Tag: humility

Choosing Our Clothes

On By vickleaIn Admonition, Scripture3 Comments

I have a closet full of clothing, including many items that I seldom if ever wear. There’s the suit dress that I wore to our son’s wedding, almost two decades ago. It is a lovely suit, but too dressy for every day and I don’t go to many weddings. I have a super heavy coat that a dear friend gifted me after she found out that I had knee replacement surgery and she wanted me to have a long coat to keep my knees warm. It is so heavy that I feel weighted down when I wear it, so I don’t wear it often, but it’s there for the really cold days when I need it. Finally, I have my wedding gown. Over fifty years old and I still have it. I won’t fit into it, and it’s nothing expensive or fancy that cost hundreds of dollars. In fact, I got it on sale at a now defunct department store, watching my pennies on a tight budget and knowing my parents weren’t chipping in for any of my wedding expenses. My veil cost more than the dress and I couldn’t tell you where that even is. I like to just see the dress sometimes and remember what that day was like for me.

Most of us have clothes that we don’t wear much but which we don’t want to give up. I have downsized my closet several times since my retirement, donating all of the professional teaching outfits that I know I don’t need now. There are some articles of clothing that God urges us to wear daily, and the good news is that they don’t take up any room in a crowded closet.

These are the attributes of someone who maintains a close relationship with God and who strives to be more like Jesus. Opening Jesus’s closet is free to us but it cost Him everything. Today, as I sit quietly in my pajamas (my daily outfit since retirement), I am pondering whether I am properly dressed for the day. I don’t have to wonder about whether things match or are appropriate for the activities for the day. What I put on each morning for the Lord always goes with whatever I am wearing outwardly and they are always just what I need to get me through the day. Being tenderhearted, showing mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience not only ministers to those around me, but they also make me feel better about any challenges during the day. After all, God wants me to face the world with the same empathy and compassion that His Son showed to all whom He met. The outward clothes I wear will wear out (or more likely stop fitting properly), but the clothes I put on for the sake of the Lord will always fit just right and be the exact qualities I need at the exact moment I need them.

So, what are you wearing today?

What to Put On

On By vickleaIn Scripture, Song, YouVersion App3 Comments

Cultivate What Matters Most (You Version Bible App, Daily Devotional, 11-09-24)

Imagine putting on shirts of compassion, patience and forgiveness. That might seem ridiculous, but Colossians 3:12 tells us to “clothe ourselves” in traits that match our identity in Christ. In other words, we need to cover ourselves in actions and attitudes that result in us looking more like Jesus every day. 

So, how do we do this? One way to get started is by thinking of the struggles that keep you from living more like Jesus, and then start to replace them with their opposite action.

  • If your communication leans sarcastic and cutting, choose to say something kind instead.
  • If you tend to come across as harsh, choose to do something that requires gentleness.
  • If you’re holding a grudge, choose to extend forgiveness.

As you go about doing that, choose to take part in activities that build you up spiritually. This could look like connecting with friends who will keep you accountable, memorizing Scripture that you can apply to your life, or cultivating compassion by serving in your community. The more you intentionally pursue actions that lead to humility, compassion, and kindness, the more those traits will become a natural part of your life. 

And as you pursue the qualities mentioned in Colossians 3:12, the changes this produces will be most evident in the way you treat other people. The apostle John said that we can’t claim to love Jesus if we hate each other (1 John 4:20), so a life that reflects Jesus is going to embody love. And according to 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, love is “patient and kind. … It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. … Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” 

A life marked by God’s love is going to display the very things the apostle Paul talks about in Colossians 3:12. 

