[Gill White]

God is our Father! Part 9 By Wolfgang Schneider Giving Thanks To The Father At the close of this study we want to briefly look at two verses from Colossians. Colossians 1:11 and 12: Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Colossians 3:17: And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Giving thanks is something which all too often in our day and time is neglected. We are perhaps not used to giving thanks although it should be absolutely the norm to give thanks for all that we receive from someone else. Several Bible translations divide up the sentence in Colossians 1:11 and 12 a little differently. They put the "with joyfulness" together with the "giving thanks" which makes a lot of sense. We should joyfully give thanks unto our heavenly Father! We can and should in all things, in our whole life, in everything we do in word or deed, give thanks with joy to our Father for all the blessing He has bestowed upon us. God is our Father, and He prepares our way. He cares for us, He is concerned for our lives, He has made it possible that we can walk as sons of God now. He wants us to live in all that He has made available to us in Christ. He gives us victory in lives's situations even when sometimes they appear unconquerable. We can count on Him and His power and might. At the end we should not forget to thank Him and to praise Him, our heavenly Father, who loved us and has given us great consolation. Thanks is due Him. May our witness for Him and His wonderful Son, our lord and savior Jesus Christ, may contribute to many more becoming sons of God so they too can know God as their heavenly Father.

[Gill White]

The Heart Part 1 of 6 By Vincent C. Finnegan ************** Reconciling the world unto God … The Scripture used throughout this study is quoted from the King James Version. Any explanatory insertions by the author within a Scripture verse are enclosed in brackets . TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface — The Heart Chapter One — The Source of All Life Chapter Two — Not Always Visible Chapter Three — How to Change the Heart Chapter Four — Where Your Treasure Is Conclusion — Heart Prayers Preface - The Heart God wants your heart. He sees, not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance. God looks on the heart and deals with man accordingly. "After the race, I thought my heart was going to explode." "If it takes all night, we are going to get to the heart of this matter." "The nurse had heart for people like few I've ever seen!" "When everyone else quit, he kept on going. That boy has heart." The physical organ in the human body, cause, compassion, and endurance out of intestinal fortitude are all very different uses in today's spoken language of the same word: "heart." The context tells us its meaning. In like manner, the word "heart" in the Bible has different usages, determined by its context. This study concerns itself with the heart as the center of your personal life, the heart of your mind which determines the issues of your life. This heart is the control center, the cause which influences all the effects of life. A Christian receives many great spiritual realities with the gift of holy spirit. Galatians 4:6 states, "...God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts...." This aspect of the gift and all other aspects received with the new birth are ours to use. However, what is ours spiritually does not automatically come into manifestation in our lives. We have the responsibility by our free will to evidence the gift in our lives. The spirit of His son in your hearts has no automatic impact on the heart of your personal life. The heart is always determined by your freewill believing. To have your heart be Christ-like is your responsibility. The heart of your personal life is the source of all life.

Luk 10:26-28 GW
(26) Jesus answered him, "What is written in Moses' Teachings? What do you read there?"
He answered, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind.'
And 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.''
Jesus told him, "You're right! Do this, and life will be yours."

[Gill White]

