Hungering and Thirsting
For Righteousness

 

Cont., page 7

 

EXHORTATION

 

In the opening of this writing, as well as in section two, we noted that Peter charged:

 

. . . what sort of people must [to bind] you be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening [quickening] the coming of the day of God . . . ?  But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.  Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless . . .” (2 Peter 3:11-14). 

 

And again, this is not spotless and blameless by the blood, but by our affirming and obligated actions, especially at this time when we look for the coming of Immanuel. 

 

We have just considered the testimony of the Bride; and in section two regarding the fulfilling Bride, we noted the clear necessity of the Elijah preparing her for Immanuel’s coming.  In this final section that is an exhortation in the pursuit of righteousness, first and briefly let us consider further this Elijah work.  This will be followed with further exhortation by quoting a number of Scripture passages that are highly relevant for our lives before Immanuel’s coming.

 

In Luke 1:17, we read the words of the angel, Gabriel, regarding the birth of John the Baptist, the foreshadowing Elijah.  To Zacharias, he declared:

 

It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the insight of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

 

There is no question that before the coming of Immanuel, there must be a very specific work that calls not only a people to righteousness, but the nations as well.  This is something licentious and deceived Christians entirely miss as they falsely proclaim “Jesus’s coming.”  They do not see the absolute necessity of a purifying work beforehand, preparing the way—a people and the nations—for Immanuel. 

 

In section two we also noted, and needs to be repeated here, that the Elijah, even as indicated by Gabriel, will come as a refiner’s fire and fuller’s soap.  In Malachi 3:2-3 we read:

 

But who can endure the day of his coming?  And who can stand when he appears?  For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap.  He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to Yahweh offerings in righteousness.

 

This is the Bride of the Lamb, who makes herself ready (Revelation 19:7) under the refining work of the Elijah.  But, when looking at what the Scriptures say regarding the Elijah and this work, there is something else we find that makes our pursuit of righteousness all the more significant. 

 

Addressed in Response to Authority, page 2 titled “Elijah,” we read the message given by Peter after the lame man was healed at the gate Beautiful.  Acts 3 provides this account.   Also, addressed in page one of The Great Tribulation, we see that this event is a testimony of the latter rain.  Thus, in verses 19-23 we read a most important proclamation by Peter:

 

“Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Messiah appointed for whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things, about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.  Moses said, ‘The Lord God shall raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren; to him you shall give heed in everything he says to you.  And it shall be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed out of the people.’ ”

 

As you can see, this is a very serious warning.  If the prophet is not heeded, then one will be utterly destroyed out of the people.  But, this is not the only time when like grave and serious warnings are made.  In Romans 11:22, Paul warns those in the church to look at the Jews and to take heed:

 

Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.

 

And Hebrews 10:26-27 gives no less warning, and in fact an even more sober warning:

 

For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.

 

And regarding being cut off, this is indeed the fate of the first 2,000 years of the church!  Zechariah 13:8 clearly tells us that they too have been cut off and died.  Remember, the kingdom of heaven is on the earth, and if you die you sleep and are not in the kingdom that is here.  But, what Paul and the writer of Hebrews warned, as well as the stated consequence for those who do not heed the prophet, Elijah, are effected even while one is alive, and are far more impacting. 

 

So many times we hear in churches that salvation is all by grace and there is nothing one can do to be worthy of it.  But that is a GREAT and deceptive lie that compromises one’s spiritual walk and invites sin; and as we have read, thereupon can negate one’s place in the kingdom of heaven.  To put it in other words, it deceives people and brings shame to the gospel.  John stated this obligation and required distinction on one’s part best when he wrote:

 

By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious:  anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother [1 John 3:10].

 

Therefore, all who are wise and fear God, as one should so do, will do exactly what the Scriptures warn (2 Corinthians 13:5):

 

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!

 

Let it be understood that the only message that will bring Immanuel back to this earth, is a call to righteousness, to righteous behavior, performing deeds in keeping with repentance as John the Baptist heralded.  This is clearly the Elijah message, and nothing short of this will prepare His way.

 

In the remainder of this closing section, let us comb the Scriptures further to see how they truly exhort us to live our lives.  Here we will primarily let the Scriptures speak for themselves, which is always a good practice.  Most of these compelling Scripture passages have not been addressed heretofore in this writing, but are exceptionally worthy to be noted.  Frankly, these are passages that most people, including preachers and teachers, ignore or simply pass over.  With today’s careless living, these are the forgotten scriptures.  But frankly, thereupon they are the most important.

 

You will want to read each one of these passages very carefully and with sincere contemplation, reflection, and personal application, even judgment.  And, you should mark this entire section/page as a valuable reference source to return to for Scriptures to live by, and to refer others to.  We will examine seven areas:  being worthy, the world, righteousness, our words, correction in righteousness, endurance, and God’s choice of the lowly.

 

 

WORTHY

 

With all the erroneous emphasis on grace, grace, grace, grace—to the extent of licentiousness—people fail to see the necessity to be regarded as worthy of that grace.  Here we read:

 

Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel [Philippians 1:27].

