but as a source (such as a brook or small lake or pond, etc.) which will erase its scent and trail. Just as the good Lord provided food and a means of escape for the deer, He also provides us, His children, with food for our body and soul, and He also provides a way for us to escape from whatever might harm us, physically and spiritually. Someone has said, "evil loses its pursuit trail when we are truly and whole heartedly and often in God's Holy Word, the Bible. Let our souls pant for God's Word."
The main message of this post concerns Matthew 5:5 in which Jesus tells us: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." This is part of our Lord's "Sermon on the Mount", also known as the Beatitudes. Most of us already know what "meek" means, but here are a few words from Bible Commentators on what Jesus meant here at Matthew 5:5:
Albert Barnes' Notes: "Meekness is patience in the reception of injuries. It is neither meanness nor a surrender of our rights; nor cowardice; but it is the opposite of sudden anger, malice, or long-harbored vengeance. Christ insisted on His right when He said, "If I have done evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why smitest thou Me?" And yet Christ was the very model of meekness. It was one of His characteristics. (Matthew 11:29) So was the apostle Paul meek. No man endured more wrong, or endured it more patiently than he. ... Meekness is the reception of injuries with a belief that God will vindicate us. ..... Meekness produces peace. It is proof of true greatness of soul. "
Pulpit Commentary: "...[Meekness and Humility] is an inwrought grace of the soul, and the exercises of it are first and chiefly towards God .(Matthew 11:29; James 1:21). It is the temper of spirit in which we accept God's dealings with us as good and therefore without disputing or resisting. (Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:12; Zephaniah 3:12) - because it is only the humble heart which is also meek and which, as such, does not fight against God, and more or less struggle and contest with Him."
Back in February of 2017, there was an article I wrote on "The Beauty of Meekness". that had a 48 minute video sermon by Charles Spurgeon titled : "Blessed Are the Meek". If interested, here is that link:
Right now, let us consider Psalm 149:4 = "For the Lord taketh pleasure in His people: He will beautify the meek with salvation."
That Psalm was quoted on the link above, but not explained in any depth.
Charles Spurgeon's comment on Psalm 149:4 : "This meekness makes a Christian attractive. If we want to draw othersto Christ, we must let them see how sweetly blessed is the Christian life and how a man can be sternly upright, and yet at the same time be blessedly cheerful; how he can be dead against sin, and yet full of holy love to the sinner; how he would not to save his life, budge an inch from that which is right and true, and yet would give his life away if by blessing another he might bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. Beautify us thus with salvation, and great good will come of it."
W. Bolland comment (on The Biblical Illustrator): "The garment of salvation: it was wrought by the Son of God, and like Himself, is "holy without spot." - The glory of salvation: How beautiful will he be in the palm of victory in his hand, and the crown of glory on his head, and sitting down with the wedding garment wrought by the Son of God Himself, at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. "
Related to our discussion here, following is an 11 minute audio sermon by A.W. Tozer titled "Meekness and Rest" from his book (read by another person) titled "The Pursuit of God."
In the above sermon, Tozer says: "Jesus calls us to His rest, and meekness is His method. To have true meekness is to become as little children."
If you go full screen on the above sermon clip, you will see comments by Tozer concerning his book "The Pursuit of God." It will bless you to read it all. Here is a portion of what he wrote: "Desire God above all! Be athirst to taste for yourselves the piercing sweetness of the love of Christ about Whom all the holy prophets did write and the psalmists did sing. .. The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His Presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts."
{A.W. Tozer was an American pastor and author and lived from 1897 to 1963).
[Canadian Geese at Greenlake - Seattle, Washington]
"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; for beauty is God's handwriting.... Welcome it and thank God for it as a cup of blessing. " - Ralph Waldo Emerson
"If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realize that one is proud." - C.S. Lewis
"They always win who side with God." - Frederick W. Taber
"The aim is to manifest the glory of God in human life; to live the life hid in Christ in God in human conditions. Our human relationships are the actual conditions in which the ideal life of God is to be exhibited." - Oswald Chambers
[From Baby Makapu'u Beach - Oahu, Hawaii]
The good Lord knows that we will never be perfect this side of Heaven, but that is what his Word tells us to endeavor to do. (Matthew 5:48). Meaning we need to rely on His strength to do so (although perfection is beyond us finite humans). It is the heart God looks at! Remember how terribly King David of old sinned with Bathsheba and on top of that, had her husband murdered !! As stated before on this blog and in the Bible - of course - God still called David a man after His own heart. (Acts 13:22) When we sin, we must feel true remorse and repent, as King David did. We must confess our sins to God, and then turn from them.... not making sin a lifestyle with no remorse or guilt.
Jesus will return very soon - as promised - to take true believers in Him as the Savior to be with Him in Heaven before the 7 year Tribulation begins.
Are you Rapture ready?
