mrtonyfrench

Jesus and Me

I am unworthy—Jesus is worthy

I am a sinner—Jesus is perfect

I am limited—Jesus is unlimited

I was lost—Jesus found me

I am insufficient—Jesus is all sufficient

I am unlovable—Jesus loves me still

I go could go on and on. The contrast is stark. Let me simply say that Jesus Christ is worthy of all glory, honor, praise, and worship. He is worthy because of who He is and what He has done! Hallelujah, what a Savior.

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”

Revelation 5:11-13

Tony French

¹⁴ What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?

James 2:14-16

The Apostle’s main point in verses 14-16 is this—saving faith will result in works. One cannot claim to be a Christian and forsake the commands of Jesus at the same time. It does not profit anyone to profess Christ and yet refuse to help meet basic human needs.

Christians are saved by grace, through faith, through Christ the Savior. (Ephesians 2:8-9) But true redemption will be followed by tangible works and ministry. Works don’t cause salvation. Rather, works are the result of salvation.

Tony French

Humility is an interesting concept. It has been said by many that “once you think you have humility, that’s about the time you lost it.” Perhaps there is some truth to that claim. Humility requires constant investments of time and introspection.

The Webster’s dictionary defines humility as “a modest opinion or estimate of one’s importance or rank.” Humility is keeping yourself in proper perspective. It is not thinking less of ourselves, it is merely thinking of ourselves less.

The word humble appears over 80 times in Scripture. Let’s examine what the Bible has to say about humility. For the sake of our purposes, I will limit this discussion to three New Testament occurrences. What does the Bible teach about this subject?

*We must humble ourselves. As Believers, we are called to rightly evaluate ourselves and be subservient under the purview of God. Christians are instructed to realize their dependence on Christ alone. We humble ourselves by growing in dependence on Him and not ourselves.

Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.  James 4:10 

*God humbles us as well. While we are called to submit ourselves to God, we are also taught that God does humble us from time to time. He does so through circumstances that come upon us that are out of our control. God humbles us and helps us realize that we do not control much in our lives. This humbling is not always pleasant, but, it is always necessary.

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

*Jesus is the ultimate example of humility. He is our example and what He revealed to us through the cross is what we should aim for each day. We are never more like Jesus than when we humble ourselves. 

Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  Philippians 2:8

Humility is not valued by our world today. It is always valued in the kingdom of God. Be humble and realize your dependence upon God. It will make a huge difference in your life with Christ!

Tony French