The Heart Part 2 of 6 By Vincent C. Finnegan ************** Chapter One — The Source of All Life Proverbs 4:23: Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. The very issues of life come out of the heart. The New English Bible gives this translation, "Guard your heart more than any treasure for it is the source of all life." The New Interlinear Bible says, "Above all else guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." The Companion Bible reads, "Guard the heart as the great citadel (a fortress that commands a city), for out of it are the source and outgoings of life." The heart is the source of all life, the wellspring of life, the great citadel from which are the source and outgoings of life. The heart is the control center of your life. That which is in your heart is that which is in your life. What is in the heart of your mind, the seat of your personal life, determines the issues of your life. When you plant tomato seeds in the ground, the end result will be tomatoes. No one expects to plant tomato seeds and then reap cucumbers. If one wants cucumbers as the final result, one must plant cucumber seeds. In like manner, the issues of your life are determined by the "seeds" planted in your heart. If you had a tomato plant and wanted cucumbers, would you cut the tomatoes off the plant and try to glue cucumbers onto the plant? Certainly not! How silly this would be. Yet, people try to do exactly this with the issues of their lives. When they have an undesirable issue of life, they strive to change the outside, when all the time the changing that is needed is in their hearts. If you want to change to cucumbers, you must plant cucumber seeds. If you want to change issues of your life, change that which is being planted in your heart. The deception we face is thinking that by changing circumstances, situations, or associations, we can change our lives. The truth is the heart is that which must be altered to change our lives. As we study the heart, we will see why it is the source of all life. Hebrews 4:12: For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Your thoughts (from the Greek enthumesis - motives) and intents are housed in your heart. They help to determine the issues of your life. Romans 10:9 and 10: That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Believing is in the heart. The actions taken in your life result from the believing in your heart. Mark 12:30: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. Love is housed in the heart. The love in your life is the progeny of the love in your heart. Matthew 12:34 and 35: O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. Good and evil are in the heart. To turn from the evil in your life to good, you must replace the evil in your heart with good. The good or evil in your life is the offspring of the good or evil in your heart. Matthew 5:27 and 28: Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. Sin is a matter of heart. Sin's outcome or manifestation in our lives should not be mistaken for the cause. That which is seen is a result of the sin in the heart. The examination of these few scriptures shows us clearly why the heart is the citadel of our lives. The motives, intents, believing, love, good, evil, and sin are all housed in the heart of our personal life. No wonder Proverbs 4:23 tells us to guard our hearts with all diligence! A reality about our hearts that is not easy to bear, but must be accepted as true, and action taken to change. This truth is communicated clearly in Jeremiah 17:9. Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? The nature of each person's heart is deceitful above all and desperately wicked. No one is born with a "good heart." Even a Christian who has the spiritual heart of Christ (received when born from above) still has to contend with his own personal heart which by nature is wicked. With the new birth the personal heart is not automatically changed. To change the personal heart to line up with the spiritual heart of Christ takes a deliberate decision of will and a faithful application of the Word of God. Jeremiah 17:10: I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. Another truth to realize is that God looks on the heart and deals with us accordingly. Therefore, again we are confronted with the clear, stark reality that the heart is that which governs our lives. We must concentrate on the heart to live a godly life. It is imperative to keep this truth clear and not to allow ourselves to be deceived into thinking "outside-in" rather than "inside-out." No person other than you determines your life. Do not allow yourself to think others are the cause of the issues of your life. Circumstances, such as where you live or where you work are not the root cause of the issues of your life. Situations or the way in which you are placed in relationship to your surroundings are not the cause of who you are. THE HEART OF YOUR PERSONAL LIFE IS THE SOURCE OF ALL YOUR LIFE'S ISSUES.

Rom 12:1-2 GW
Brothers and sisters, in view of all we have just shared about God's compassion,
I encourage you to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, dedicated to God and pleasing to him.
This kind of worship is appropriate for you. Don't become like the people of this world.
Instead, change the way you think. Then you will always be able to determine what God really wants

-what is good, pleasing, and perfect.

[Gill White]

The Heart Part 3 of 6 By Vincent C. Finnegan ************** Chapter Two — Not Always Visible Perhaps you have heard the expression, "Don't judge a book by its cover." This is very good advice when it comes to people as well, because that which you see with your eyes is not necessarily a reflection of their hearts. God's Word clearly shows you cannot determine that which is in a man's heart by the way he looks, or even acts. Mark 7:1-9: Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables. Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. To look at the Pharisees, with all of their religious traditions, activities, and apparel, one could easily think their hearts were completely lined up with the things of God. Jesus Christ saw through the outside into the inside, the heart. God wants the heart, and the heart is that which He looks upon. Proverbs 23:7,26: For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways. Once again we see that the thoughts of the heart are what a man really is, even if the actions of his life reflect something different. God wants the heart. Some people can smile with seemingly little cause. Their facial expressions may be bright and cheery, and give the impression that they are happy. Perhaps, you have spoken to people like this, only to find out that they are "smiling on the outside and crying on the inside." My thoughts were completely focused on what the teacher was communicating in a fellowship I was a part of many years ago. The words he was speaking seemed directed right to me personally. As I listened I remember having thought, "I can almost feel my life changing." Apparently, the look on my face did not communicate the joy in my heart to hear these great truths. The teacher came up to me afterwards, and asked if I were angry or bothered by something. I said, "Why do you ask that?" He said, "The way you have been looking at me as I taught, I thought, perhaps, you were angry at me." Oh my! The face truly is not always a mirror of the heart. Romans 2:13-29: (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another. In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law; And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law. Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written. For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. The word "spirit" in verse 29 is used figuratively and is referring to one's inner being. God looks at the heart because the heart is truly what a man is all about. These records in Mark, Proverbs, and Romans show clearly that the heart is not always visible to the eye. These verses also show us how foolish judging another is at any time. We are definitely not qualified or capable of making judgments. Only the Lord is the true judge. You may want to review Romans 2:1-5, and Romans 14 to see that which is stated about judging others.