 

For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God [Colossians 1:9-10].

 

. . . just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory [1 Thessalonians 2:11-12].

 

This [persecution and afflictions] is a plain indication of God's righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering [2 Thessalonians 1:5].

 

To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ [2 Thessalonians 1:11-12].

 

“But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.  He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels”  (Revelation 3:4-5).

 

 

THE WORLD

 

Christians today commit harlotry with the world in all manner of ways:  in speech, in dress, in pursuits, in entertainment and music, in attitudes, in holidays, in regard to feminism, in divorce, in what is focused on, and more.  They fail to see their grave error.  But the Scriptures warn:

 

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [Romans 12:2].

 

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this:  . . .  to keep oneself unstained by the world [James 1:27].

 

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.  The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever [1 John 2:15-17].

 

And worthy of being repeated here, we read this fateful warning:

 

You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God [James 4:4]!

 

And equally worthy to repeat, women are instructed:

 

Let not your behavior be the external braiding of the hair and putting on gold jewelry or putting on worldly garments, but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God [1 Peter 3:3-4].

 

Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness [1 Timothy 2:9-10].

 

 

RIGHTEOUSNESS

 

The scriptures concerning pursuing righteousness and putting away sin are replete.  The kingdom of heaven we have received is, as we have noted, the kingdom of righteousness.  It is not the kingdom of feel goodies.  It is not the kingdom of make money.  It is not the kingdom of doing your own will.  It is not the kingdom of self-indulgence.  It is not the kingdom of worldliness.  It is not the kingdom of a loose tongue.  It is not the kingdom of selfishness.  It is not the kingdom of whatever I want to do.  It is not the kingdom of no self-control.  It is not the kingdom of lawlessness.  It is not even the kingdom of religiosity.  But rather, it is the kingdom that follows and fulfills the following:

 

. . . and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.  I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh.  For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.  For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.  Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed?  For the outcome of those things is death. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord [Romans 6:18-23].

 

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.  But avoid profane empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene.  Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some.  Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness."  Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor.  Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work [2 Tim. 2:15-21].

 

He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed [1 Peter 2:24].

 

. . . that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor . . . [1 Thessalonians 4:4].

 

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, "you shall be holy, for I am holy."  If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth [1 Peter 1:14-17].

 

“How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?”  (John 5:44.)

 

By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.  The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected.  By this we know that we are in Him:  the one who says he abides in Him is obligated to walk in the same manner as He walked [1 John 2:3-6].

 

And though mentioned earlier, these concluding three passages regarding righteousness are more than worthy to be repeated:

 

. . . what sort of people must [to bind] you be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening [quickening] the coming of the day of God . . . ?  But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.  Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless  . . .  [2 Peter 3:11-14]. 

 

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.  These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority.  Let no one disregard you [Titus 2:11-15].

 

And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.  Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.  You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.  No one who abides in Him sins [i.e., it is unacceptable for them to sin]; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning.  The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.  No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.  By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother [1 John 3:3-10].

 

 

OUR WORDS

 

Most people wholly fail in one way or another by not guarding their tongues—in worldliness, in crudeness, in lack of self-control, in gossip, in not speaking the truth, in criticalness, in unfulfilled commitments, and so on.  James says that “the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity, . . . set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell” (James 3:6).  Thus, the Scriptures are most clear concerning our responsibility over it:

 

O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding profane empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called "knowledge" [1 Timothy 6:20].

 

And this was repeated in Paul’s next letter to Timothy:

 

But avoid profane empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness [2 Timothy 2:16].

 

If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless [James 1:26].

 

For, the one who desires life, to love and see good days, must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.  He must turn away from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it [1 Peter 3:10-11].

 

Let your speech/words always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person [Colossians 4:6].

 

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear [Ephesians 4:29].

 

With [the tongue] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God, from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing.  My brethren, these things ought not to be this way [James 3:9-10].

 

And one of the most profound and clear warnings there is, is this issued by the One who will judge all men:

 

“But I tell you that every careless/idle word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” [Matthew 12:36-37].

 

 

CORRECTION IN RIGHTEOUSNESS

 

Concerning correction in righteousness, there are three options:  correct ourselves, man correct us, or God correct us.  We will look at all three of these.  In 2 Timothy 3:16 we read:

 

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for discipline/instruction in righteousness.

 

Since the kingdom is the place where “righteousness dwells,” and Yahshua said that the kingdom of God is within us (Luke 17:21), then righteousness should and must be evidenced in and through our lives.  If it is not, then there is real cause to question if indeed the kingdom truly resides within us.  Herein should be the highest goal of and expectation from the believer:  to serve God, and for righteousness to be evidenced in and through our life.

 

In regard to righteousness and our obligation to purify ourselves, to perform deeds consistent with repentance, we have already noted the instruction of Yahshua.  He said that if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off.  If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off.  If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out.  He then adds that salt is good, and we are to have salt in ourselves.  And if we do not apply this salt, then we will be salted with fire (Mark 9:43-50).  Furthermore we read:

 

For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.  But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged [1 Corinthians 11:30-31].

