"HUMBLE YOURSELVES BEFORE THE LORD"

“HUMBLE YOURSELF BEFORE THE LORD”

I did my morning prayer scriptures, and the phrase “for I am with you” from Isaiah 41:10 stood out from all the others. Later that day, I was driving in heavy traffic in a turning lane, and we sat there for a while.  A disheveled, bent-over man stood at the corner with his cardboard sign. I saw he wore a nice white shirt and fairly new-looking shoes, but he was thin, dark-tanned from long hours in the desert sun, toothless, and walked back and forth on the median with difficulty. I tried to ignore him and quit looking at him as I finally turned onto another street.

 

Then, when I was already about two or three blocks away, that section of Scripture popped up in my mind: “I am with you.” I was instantly convicted. I knew I should have given that man some money. I was wrong to pass him by and try to ignore him, and the Holy Spirit flooded this into my mind: “You know how it feels to be ignored. You hated it, and this is how you want to be to others?!” Then I knew God was right there with me, watching this whole thing, but I still kept driving, asking myself if I should go back. I was now at least six or more long blocks away and told myself, “There is so much traffic, and I’ve got stuff to do!” I repented for ignoring the man, and I thought I was done, but God was not done.

 

Holy Spirit brought to mind the words of Jesus, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me (from Matt. 25:40). Convicted again! Now I was many more blocks away from where the man was, and still heavy traffic, but I knew I had to go back, so I turned on another street and wiggled my way back through a neighborhood to make my way back to where he was.

 

Repentance is great, but often the Lord requires more of us. He requires the corresponding action we need to take to establish the true nature of our repentance. The Lord was right with me, and He saw my sin, and I didn’t want that on my record in heaven at my final judgment. I was wrong, and I could change the result, so I did.

 

The man was still there and I drove right up to him and handed him a $20. His wide, toothless grin was genuine as he said, “God bless you,” to me. That broke me. I cried for the next fifteen minutes as I headed for home. I told the Lord I wasn’t worthy of this man’s kindness toward me; I was the one who sinned, not him, and yet there I was receiving God’s blessing from this homeless man. He wasn’t frustrated or angry or anything bad. He was just truly thankful. What a lesson!

 

Our God is truly a God of mercy and patience, and His chastening changes us into better people as we endeavor with all our hearts to obey Him.

 

WOW! I just read James 4:8-15 when I was looking for a picture for this preach letter. Read this! It’s powerful:

 

⁸ Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. ⁹ Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

¹¹ Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. ¹² There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

¹³ Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: ¹⁴ whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. ¹⁵ For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

 

Love, Carolyn