Heb 5:14 GW
(14) However, solid food is for mature people, whose minds are trained
by practice to know the difference between good and evil.

[Gill White]

The Heart Part 4 of 6 By Vincent C. Finnegan ************** Chapter Three — How to Change the Heart The obvious questions are: How do I change my heart; and how do I guard my heart? Psalms 119:11: Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. There is absolutely no way to change or guard your heart without hiding the Word in it. There is no other way, no substitute, no short-cut! We could now look at hundreds of scriptures which would show the need for hiding the Word in your heart. As food is to your physical life, the Word of God is to your spiritual life. Daily you eat food to sustain your physical life; DAILY you must "eat" the Word of God to sustain your spiritual life. If you eat the wrong food, you become physically weak or sick. Likewise, eating the wrong spiritual food (something other than God's rightly divided Word of truth) will cause weakness or sickness of your heart. No one can do this for you. By choosing daily to hide God's Word in your heart, you will be determining the issues of your life. What I have just described is the first step in the process called the renewed mind.1 The renewed mind is the "how" of changing your heart. The next step in renewing the mind is to put into operation the Word of God which you have placed in your heart. Do it! Live it! You must realize that the renewed mind is your responsibility and not an involuntary action done for you by God. Understand your responsibility is essential. However, hiding the Word in your heart, praying, renewing your mind, etc. were never intended to be done with the exclusion of God. These very essential aspects of our Christian life can become nothing more than "works of the flesh" if we try to do them on our own without the help of God. The truth is that any of us who have tried to change our hearts on our own by reading, studying, memorizing, etc. have failed miserably. We cannot change our hearts without God's help. We cannot hide the Word in our hearts without God's help. We cannot renew our minds without God's help. We do nothing of any spiritual profit without God. The psalmists knew full well the need for God's help. In reading you can hear the plea of their hearts for His help. Psalms 10:17: LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear: Humility is the realization you cannot do it on your own, but He can! Humility is "I can't, You can. Lord, help me." Psalms 27:14: Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. Psalms 73:26: My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. We can and should hide the Word in our hearts, but only God can make that Word have its impact in our hearts. Only God can strengthen the heart. "Lord, help me, strengthen my heart." After David was confronted by Nathan for the incident with Bathsheba and for having had Uriah killed, he repented. David knew his sin had been against God, and no possible work that he could have done would change his evil heart. He cried unto God to take away his sin. Then he prayed: Psalms 51:10: Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. David had no illusions about his heart and knew full well God only could clean it and give him a new heart. Do you want a clean heart? "Lord, help me. Create in me a clean heart." Psalms 86:10-12: For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone. Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore. Oh, how we yearn continually to love and respect our wonderful Father, God. Oh, how weak and wavering and unsuccessful we are. "My God, help me, unite my heart to reverence Your name." We so want to love God and to be faithful to Him, but we fall so short. Only He can help us, but not without our asking, praying. Psalms 119:32-36: I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart. Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight. Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. We hate sin, yet we continue in it. "Father, help. Incline my heart unto Thy Word, not to covetousness. Deliver me from evil and temptation. Help!" He will help us to change our hearts. As we hide the Word in our hearts and trust in Him, He will guard our hearts. Psalms 141:3 and 4: Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties. Have you ever come to the place in your walk with God where you felt the life of your personal relationship with Him sifted away? Isaiah 57:15: For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. God can and will revive your heart as you go to His Word and ask His help. God can change the heart. God can guard the heart. ****************** Footnotes: 1 Ephesians 4:17ff; Colossians 3:1ff

2Ti 2:22-26 GW
Stay away from lusts which tempt young people.
Pursue what has God's approval. Pursue faith, love, and peace together with those who worship the Lord with a pure heart.
Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments. You know they cause quarrels.
A servant of the Lord must not quarrel. Instead, he must be kind to everyone.
He must be a good teacher. He must be willing to suffer wrong. He must be gentle in correcting those who oppose the Good News.
Maybe God will allow them to change the way they think and act and lead them to know the truth.
Then they might come back to their senses and God will free them from the devil's snare so that they can do his will.

