This is what the Lord says:
"Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
or the strong man boast of his strength
or the rich man boast of his riches,
but let him who boasts boast about this:
that he understands and knows me,
that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,"
declares the Lord.
JEREMIAH 9:23-24
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
God-Confidence, not Self-Confidence
Matthew 5:3 Says:
"Blessed are the Poor in Spirit,
For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."
The World tells us that the solution to life's problems lies in Self-Reliance, Self-esteem, Self-confidence that you have the power and the potential to accomplish whatever you set out to do.
But what does Poor in Spirit mean? It refers to a state of recognition of bankruptcy of self, which ultimately points to God.
When you admit that you suck, there are two roads for you to go down to. The first, well, is the path set by the Devil.
Satan will tell you, "hey you stink, life sucks for you, nothing's going well, so feel sorry about yourself! Feel bad about it!!"
The second is the path of reliance on God. Yes, its true that you don't do well, and stuff, but Jesus has much to say about that!
Jesus tells you, "Hey my brother, I died for you. You are so important that I gave my life up for your sake! Rejoice!"
But he doesn't stop there.
Jesus doesn't tell you to trust in yourself. He doesn't tell you that you can do it if you believe in yourself and get some self-confidence going. No!
Jesus goes on to say, "You may be weak, but I'm strong. And I know how it feels like to struggle, cos I've gone through it like you . . ."
Hebrews 4: 15 says, "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin."
" . . . and I'm willing to lend you my strength. Whether it has been a bad day or a good day, I'm going to lend you my strength."
Remember that when God told Moses to take his people out of Egypt and Moses complained about his inadequacies, God was angry,
Not because Moses felt that he himself was weak. No.
But because Moses, in his own weakness, overlooked the Strength, the Power, the Glory, the Majesty and the Almightiness of the Living God.
Let us not overlook God's strength in our lives. Indeed, to do that, let us pray that God will grant us a poor spirit and a contrite heart and a meekness of character.
"Blessed are the Poor in Spirit,
For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."
The World tells us that the solution to life's problems lies in Self-Reliance, Self-esteem, Self-confidence that you have the power and the potential to accomplish whatever you set out to do.
But what does Poor in Spirit mean? It refers to a state of recognition of bankruptcy of self, which ultimately points to God.
When you admit that you suck, there are two roads for you to go down to. The first, well, is the path set by the Devil.
Satan will tell you, "hey you stink, life sucks for you, nothing's going well, so feel sorry about yourself! Feel bad about it!!"
The second is the path of reliance on God. Yes, its true that you don't do well, and stuff, but Jesus has much to say about that!
Jesus tells you, "Hey my brother, I died for you. You are so important that I gave my life up for your sake! Rejoice!"
But he doesn't stop there.
Jesus doesn't tell you to trust in yourself. He doesn't tell you that you can do it if you believe in yourself and get some self-confidence going. No!
Jesus goes on to say, "You may be weak, but I'm strong. And I know how it feels like to struggle, cos I've gone through it like you . . ."
Hebrews 4: 15 says, "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin."
" . . . and I'm willing to lend you my strength. Whether it has been a bad day or a good day, I'm going to lend you my strength."
Remember that when God told Moses to take his people out of Egypt and Moses complained about his inadequacies, God was angry,
Not because Moses felt that he himself was weak. No.
But because Moses, in his own weakness, overlooked the Strength, the Power, the Glory, the Majesty and the Almightiness of the Living God.
Let us not overlook God's strength in our lives. Indeed, to do that, let us pray that God will grant us a poor spirit and a contrite heart and a meekness of character.
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