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The Way
by Kevin Pauley
There is a generation that curses its father and does not bless its mother. There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filth. There is a generation--how haughty its eyes and pretentious its looks. There is a generation whose teeth are swords, whose fangs are knives, devouring the oppressed from the land and the needy from among mankind. - Proverbs 30:11-14 HCSB
Every sin can be traced back to pride. Every good trait is founded in humility. God resists the proud and draws near to the humble. How much more do we need to know before we realize… ( Click for more )
For you are called to freedom, brothers; only don't use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. For the entire law is fulfilled in one statement: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. - Galatians 5:13-14 HCSB
Seek out opportunities to serve secretly. Acting humble in order to gain the acclaim of others is not acceptable.
When you perform a mitzvah, keep in mind the following quote: “All the good things I do are but a drop in the ocean in comparison to what I ought to do.”[1]
When you perform a mitzvah for someone,… ( Click for more )
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, because He cares about you. Be sober! Be on the alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are being experienced by your brothers in the world. - 1 Peter 5:6-9 HCSB
Notice His command: “Humble YOURSELVES”. Humility doesn’t “just happen.” God won’t zap us with it. He expects us to work… ( Click for more )
Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one. - Romans 12:2-3 HCSB
Humility is not self-hatred or having a “poor me” attitude. Acknowledge what Yahweh has done for you in the past and place your hope in His continued provision. Admit your continuous need of… ( Click for more )
"There was a judge in one town who didn't fear God or respect man. And a widow in that town kept coming to him, saying, 'Give me justice against my adversary.' "For a while he was unwilling, but later he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or respect man, yet because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice, so she doesn't wear me out by her persistent coming.'" - Luke 18:2-5 HCSB
Human pride leads us to believe that we are self-sufficient, masters of ourselves and captains of our own fate. Hubris says “I have no need of God or… ( Click for more )
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” - Matthew 5:3 HCSB
The Bible teaches four basic lessons about humility: what humility is (self-honesty), how and to whom humility is to be expressed (to God and others), the results of humility (spiritual health and ultimate exaltation) and how to develop humility in our personal life (be teachable, be obedient, be a servant).
True biblical humility can be defined as an ultimate form of self-honestly. It is not thinking poorly of oneself.[1] Humility is often defined by contrasting… ( Click for more )
“I always pray for you, and I make my requests with a heart full of joy because you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.” Philippians 1:4-5 You may not be gifted as a missionary. You may never have to face the danger of martyrdom. It’s not everyone’s task to face the devil in his lair and send him packing through the power of the Holy Spirit. You may spend the entirety of your life safely within the confines of the state or county in which you were born. But you can take part in the great… ( Click for more )
A gossip goes around revealing a secret, but the trustworthy keeps a confidence. - Proverbs 11:13 HCSB
We have all seen the cop shows where a criminal confessed something to a priest that was critical to the case, but the priest believed he couldn’t reveal the key piece of evidence for fear of breaking the “sanctity of the confessional.” Unfortunately, many Christians have formed their views on the issue of confidentiality more out of what they have learned off the television than out of the Bible.
Obviously, an elder would not make for a very popular… ( Click for more )
Although these have a reputation of wisdom by promoting ascetic practices, humility, and severe treatment of the body, they are not of any value against fleshly indulgence. - Colossians 2:23 HCSB
A young girl began wearing long-sleeve shirts all the time. She was very careful to not show her arms but one day, as she was washing some dishes, her father noted some cuts on her forearms. At first, she tried to say she’d simply gotten scratched by her playful dog but there was something about her tone that made her father keep questioning. Soon it became apparent that she… ( Click for more )
If your brother becomes destitute and cannot sustain himself among you, you are to support him as a foreigner or temporary resident, so that he can continue to live among you. Do not profit or take interest from him, but fear your God and let your brother live among you. You are not to lend him your silver with interest or sell him your food for profit. - Leviticus 25:35-37 HCSB
With so much poverty in the world, how do we decide who to help? What should be the goal of our assistance? What measurable marker can we use to know where and when to draw those lines?