[Gill White]

The Heart Part 5 of 6 By Vincent C. Finnegan ************** Chapter Four — Where Your Treasure Is Matthew 6:19-20: Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: The treasure of your life is that which is most important to you. The exhortation is not to have treasure on earth because moth and rust do corrupt temporal treasures. Is it not true that as soon as you buy the beautiful, new car it decreases in value? As time passes, the engine needs repair, the tires wear out, the paint gets chipped, etc. All material things are subject to moth and rust. And if corruption does not get to them, then thieves break through and steal. Even human relationships are subject to corruption and thievery. The heavenly treasures are not corruptible because they are spiritual. Your righteousness, justification, sanctification, holiness, eternal life, etc. are not subject to moth or rust. No thief, not even "the" thief can break through and steal. Matthew 6:21: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Whatever you deem most important in your life is your heart's true treasure. Remember Proverbs 23:7 says, "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he...." How does one know what his treasure is? Matthew 12:33-35: Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. The way you look and the actions you take do not necessarily reflect your heart. However, these scriptures do say that "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." That which comes out of your mouth most often is a reflection of that which is in your heart. If you find yourself speaking frequently about the most current movies and the various celebrities, then a part of your treasure is movies. That is not to say that any mention of a movie reveals or indicates your treasure; but if movies are your predominate thoughts, they are your treasure. This could be true of your work, family, sports, or many other things. What do you think about most and what do you talk about most? This is your treasure. Back in Matthew 6 is an important truth on determining God to be our lives' treasure. Matthew 6:22-24: The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Each person must make the deliberate decision of will to have God be his treasure. The Word of God states that you cannot serve God and the world. If God is to be the treasure of your heart, then your thoughts must be single. You must keep your thoughts focused on God. If you want your heart to be Christ-like, determine that your treasures are the things of God. Psalms 119:162: I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil. As you rejoice at His Word as a great treasure, your heart will be focused on Him and the things of God.

Rom 6:16 GW
Don't you know that if you offer to be someone's slave, you must obey that master?
Either your master is sin, or your master is obedience.
Letting sin be your master leads to death.
Letting obedience be your master leads to God's approval.

[Gill White]

The Heart Part 6 of 6 By Vincent C. Finnegan ************** Conclusion — Heart Prayers We have no real, direct power over outer things, because those outer things are the consequences, manifestations, resultant pictures of the heart. James 3 talks about the tongue, and how evil and out- of-control it is. James 3:6-8: And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Since the tongue is so evil and untamable when dealt with directly, how do we control it? Again, we must change the cause, the heart. Remember Matthew 15:18? Matthew 15:18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. We really do not have control over the outer without controlling the heart. If we could possibly affect outer things directly without changing our heart, then we could think one thing in our hearts and produce another in our lives. This is impossible. What you think in your heart, you produce in your experiences, as within, so without. You cannot think one thing and produce another. We should consider and pray this prayer from 2 Thessalonians. 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5: Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ. Ephesians 1:16ff and Ephesians 3:14-21 contain heart prayers to consider. Eph 3:14-21 GW This is the reason I kneel in the presence of the Father from whom all the family in heaven and on earth receives its name. I'm asking God to give you a gift from the wealth of his glory. I pray that he would give you inner strength and power through his Spirit. Then Christ will live in you through faith. I also pray that love may be the ground into which you sink your roots and on which you have your foundation. This way, with all of God's people you will be able to understand how wide, long, high, and deep his love is. You will know Christ's love, which goes far beyond any knowledge. I am praying this so that you may be completely filled with God. Glory belongs to God, whose power is at work in us. By this power he can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory belongs to God in the church and in Christ Jesus for all time and eternity! Amen.

Matthew 5:8:
Blessed are the pure in heart:
for they shall see God.