So if we want to live like Jesus, then we need to receive the new life He’s given to us and accept His unconditional love. Only then can we begin to reflect His love to others by showing people compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

My Thoughts

Now is not the time to run around and brag about the victory of your favorite candidate. Now is the time to be kind and patient and tender-hearted. I remember how depressed and anxious I felt four years ago when Biden was elected. I was dismayed and in total denial. Now, I can apply that to family members and friends who supported Harris. They need to vent, and I need to be willing to listen. Pointing out the ungodly policies of their candidate will not help them. They are afraid because the MSM told them that Trump will destroy everything. So, instead of using words to point out facts, words that they cannot hear right now, I am choosing to be kind and compassionate and just listen. If they have a question, I will answer without being snarky. I want to show them the kindness that I would want shown to me if the other candidate had won.

This verse is perfect for right now and for every day. I am retired so my choice of attire in the mornings after I shower is warm pj’s or cool ones, depending on the weather. Sometimes, on appointment or meeting days, I even get dressed. But my outward appearance isn’t what matters to other people or to God. They want to see how I will treat them, even if they believe differently than I do. If we want to be like Jesus, we have to be willing to meet people right where they are and to just listen to what they need from us. Sometimes, it’s just kindness and compassionate understanding. Sometimes, we are called to act, like providing a person breakfast or a hot drink. Whatever we can do to be more like Jesus, then we need to choose to do it. It may not be comfortable for us like wearing pj’s all day, but stepping out and helping others know that Jesus is real and loves them is our mission in life. There is nothing more important that showing someone you love them so that they, in turn, can believe in the love of Jesus.

Kindness-Steven Curtis Chapman

Selfishness and Conceit

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion AppLeave a comment

Selfish to Selfless (YouVersion Bible App, Daily Devotional, 11-08-24)

Our default setting is selfishness.

Don’t believe it? Try hanging out with a toddler for a day.

Toddlers want what they want, and they want it now. Toddlers will fight (and sometimes bite) to maintain dominion over their prized possessions. Toddlers have little concern for schedules, agendas, or perfectly white walls.

The good news about toddlers—and people in general—is that they have the capacity to change into selfless people as they grow. But, if toddlers aren’t lovingly redirected and taught how to consider others, that selfishness will continue.

So if we’re naturally self-centered humans, how do we train our minds not to default to selfishness?

The Bible encourages us to model our lives after Jesus…

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus…”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:3‬-5 ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus didn’t leverage His authority for personal advantage—power, pleasure, control, or comfort—but took on the nature of a servant.

Jesus spent His time investing in others.
Jesus focused His attention on helping others.
Jesus gave up His own life for others.

If you find yourself becoming self-obsessed, self-indulgent, or even a little self-righteous, consider asking God for His help.

  • Ask Him to help you see people the way He does.
  • Ask Him to use any knowledge you gain to love Him and serve others. 
  • Ask Him to put opportunities in your path to lead others toward Him.
    ‬‬
    The Word of God, the Holy Spirit, and relationships with other believers are what refines our hearts. And with God’s help, we can change our tendency from living selfishly into living selflessly.

My Thoughts

I thought that when the election was over, things would calm down, but apparently, there are some hard feelings in my family over the fact that I would dare to vote for Trump. Anyway, there is a division brewing and I am heartbroken over the harsh words that are being directed towards me. Nevertheless, I feel as if I can continue to value others as friends and family members, in spite of our differences. And I covet your prayers during this hard time. I want to show others that I value their friendship and our relationship and that politics is not the most important thing in my life. God is! And that is why I voted the way I did. I had to choose the candidate who most represented Biblical truths…not perfectly, but better than the one who thinks abortion and transgenderism are values to be touted. Anyway, back to the topic at hand. We could all do to read and heed this verse daily. It reminds me that He is everything and without Him, I am nothing.

Jesus Showed Selfless Love

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App1 Comment

In today’s world, everyone seems to be “out for themselves.” If people don’t think that they will benefit, they don’t want to undertake anything, especially if the benefactors are others. But Jesus showed us a different way, a way to selfless love, a sacrificial love that expected nothing in return, knowing that the real reward was eternal. As we go about our day today, let’s prefer others above ourselves. Let’s not be in a hurry in the “me first” movement. There are no prizes in God’s kingdom for the “me first, last and always” crowd. The eternal rewards and crown of life go to those who practice humility and selfless love just as Jesus modeled for us.