Time is short! Don't delay !
Jesus will welcome you with open arms and embrace you in His love and forgiveness !
Are you born again ? It is a spiritual rebirth - the Holy Spirit from God the Father indwells a person who is truly born again - who is truly saved by faith and belief in Jesus Christ as the Savior (Ephesians 1:13); making that person clean in the eyes of God because God sees that newly saved person as looking through His Son Jesus - the Redemption found at the Cross when Jesus shed His precious blood so that we may be "washed and cleansed " by His blood when we come to true belief in Him as the Redeemer- the Savior, the Lamb of God.
Following are salvation Scriptures for the unsaved to take to heart and act upon!
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." - John 3:36
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." - John 14:6
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16
Do not forget that true repentance is also needed ! But the main thing is - first - just to believe that Jesus Christ is the Savior !!
"From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." - Matthew 4:17
Sometimes, with some people, a true understanding of repentance comes later - after the understanding of faith in the Savior, Jesus. By that, meaning that they do not grasp everything all at once (they are babes in Christ - 1 Corinthians 3:1) - but their faith and belief in Jesus is true and they understand that, although as they grow in faith and pray and read the Holy Word of God - the Bible - they comprehend more as time goes on. That is why it is important for all believers to spend time in fellowship with the good Lord! Pray often, learn to know the characteristics and attributes of the good Lord by reading the Bible.
That is what it is all about! Not a religion, but a relationship. A close, intimate, personal, loving, living and true communing relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ! If you do that, you will grow and blossom and thrive in the Lord like you never thought possible !!
Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend - and Life!
No, not poor in the sense of being mean-spirited, and not in the sense of one being poor in spirituality itself ! First let's read Matthew 5:3 where we find the Beatitudes of Jesus, otherwise known as "the sermon on the mount."
"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
One Bible Commentary (on The Biblical Illustrator) explains that poorness of spirit involves humility, contentment, submission, and gratitude. By the poor in spirit are meant those who have been convinced of their spiritual poverty. Another commentator at the same site tells us that "You may as well expect fruit to grow without a root, as the other graces without this; till a man be poor in spirit he cannot mourn. ... Till we are poor in spirit we are not capable receiving grace. God doth first empty a man of himself, before He pours in the precious wine of His grace. None but the poor in spirit are within Christ's commission. Till we are poor in spirit, Christ is never precious! .. So to him that is poor in spirit - that sees his want of Christ - how precious is the Savior! ..He that is poor in spirit is weaned from himself ! .... He that is poor in spirit is a Christ - admirer. .. He that is poor in spirit is much in prayer ... and to take Christ upon His Own terms. He blesses God for the least crumb that falls from the table of free Grace. .. Christ begins with this [for one to be poor in spirit], and we must begin here if ever we be saved. ... Poverty of spirit paves a causeway for blessedness."
Following is a wonderful 51 minute sermon by Charles Spurgeon concerning the meaning and blessedness of "the poor in spirit" with many wonderful spiritual gems included by him.
Spurgeon, in the sermon above, tells us to live quietly for God. He tells us "Above all other evils we have most to dread our own fullness. The greatest unfitness for Christ is our own imaginary fitness. When we are utterly undone we are near to being enriched with the riches of graces. Out of ourselves is next door to being in Christ. Where we end, mercy begins; or has already begun. The deeper the destitution the better."
I urge you to watch the entire sermon above - it will bless you !
[Above Diamond Head Beach, Oahu, Hawaii]
"For every look at self, take ten looks to Christ." - Robert Murray M'cheyne
"Much of our difficulty as seeking Christians stems from our unwillingness to take God as He is and adjust our lives accordingly. We insist upon trying to modify Him and to bring Him nearer to our own image." - A.W. Tozer
"This book (the Bible) will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this book." - John Bunyan
"If satan can't make you bad, he'll make you busy." - Adrian Rogers
"The first lesson in Christ's school is self-denial." - Matthew Henry
"Nothing sets a person so much out of the devil's reach as humility." - Jonathan Edwards
Here is a wonderful devotional song on being poor in spirit:
If the Lord tarries, more posts will follow here on this blog concerning the Beatitudes of Jesus.
Please remember, our strength comes from the good Lord, and that includes strength to face and endure perilous times (2 Timothy 3:1-4) such as we find ourselves experiencing in the world in these last moments of the end times. We can find that strength from our worship of the Lord - and do not forget our personal quiet time alone with the heavenly Father, in prayer and in reading His Holy Word, the Bible. Nothing can take the place - nor should it - of our devotional time, communing with and basking in the Presence of the Lord. Only He can give us the inward peace we need to face whatever life throws at us.