[Gill White]

God Requires Humility Part 1 of 6 By Vincent C. Finnegan ************** TABLE OF CONTENTS God Requires Humility Pride — the Opposite of Humility Deliverance and Humility God Hears the Humble Have the Mind of Christ Humility Is Required God Requires Humility He is not pleased with our contrived ways of worshipping Him. All our own egotistical thoughts and religious activities are useless when trying to please Him. Micah 6:6-8: Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Recently the President of the United States gave his State of the Union Address. With reference to one failed program of last year he said the following: "I have made my mistakes and I have learned again the importance of humility in all human endeavors." His statement illustrates the common understanding of humility — consciousness of one's defects, shortcomings, or inabilities. The Biblical definition of humility also contains this understanding, but has another more important aspect to consider. 2 Corinthians 3:4 and 5: And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; "Humility" is the acknowledgement and belief that we are not sufficient of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God. Simply stated, "We cannot, He can, God help us." Much more than merely acknowledging our limitations and weakness, it is acknowledging God Almighty's abilities and strength in our lives. It is to surrender our ways to His ways which are so much higher than our own. The humility we read about in the Bible is a total dependency and reliance upon God, an acknowledging of our need for Him and His ways. Jesus Christ, in referring to a young baby, gave us a very graphic illustration of humility. Matthew 18:1-4: At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. The Greek word used for "child" is an infant or baby. What can babies do for themselves? Can babies talk or walk? Do they feed themselves? How many babies can clean themselves, get dressed on their own, or do any of the things necessary to sustain life? Babies are totally dependent upon their parents for everything. The reality is that babies cannot live on their own without help. Another wonderful reality about babies is that there is no fight! They seem to understand their limitations and fully expect their parents to completely provide for them. How insistent that crying baby can be! Babies are totally dependent, trusting, and even demanding that their parents take care of them. Infants do not try to do things on their own. They are content to let their parents provide. What an illustration of humility! As children of God we should depend totally upon God and His ways just as an infant depends upon his parents. Jesus Christ was very qualified to teach on humility because he lived it. He held no wrong conceptions about his relationship with God. John 5:19,30: Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. Jesus Christ, God's only begotten son, the only perfect man that ever lived, said, "I can of mine own self do nothing." We are very arrogant and foolish to think that we can do anything on our own. Why would we ever think our ways are higher than His ways?

Pro 15:33 GW
(33) The fear of the LORD is discipline leading to wisdom,
and humility comes before honor.

[Gill White]

God Requires Humility Part 2 of 6 By Vincent C. Finnegan ************** TABLE OF CONTENTS God Requires Humility Pride — the Opposite of Humility Deliverance and Humility God Hears the Humble Have the Mind of Christ Humility Is Required Pride — the Opposite of Humility To gain a better understanding of humility, we can look at its opposite — pride and haughty self-sufficiency. James 4:6-10: But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. God resists the proud because the proud resist Him. To "humble" ourselves means to empty ourselves of all desire to exercise our personal self-will above the will of God. It is to suppress our own will for His, and in doing so we draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to us. To have "pride" is to do it on our own. It is sure to bring destruction. Proverbs 18:12: Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility. Before destruction is haughtiness; before honor, humility. Which do we want, destruction or honor? Proverbs 16:18: Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. When we walk with the Lord and reverence Him we will hate pride because it pushes us away from God. Proverbs 8:13: The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. How arrogant and foolish man is to think his own ways are better than God's. When we are humble to God's ways, His will, He shall lift us up. God will honor us.

1Pe 3:8 GW
(8) Finally, everyone must live in harmony, be sympathetic,
love each other, have compassion, and be humble.

[oatmeal]

Originally Posted by chrysostom

that would be nice
but
we must realize that we can't even come close without His help
and
we must ask for it

So put your request in, Philippians 4:6, and get moving!

[Gill White]