The phrase… ( Click for more )
"Then the king will do whatever he wants. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god, and he will say outrageous things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, because what has been decreed will be accomplished. He will not show regard for the gods of his fathers, the god longed for by women, or for any other god, because he will magnify himself above all. Instead, he will honor a god of fortresses--a god his fathers did not know--with gold, silver, precious stones, and riches. He will deal with the strongest fortresses with… ( Click for more )
Then Jesus came near and said to them, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." - Matthew 28:18-20 HCSB
It is interesting how many Christians believe that a physical act could lead to their salvation after God spent so much time trying to pound the very opposite into our heads. If a physical act was… ( Click for more )
The LORD then said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away the disgrace of Egypt from you." Therefore, that place has been called Gilgal to this day. While the Israelites camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they kept the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month. The day after Passover they ate unleavened bread and roasted grain from the produce of the land. - Joshua 5:9-11 HCSB
Most Jews tend to focus on the first Passover at this time of year. You know - the one in Egypt when Yahweh delivered His people from Egyptian bondage and made freedmen… ( Click for more )
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, and will bring swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their unrestrained ways, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. In their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation, pronounced long ago, is not idle, and their destruction does not sleep. - 2 Peter 2:1-3 HCSB
Adonai destroys the omens of the false prophets and makes fools… ( Click for more )
Follow the Lord’s rules for doing his work, just as an athlete either follows the rules or is disqualified and wins no prize. – 2 Timothy 2:5
I walked into our living room and watched a couple of my children playing a game called Spy Hunter. It involves a James Bond-like car that chases evil cars around and generally causes mayhem while saving the world. What drew my attention was a warning whoop that kept sounding. When I walked in and saw what they were doing, I couldn’t help but laugh. They were actually going through the course backwards!… ( Click for more )
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. As soon as He came up out of the water, He saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending to Him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: You are My beloved Son; I take delight in You! - Mark 1:9-11 HCSB
There are many verses in which the Trinity may be demonstrated. For example, at one time a false doctrine was introduced to the Church that was called Sabellianism. Sabellians taught that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are different modes or aspects of one God that appear… ( Click for more )
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. As soon as He came up out of the water, He saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending to Him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: You are My beloved Son; I take delight in You! - Mark 1:9-11 HCSB
Even the most cursory examination of the Scriptures will indicate to the careful student that the members of the Trinity do everything as a unified team. Each is involved in every function of the other.
The Trinity created all things. We are told that the Father created… ( Click for more )
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. As soon as He came up out of the water, He saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending to Him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: You are My beloved Son; I take delight in You! - Mark 1:9-11 HCSB
God is undivided unity expressed in the threefold and equal nature of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Being so far beyond our normal human experience, it is and will likely ever be a great and incomprehensible mystery.
Augustine of Hippo (AD 354-430) tried to illustrate… ( Click for more )
Brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. - 2 Thessalonians 3:13 HCSB
The father gazed at his young child with a weary expression on his face. The recalcitrant child had disobeyed once again. “How many times?” he thought to himself. “How many times have I dealt with this?”
The police officer rubbed his face in a gesture motivated as much by frustration as by fatigue. The man before him had been arrested several times for the same offense and seemed stubbornly unfazed by anything the law had to throw at his misbehavior.
The humanitarian… ( Click for more )
The LORD commanded us to follow all these statutes and to fear the LORD our God for our prosperity always and for our preservation, as it is today. Righteousness will be ours if we are careful to follow every one of these commands before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us.' - Deuteronomy 6:24-25 HCSB
In the Torah, Moses gave (according to ancient rabbinic tradition) 613 laws. The Scriptures do not give us this number, but if we carefully work our way through the Sinaitic Law, we will find (depending on how we divide things up) approximately 365 negative commands and… ( Click for more )
Then John's disciples told him about all these things. So John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord, asking, "Are You the One who is to come, or should we look for someone else?" - Luke 7:18-19 HCSB
When studying biblical texts, it is critical to make sure that we understand their full context: historical, geographical, cultural, political etc.
If we consider the parallel passage of the above passage found in Matthew 11:1-9, we discover that John the Baptist[1] was in prison and could not go to Jesus. Apparently, he was not in isolation,… ( Click for more )
Remember that You swore to Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel by Yourself and declared to them, 'I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and will give your offspring all this land that I have promised, and they will inherit it forever.'" So the LORD changed His mind about the disaster He said He would bring on His people. - Exodus 32:13-14 HCSB
Yahweh made a promise to his friend[1], Abraham, taking him outside and saying, "Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then He said to him, "Your offspring… ( Click for more )
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