An Example Worth Following

Jesus stood there in silence as he was stripped, spit on, beaten, and mocked. He stood there as they twisted thorns into a crown and shoved it onto His head. He watched as they gambled for His clothes. He was rejected, accused, and crucified—and He endured all of this willingly, because of love. 

Imagine having unlimited power and authority, and giving it all up. Imagine voluntarily sacrificing your life so that others could also experience God’s deep, unconditional love. This is what Jesus modeled for us.  

“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges… When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” 
Philippians 2:5-8 NLT

Jesus knew He belonged to God, and He knew what He was called to do. He knew that selfless service mattered more than selfishness. He knew that humility was greater than pride. And He knew that obeying God would lead to our freedom and His glory. 

Jesus modeled humility by laying down His life so that we could know the love of God personally. And if we say that we follow Jesus, then we need to have the same attitude and outlook on life that Jesus did. But we can only do this by staying united in Jesus as we follow His example together.  

So, how do we stay united? We show love to each other. And how do we show love to each other? By thinking about other people first, and choosing not to hold onto bitterness. True love requires a willingness to let go of pride, and to serve without expecting anything in return. 

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” 
John 15:12-13 ESV

So who can you show love to today? Spend a few moments allowing God to reveal how you can practically embrace humility, stay united in love, and serve others selflessly today.

Confronting Greed

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

www.bible.com/reading-plans/13696/day/28

The lesson we learn from Achan, Ananias and Sapphira is twofold (or perhaps even more). First, we learn that greed in any form has severe consequences. Achan was stoned to death whereas Ananias and Sapphira dropped dead after they lied, all of them trying to hide their own greed. The second lesson is that you cannot hide your sin from God. He sees all, knows all and deals with sin according to His justice system. When we look around at our leaders today, how many of them display greed? I would dare say all of them in some form or another. How many fear God and the consequences of their sin? I don’t want to even guess if any of them do, but I would say that number is small. I am not pronouncing judgment on anyone because that is not my responsibility, but I will say that it would be wise for our leaders to confess, repent and come before the Lord with an honest heart than to face His judgment. God is always the same and He hates sin. How much account will our leaders have to give to God for leading an entire nation of people astray, to worship the false gods of fame, greed and self-aggrandizement. One of God’s key attributes that He seeks is humility. May we remember that and come before Him in true repentance for ourselves and in prayer for our nation and its leaders.

A Quiet Voice in a Loud World

On By vickleaIn Scripture5 Comments

We live in a society that likes to make its voice heard. Whether it is shouting at rallies, giving interviews or just lecturing an employee in our office, we like to be heard. I think all of us should pay more attention to what Jesus says about putting the needs of others first.

If I follow this verse in Philippians, everyone is more important than I am. Sobering and humbling thought! That guy who cut me off in heavy traffic. I pray for him, for his safety and that he has a good meeting that he must be rushing to frantically. The lady who snatches the last box of my kind of tea off the shelf? Pray for her because she must need it for a reason. We are to be humble and defer to others, not laying down like a doormat, but allowing others preferential treatment if that is what they want. We have the attitude sometimes that others have to do something to earn our respect and our deference to them. No, we have to step back and show them that they are special to God and loved, in the small ways that we can.

We are living in a world that everyone is loudly demanding his own way, but we are called to be different. We are called to step back, observe and sometimes to even quietly walk away. We are no longer children standing in the aisle of the store demanding that our mom buy us the latest toy or new junk food. We are supposed to be maturing Christians and since we bear the name of Christ, we need to act like it, especially when others are watching. (Which, by the way, is all the time) People notice if we act differently than they do; they hardly glance at us if we are doing the same kind of selfish and attention-seeking actions that they are doing. The lifeboat is there at the dock and there are six seats and seven people. Your only chance at surviving is to quickly push someone aside and jump into the lifeboat. What do you do? I hope that you defer to others, knowing that if God sent the lifeboat to begin with, He can save you a different way or He can take you to be with Him. Like I said, defer to others and wait for God to tell you what you are supposed to be doing.