God Requires Humility Part 3 of 6 By Vincent C. Finnegan ************** TABLE OF CONTENTS God Requires Humility Pride — the Opposite of Humility Deliverance and Humility God Hears the Humble Have the Mind of Christ Humility Is Required Deliverance and Humility All deliverance begins with humility. For deliverance one must realize he needs help, acknowledge God can help, and then ask for His help. Proverbs 28:25 and 26: He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat. He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered. Asa, the King of Judah, exemplifies this scripture. In the beginning of his reign he did that which "was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God." He removed the idols and took action to eliminate the spiritual fornica tion in Judah, and consequently his kingdom was peaceful and blessed. When Zerah, the Ethiopian, attacked Judah with one million soldiers, Asa humbled himself before God and asked for His help. 2 Chronicles 14:11: And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee. Because Asa humbled himself before God, the Ethiopi ans were overthrown and destroyed. Judah carried away very much spoil. God defeated Asa's adversaries and brought deliverance. Ephesians 6:12: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. To see God's deliverance, we must be humble just as Asa was. 1 Peter 5:5-8: Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: As we clothe ourselves with humility, He will give grace. As we humble ourselves, He will exalt. As we cast our cares upon Him, He will deliver us and conquer our adversary. When Asa remained faithful to God Judah had no war. However humility is something that must be maintained each day. In his thirty-sixth year of reigning, Asa let humility slip away from him and consequently brought de struction to himself. 2 Chronicles 16:1-3: In the six and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah, and built Ramah, to the intent that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the king's house, and sent to Benhadad king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying, There is a league between me and thee, as there was between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent thee silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me. Rather than having gone humbly to the Lord as he had done with the Ethiopians, he went to Benhadad for help. He took the treasures which belonged to God and paid mercenaries to fight for him. He lost his humility and tried to work out his problems on his own. 2 Chronicles 16:7-9: And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand. Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into thine hand. For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars. When Asa relied on God, all was well. When he relied on another, he became a fool; deliverance evaded him, and bondage encased him. Asa could have turned back to the Lord when Hanani confronted him, and God once again would have delivered. But he was lifted up with pride. 2 Chronicles 16:12 and 13: And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians. And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign.

Jas 3:13 GW
Do any of you have wisdom and insight?
Show this by living the right way with the humility that comes from wisdom.

[Gill White]

God Requires Humility Part 4 of 6 By Vincent C. Finnegan ************** TABLE OF CONTENTS God Requires Humility Pride — the Opposite of Humility Deliverance and Humility God Hears the Humble Have the Mind of Christ Humility Is Required God Hears the Humble Psalms 10:17 LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear: God will cause His ear to hear the humble. When we humbly approach our God with love and respect, He hears us and fulfills our desires. Psalms 145:14-19: The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. Hezekiah, King of Judah, lived the truth of these scriptures. When he was sick unto death Isaiah, the prophet, told him by revelation to set his house in order for he was going to die. Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, prayed, mourned his sin, asked forgiveness, and humbled himself. Before Isaiah left the middle court, God told him to return to Hezekiah and inform him that He heard his prayer. God gave him 15 more years to live. God hears the prayers of the humble. 2 Chronicles 32:24: In those days Hezekiah was sick to the death, and prayed unto the LORD: and he spake unto him, and he gave him a sign. The sign God gave him was to turn the shadow on the sundial back ten degrees. What does that mean? God turned back time for Hezekiah! With a sign like that you would think Hezekiah would remain humble the rest of his life. Not so! He was like all of us in that we must fight every day to maintain humility. Honestly, without the help of God we cannot even get to the place of knowing we need the help of God. We need His help to be humble. 2 Chronicles 32:25-27: But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem. Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah. And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honour: and he made himself treasuries for silver, and for gold, and for precious stones, and for spices, and for shields, and for all manner of pleasant jewels;... When Hezekiah was humble God blessed him abundantly. Likewise for us, when we are humble God will bless. Proverbs 22:4: By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life. Ahab and Manasseh are two others to whom God responded when they humbled themselves. These two warrant our attention because they so dynamically show God's willingness to bless the humble. Ahab cried unto his wife Jezebel about his denied request for Naboth's field. Jezebel told him not to worry, she would arrange everything for him. She then proceeded to have Naboth stoned to death. God told Elijah to confront Ahab and tell him the consequence for his evil actions. The following verses take our breath away. 1 Kings 21:25-29: But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel. And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly. And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house. For God to respond at all to Ahab gives testimony of how much He honors humility. Manasseh started reigning as king when he was 12 years old. He did so much evil that God would forgive him is hard to conceive. He destroyed all his father, Hezekiah, had accomplished in the kingdom. He brought in more evil and idolatry than the heathen God had cast out of the land so His people could live there. He built altars to false gods in the house of the Lord. He seduced God's people to do great evil. He caused his own children to pass through fire. He shed innocent blood very much till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another. Because of him the kingdom was taken into captivity. Yet, when he humbled himself God forgave him. 2 Chronicles 33:12 and 13: And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God. God will hear the humble, even an Ahab and a Manasseh. God's mercy is so great that when an individual humbles himself regardless of how far out he has gone, God will forgive and deliver.