 

Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.  Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart [2 Timothy 2:21-22].

 

For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God [1 Peter 4:17]?

 

In this regard, if we fail to effect these changes in ourselves, then others are to correct us, and of course God does likewise Himself.  Regarding the latter, we read of His response as our Father:

 

You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons:  “my son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom he receives.”

 

It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?  But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.  Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?  For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.  For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it [Hebrews 12:4-11].

 

And in like regard, we find in Psalms 7:11 an affirming and most interesting and revealing passage:

 

God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day.

 

But, this can equally be translated:

 

God judges the righteous, and God is angry every day.

 

Looking at the state of the church today, God has every reason to be angry every day regarding the righteous.  Then like unto Hebrews 12:4-11, verse 12 of Psalms 7 adds:

 

If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow and made it ready.

 

Likewise, there is an obligation, a responsibility, on the part of godly leaders to instruct, judge, and correct the people and individuals for wrong behavior—something that is not only severely lacking today, but the wrong behavior is both approved and even encouraged.  But it is written:

 

We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete [2 Corinthians 10:5-6].

 

I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:  . . .  reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction [2 Timothy 4:1-2].

 

For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; and reproofs for discipline are the way of life [Proverbs 6:23].

 

And concerning the Elijah who prepares the way for Immanuel, we have read:

 

But who can endure the day of his coming?  And who can stand when he appears?  For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap.  He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to Yahweh offerings in righteousness {Malachi 3:2-3}.

 

“Moses said, ‘The Lord God shall raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren; to him you shall give heed in everything he says to you.  And it shall be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed out of the people’ ” [Acts 3:22-23].

 

And finally, we read regarding Immanuel’s coming:

 

Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy before Yahweh, for He is coming to judge the earth; He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity [Psalm 98:8-9].

 

 

ENDURANCE

 

The matter of endurance is added here because of the absolute necessity of persevering in doing what is right.  There is no substitute for perseverance/endurance!

 

“By your endurance you will gain your souls” [Luke 21:19].

 

“But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved” [Matthew 24:13].

 

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect work, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing [James 1:2-4].

 

For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.  For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay.  But my righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him [Hebrews 10:36-38].

 

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God [Hebrews 12:1-2].

 

And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us [Romans 5:3-5].

 

Here are two favorite passages, both wholly worthy of being memorized and applied to your daily life (as are so many of these passages).

 

Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right [1 Peter 4:19].

 

Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.  For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ [2 Peter 1:5-8].

 

There are many other passages having to do with perseverance, and you can look them up on your own.

 

 

THOSE WHO ARE NOT

 

We close with a most important recognition, goal, and right attitude if one wants to be chosen of and used by God:  humility and lowliness.  First, here is a most interesting, significant, but also humorous testimony.  It is from Luke 3:1-2, and is the testimony regarding John the Baptist.  This passage is laid out here item by item so you can see each one as individually set forth:

 

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,

when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea,

and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee,

and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis,

and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,

in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,

the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness.

 

The irony and the great way of Yahweh is evident.  Here you have seven men who are of high esteem among men.  But, also in Luke, the One who came as a servant and not to be served said this:  “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God” (Luke 16:15).

 

So, here we read of seven men who are highly esteemed among men.  BUT, who was it that God went to?  John, a nobody, in the wilderness—a man who did not wear the fine clothing of those in palaces, but wore camel skins and ate grasshoppers and wild honey and resided in the wilderness, desiring to do nothing but the will of God.

 

In like regard, to whom did Yahweh go who would bear His son?   A palace queen?  No, a common woman of humble state who called herself Yahweh’s bondslave.  And where was this Son of God born?  In a palace?  No, in a barn, with livestock.  And to whom did the angels go to herald His birth?  To the elite?  No, to common shepherds. 

 

The purpose in pointing all of this out is not to show the humble circumstances of all of these, but to show that which Yahweh God desires and even chooses:  humility and lowliness.  It is not the flamboyant mega churches that please God.  They too are the “highly esteemed among men” that are “detestable in the sight of God.”  It is not the chambers of man’s government or the board rooms of successful men, in the eyes of men.  Obviously, what is desirable to God is a Mary, who when used is humbled, and proclaims, “He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave.”

 

In affirmation of this choice, in 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 we read:

 

God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.

 

Thus, Yahshua repeatedly proclaimed:

 

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” [Luke 14:11, 18:14].

 

Whether it be a man or a woman, God seeks those who will humble themselves before Him and in the eyes of men, and like His Son, will take the place of a servant.  Let women be godly women who know their calling and role as a woman.  And let men be godly men, who submit to Yahshua and lead in righteousness and humility.  And let both lay their lives down for others, regarding others as more important than themselves.

 

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men [Philippians 2:3-7].

 

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise [Psalms 51:17].

 

But He gives a greater grace.  Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble” [James 4:6].

 

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time [1 Peter 5:6].

 

E-Mail your comments or ask to be notified of future publications

Return to home page