In our very noisy world that is constantly calling us this way or that, we have to be attentively listening to hear the voice of the Lord telling us what to do. He will guide us into the right way to show humility and preference for others so that we don’t cause offense. He will also tell us what we should be doing instead of forcing our way to the front. It’s easy to follow the crowd and just do what they are doing. But to follow Jesus, we have to be quiet and listen for His voice, even in this loud world that we live in.

Purposeful Living

On By vickleaIn Scripture1 Comment

In my devotional yesterday, I was encouraged to make sure that I am following God’s plan for my life and not pursuing the things of this world. People who don’t know God are seeking riches, fame, and a lot of material things and pleasure. My purpose is to serve God and His kingdom in whatever way I can for as long as I am able.

Many reach the top of the ladder of success only to find that it is leaning against the wrong wall. Purpose in life is far more important than property or possessions. Having more to live with is no substitute for having more to live *for.* ~Nicky Gumbel, One Year Bible Devotional, September 2, 2023

Read that quotation again and really think about it. For years, I pursued the goal of being named “Teacher of the Year.” I worked hard, gave 110% to my students and their parents and wanted all of them to be successful in learning how to study. The end result was that the students were thankful, as were many of the parents, but the only teachers who were ever recognized were the “pets” or those who taught the mainstream classes for which the standardized tests were given. I gave up on that goal after I noticed that the “winners” were always the same people; they just took turns by department: math, science, history, English. God spoke sternly to me then and told me that my prize was not in being recognized but in serving Him and His plan for me. My purpose changed and so did my outlook about the other teachers. They were winners of a title, but they didn’t know the Lord as Savior, so ultimately, they were lost.

God created each of us with a purpose in mind. It is up to us to find out what that purpose is and to pursue it wholeheartedly. I was a good teacher, but that is not because I had any special talents or abilities. I was a good teacher because God’s Spirit gave me insight daily into the needs of my students and He showed me creative ways to reach them. I was good because God gave me that purpose and the ability to go with it.

The most important thing in life to pursue is not a thing, but a person. Jesus Christ…first, last and always…needs to be the center of all that you do, every day. The other things (riches, fame, etc.) may or may not come. But the promise is that you will have all that you need, not necessarily all that you want. What do you need to be happy and feel fulfilled? I need to know that I am doing God’s will and hearing His voice direct me daily, to leave my comfort zone and speak kindly and with encouraging words to strangers. I am not a farmer, but I am determined to sow seeds for the kingdom daily.

What I considered “good” (a title and the recognition that went with it), God didn’t esteem at all, or not that I could tell. God just wants me to treat everyone equally (justice), to be kind to all and to be humble before my Creator who gave me all that I have and made me all that I will ever be. In the end, what matters is leaning that ladder I’m climbing against the firm foundation of God’s Word. It’s the only way the ladder won’t fall and I won’t be disappointed in the end.

What is your purpose? On what are you leaning your ladder? I hope this post today has given you food for thought.

Boasting

On By vickleaIn Scripture, Song5 Comments

The opposite of being humble is being boastful. I know you have met this kind of person, the one who walks around like “they are all that and then some.” This is the person who takes all of the praise that others offer but when someone has constructive criticism, it bounces right off of them. After all, they usually consider themselves perfection walking. I never wanted to be that person but when I was younger, I wore pride like a badge. I was proud of my grades in college, proud of my personal achievements, proud of what I had accomplished without a lot of parental support or encouragement. I can’t remember boasting outright, but if someone asked me how I did in college, I answered with my GPA and the fact that I was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. So, yes, it was boasting. It wasn’t long after my graduation from college that I was introduced to the Lord, so my foray into being a braggart was short, thank goodness! Nevertheless, it was something that was in my past that Jesus forgave me for, among many other things, of course. Since I wrote about humility earlier this week, I decided I should cover the topic of boasting, too. What does God say about boasting?