Psa 25:8-9 GW
The LORD is good and decent. That is why he teaches sinners the way they should live.
He leads humble people to do what is right, and he teaches them his way.

[Gill White]

God Requires Humility Part 5 of 6 By Vincent C. Finnegan ************** TABLE OF CONTENTS God Requires Humility Pride — the Opposite of Humility Deliverance and Humility God Hears the Humble Have the Mind of Christ Humility Is Required Have the Mind of Christ Philippians 2:3: Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. "Lowliness" is the same Greek word translated "humility." That which is done through "strife," which is basically selfish ambition or vain glory, is not done with humility to God. (Remember, Proverbs 28:25 told us "he that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife....") Nothing should be done this way. Our concern is always to please God. He wants us to rid ourselves of selfishness and have humility of mind to Him. Philippians 2:5: Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: We can think as Jesus Christ thought! Philippians 2:7 and 8: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. He had no selfish concerns, no strife and vain glory. "No reputation" means he emptied himself of self- interests. He humbled himself by being obedient even unto the death of the cross. We should not forget that in the garden of Gethsemane he prayed three times saying, "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." Did Jesus Christ want to go through the torture and death that was coming? No, he did not. So he prayed for God's help three times. God sent an angel to minister to him, (Luke 22:43) preparing him to do what was necessary to be done. We, too, can pray for God's help to do His will. We need His help even to be humble. His will is so much better than ours. God, help us to be humble. Because of Christ's determination to do the will of God, we today are redeemed. God now lives in us and helps us to do His will and good pleasure. Philippians 2:13: For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Rom 12:1-2 KJV
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world:
but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good,
and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

[Gill White]

God Requires Humility Part 6 of 6 By Vincent C. Finnegan ************** TABLE OF CONTENTS God Requires Humility Pride — the Opposite of Humility Deliverance and Humility God Hears the Humble Have the Mind of Christ Humility Is Required Humility Is Required After spending 40 days in the wilderness Jesus Christ was tempted of the Devil. After this he went into Galilee and eventually came to Nazareth where he had been brought up. As his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and read to the congregation that which is recorded in Isaiah. That which he read tells us exactly what he was anointed to do: Luke 4:17 and 18: And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, The word "poor" in Isaiah is "meek." Jesus Christ was anointed to preach the gospel to the meek. "Humility" and "meekness" are close in meaning yet not identical, and are often used together in the scriptures. "Humility" is the emptying of self; and "meekness" is willingness to listen to God. After we have put aside our own egotistical thoughts we can be meek to hear God's will. Humility is a prerequisite to meekness. As we carefully study the ministry of Jesus Christ we see he disciplined himself to preach to those who were humble and meek. To whom was Jesus Christ sent? Most would say he was sent to Israel. He said the following: Matthew 15:24: But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Living in the Western world, in a culture far removed from that of the time of the writing of God's Word, can limit our understanding. For the most part we are ignorant of the often-used analogy of the shepherd and his sheep. Sheep are extremely dependent on the shepherd. This was especially true in Palestine where water and grazing land were hard to find. Without the shepherd the sheep would die. Sheep are very similar in humility to what we saw in babies. Jesus Christ was sent exclusively to Israel, but specifically to those in Israel who were the lost sheep, the humble. What was the first recorded truth Jesus Christ taught? Matthew 5:3: Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Poor in spirit" is an idiom which means humble. Even at the last supper Jesus emphasized humility by washing the disciples' feet. This gave them an example of loving service. One of the first truths dynamically communicated to the Christian church in the book of Romans is humility. Chapters 1-3 show the utter helpless and hopeless state of man. The only solution is God's loving grace. Romans 3:24: Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Romans 12 begins the practical side of this doctrinal epistle and encourages us to renew our minds. Romans 12:3: For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. "Not to think more highly" of ourselves, but to think "according as God has dealt" is humility. For a Christian the greatest humility that seems to be required is believing we are what God says we are. He created in us a new creation. We are redeemed, righteous, justified, and sanctified. God has made us His sons now and throughout eternity. We have Christ in us, the hope of glory. We have been given the power and authority to walk as Christ did. Humility dictates we accept these truths and live accordingly. We see humility communicated also in the great doctrine of Ephesians. Ephesians 4:1 and 2: I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuf fering, forbearing one another in love; "Lowliness" is humility. Humility is truly the begin-ning of all our dealings with God. Not only is it the beginning, it is what we want to maintain every day throughout our lives. We are not sufficient of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God. God requires humility!