Again, nothing can take the place of a strong, intimate, loving, personal relationship with God the Father through His Son Jesus Christ! That is what it is all about, folks ! People will fail you, but our Father in heaven and Jesus will never let you down or forsake you! Spend much time in prayer and reading and studying the Bible. You will grow to know the Lord better, and thereby to love Him more and more. You will be blessed for your efforts. You MUST spend time with someone in order to get to know them, and the good Lord deserves our time more than anyone -- He wants to fellowship with us on a personal level.
"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." - Hebrews 13:5
"And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou hast sent." - John 17:3
"As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you; continue ye in My love. If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love." - Jesus at John 15:9-10
"I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth His life for the sheep. ... I am the good shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of mine." - John 10:11,14
Notice in verse 14 above: that Jesus knows His sheep, and "Am known of mine." You MUST know the Lord and have a close intimate relationship with Him!
Following are scriptures to help unsaved and lost souls to come to faith in Jesus, the Savior.
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." - John 3:36
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me." - John 14:6
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16
Remember to pray sincerely and in earnest for forgiveness, and to truly repent of your past sins -- have a vivid sense of remorse for your past sins.
"From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." - Matthew 4:17
Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend - and life !!
The title above of this article : "That's it! Here it comes!" is from a quote by Pastor Billy Crone during his discussion with Gary Stearman of Prophecywatchers.com, concerning the seals of the Bible book of Revelation. As always, Pastor Crone is very clear and informative and rather unique in his presentations of Biblical topics ! A must watch 29 minute video follows:
Many persons, in their self-righteousness, believe they will go to heaven because of their many good works, or charitable donations, and the like. Some believe that since their family were all Christians and they were born into a home where both mother and father were Christians, that that is their "ticket" to heaven. But those true believers who have developed a close relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ, know the real reason why some will go to heaven! Please watch the following recent 11 minute video titled:"The Real Reason you are going to Heaven (This May Surprise You)"
Many people today are caught up in everyday affairs of making a living and providing for their family; and many are just plain trying desparately to survive! They do not take time to consider what lies beyond this secular and godless world. Big Mistake!! One day we will all die (or, in the case of followers of Jesus Christ, will be raptured to Heaven before death!) The point is, WAKE UP and consider eternity! Eternity is a long time to spend in the wrong place: HELL!
The following recent 14 minute video is titled: "What Will God Say To You on the Day Of Judgment?"
The video above brings out the fact that every evil word, evil act, and evil thought will be made manifest on Judgment Day! It also tells us two main things required of us: "to pursue peace and holiness" now while we dwell on earth.
"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." - Hebrews 12:14
Obviously, however, we need to believe in the Savior, Jesus Christ, in order to be saved in the first place. Only the shed blood of Jesus - the sacrificial Lamb of God - can cleanse us of our sins; wipe the slate clean, so to speak, as He alone - Him only !! - could pay our sin debt in full (He ransomed us) at His death at Calvary! It was and is a debt we could never pay ourselves, because of its enormity! We cannot work our way to heaven! Good works do NOT save us. (Ephesians 2:8-9. Only belief in the power of Jesus' shed blood will save us: meaning to believe in HIM as the Savior with all of our very being; our very essence! Our very soul! This obviously means true FAITH ! You need to realize the seriousness and the enormity of your sins, and be truly repentant. Pray for forgiveness in all sincerity and contriteness.
Following are salvation Scriptures as a guide for those who are not yet believers in the Savior, Jesus Christ. They are also good verses for Christians to memorize and then to share with unsaved acquaintances and family members.
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son will not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." - John 3:36
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." - John 14:6
"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." - John 3:3
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16
Bible prophecy, as said many, many times previously on this blog, is coming true now at warp speed! The times are urgent, chaotic, and fearful! More will be written here later concerning recent events and how they are fulfilling Bible prophecy. (If I live so long; or if the Rapture does not occur before then - before I am able to write any more articles !) I strongly suggest that you do some research right now on your own on You Tube or on websites that give information on the end times and Bible prophecy, (such as Raptureready.com, and Raptureforums.com, and many others).
[Along the Strand, Manhatten Beach, California]
"The prayer of faith is the only power in the universe to which the great Jehovah yields. Prayer is the sovereign remedy." - Robert Hall
"Be sure you look to your secret duty; keep that up whatever you do. The soul cannot prosper in the neglect of it. Apostacy generally begins at the [prayer] closet door. Be much in secret fellowship with God. It is secret trading that enriches the Christian. Pray alone. Let prayer be the key of the morning and the bolt at night. The best way to fight against sin is to fight it on our knees." - Philip Henry
"It is Christ's will that [man] should be thus isolated, and that he should fix his eyes solely on HIM." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer (in "The Cost of Discipleship.")
"Let God have your life, He can do more with it than you can!" - unknown
"If the LORD be with us, we have no cause of fear. His eye is upon us, His arm over us, His ear open to our prayer - His grace sufficient, His promises unchangeable." - John Newton
Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend, and life !!