If you are going to boast, there is only one thing that is worthy to boast about and that is that you have the understanding to know the Lord. And, honestly, I don’t think you can really boast about that either unless you are using it as a testimony to the power of the Lord because even the understanding you have about Him as your Lord and Savior comes from Him. You haven’t done anything, you can’t do anything, and you don’t deserve anything…yet God in His great love and mercy reached out, opened your mind to understand Who He is and what He has done for you and even allows you to boast about having the understanding that He gave you. So, you have done a lot in your life to be proud of? Those crowns will one day be laid at the feet of Jesus, so you may as well begin practicing now by giving Him all of the glory for all that HE has done through you. It is freeing to be released from the burden of boasting, knowing that all comes from God and whatever you think you have done is a result of His power in your life. I could do nothing without Him and neither can you.

Let’s Talk About Jesus

May you have a blessed day as you talk about Jesus!

Humility

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

This is a word that is hard to define or even describe. It’s much easier to think about its antonyms than its synonyms. When I looked up the word in an online dictionary, I found that it is defined as lowliness, with an antonym being pride. Well, that wasn’t much help. Jesus was humble and I want to grow in that trait, but I don’t know how if I can’t understand the definition. In my struggle, I finally came to terms with the fact that if I am thinking of myself first, I am not showing humility. If I consider myself “more than” others, whether it is more intelligent, more talented, prettier, etc. I am not being humble. Our yardstick of measurement is always the Lord and I am always less than in His presence. So, what is the purpose of humility?

It is when we are humble that we are teachable. That is when the Lord can guide us, when we get off our throne of knowledge and self-sufficiency and admit that we are nothing without the Lord. There is nothing I am and nothing that I can do without His guiding hand and help. He teaches me daily the way I should go, the things I should say (or in my case, it is mostly the things I should not say) and the people that I should approach and offer encouragement. But God can only do that if I am willing to put myself out there before Him and listen to what He is telling me to do and say and be. That means starting off with being humble before the King of the Universe.

When we humble ourselves before God, we don’t stay in that position forever. God lifts us up if we will allow Him to do so. It is when we are “tooting our own horns” that we cannot hear God’s instructions and the encouragement that only He can give. The promise is that He WILL lift you up, but this is like a conditional promise. First you humble yourself and then He does the “good job” part. I have found that sometimes I get ahead of God and I’m patting myself on the back before He can even tell me what else I need to do or what I should have done instead. That is not humility in action but pride and God has had to show me numerous times that I need to take a step back and see things the way He sees them, including taking a good look at myself and my efforts. I may have the best intentions but if what I am doing is to glorify myself, I am destined to failure. Sometimes, it will look like success, but it will never be what God intended for it to be unless I learn His ways and practice the humility that will give Him all the glory, recognizing that I am a tool in the hands of the Almighty.

May you be blessed today as you go out and come in, as you meet others and as you are seen by God and by those you meet. May they see Christ in you, the humble servant of His Father.

Deeds Done in Humility

On By vickleaIn Scripture5 Comments

james.bible/james-3-13

This is a verse that made me stop and think this morning. First, I don’t consider myself particularly wise or understanding and I thought it was odd that the verse would start with such a question. Who can be considered humble if they already consider themselves wise and understanding? Then, I thought some more and realized that God gives us the wisdom and understanding that we need and in that, we can be humble, acknowledging that these are gifts from Him. Then, we can show our wisdom and understanding by doing good deeds without expecting any kind of recognition in return. That is humility and it truly comes from wisdom. If we only do good deeds to get recognition, then is it truly a good deed? Food for thought.

Have a blessed day, my friends, and enjoy the goodness of God who gives us all things to use for His glory.