James 3:13
Do any of you have wisdom and insight? Show this by living the right way
with the humility that comes from wisdom.

[Viv W]

A Man Named "The Rock"
(Excerpted from Compton’s Interactive Bible)

Peter slowly learned how to live up to his nickname …

Humble yourselves, therefore, under GOD's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. (1 Peter 5:6)

You can't miss Peter in the four Gospels. He stands out like a bumpkin, pushing to the head of the line and coming out with loud, outrageous assertions. Every list of the disciples names him first, and Peter is often seen elbowing his way to center stage.
He was likable enough, with a big heart and unlimited enthusiasm. He just had too many rough edges. He swung like a pendulum, bold and courageous at one moment, yet cowardly when it really counted.

Signs of Mellowing
But by the time Peter sat down to write the letter (1 Peter) , late in his life, a lot had changed. You can sense the change in the very words he chooses: words like humble and submit. This book of Peter contains nothing of the brash, aggressive style evident in the Gospels. He is heeding Jesus' last command to him: "……..Take care of my sheep" (John 21:17).
Gruff Peter has become a tender shepherd.

To get the full impact of Peter's transformation, you must read about him in the Gospels (especially in Mark), and then turn directly to this letter:
Blustery, loudmouthed Peter now counsels wives to have - "…..the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit" (1Peter 3:4)and - “In the same way, you husbands should live with your wives in an understanding way, since they are weaker than you. You should show them respect, because GOD gives them the same blessing he gives you--the grace of true life……” (1 Peter 3:7)
The man who sliced off an ear in Jesus' defense - “ Simon Peter had a sword, which he pulled out. He struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) (John 18:10) now advises submission to laws of men - “Keep all the laws of men because of the Lord; those of the king, who is over all, …” (1 Peter 2:13).
Peter once vigorously protested Jesus' prediction of death - “Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man would have to suffer a lot. He taught them that he would be rejected by the leaders, the chief priests, and the scribes. He would be killed, but after three days he would come back to life. He told them very clearly what he meant. Peter took him aside and objected to this.”; (Mark 8:31,32) now he solemnly commends Christ's suffering as an ideal –
“GOD called you to endure suffering because Christ suffered for you. He left you an example so that you could follow in his footsteps.
Christ never committed any sin. He never spoke deceitfully.
Christ never verbally abused those who verbally abused him. When he suffered, he didn't make any threats but left everything to the one who judges fairly.
Christ carried our sins in his body on the cross so that freed from our sins, we could live a life that has GOD's approval. His wounds have healed you. (1 Peter 2:21-24).
It's easy to believe Peter is describing himself when he writes such statements as - "Once you were not GOD's people, but now you are. Once you were not shown mercy, but now you have been shown mercy. (1 Peter 2:10) and "You were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls" (1 Peter 2:25). Over time the shifting sand of Peter's personality solidified into granite!

Never Too Late
Peter finally earned the nickname that Jesus gave him long before: the "rock" - “ So I tell you, you are Peter. And I will build my church on this rock. The power of death will not be able to defeat my church.” (Matthew 16:18). And when he instructs his readers to stand fast in the true grace of GOD - ”Silas will bring this letter to you. I know that he is a faithful brother in Christ. I wrote this short letter to encourage you. I wanted to tell you that this is the true grace of GOD. Stand strong in that grace.” (1 Peter 5:12), you get the feeling Peter has learned through hard experience the lessons he is now passing on to others.

If Paul is the apostle of faith, Peter is the apostle of hope.

GOD does not give up on people, as Peter's life amply demonstrates. We have reason to hope, whatever our circumstances--even when facing suffering or death.
Tradition reports that Peter was crucified head downward on a Roman cross; he thought himself unworthy to die right side up like Jesus. Peter died still believing his promise of a happy ending: "GOD, who shows you his kindness and who has called you through Christ Jesus to his eternal glory, will restore you, strengthen you, make you strong, and support you as you suffer for a little while.” (1 Peter 5:10)
He wrote like a man who knew.

Life Questions:
Has your personality undergone major changes?
What still needs work?


Warm Christian greetings....