March 25

ROMANS 11

¹⁷ But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, ¹⁸ do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. ¹⁹ Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” ²⁰ That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. ²¹ For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. ²² Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you too will be cut off. ²³ And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. ²⁴ For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.

                                                                                           – Romans 11:17-23

ROMANS 11 THE FEAR OF THE LORD LEADS TO HUMILITY

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

What causes people to fear and have unbelief?

Isn’t it a lack of knowing truth and a mind anchored on lies?

The unbelievers fear when they don’t live up to the world’s standard

They don’t acknowledge God which leads their hearts to be proud

Those who have the fear of the Lord knows their place and submits to God

They never forget that the giver and maker is God and all are under his control

Since God is love, those who fear God is shielded from folly and sin

Those who live in fear don’t know God and inevitably choose Satan.

In this account, Paul gives the metaphor of an olive tree which was described to have a nourishing root. The root is likened to God being the source of such life and the olive tree is the result of that life-giving Spirit of the Lord. Paul refers to the reason why there were some Jews that he allowed to have unbelief so that he could bring in the Gentile unbelievers into hearing the gospel and believe in God.  In other words, Paul’s mission and calling was to bring the good news to those who have not heard it so that they too can believe as Jews did. Interestingly, Paul, who used to be Saul, persecuted the Christians. How amazing God turns around our sins and uses it to convert the most sinful unbeliever like Paul. That was the plan of God: to use a former unbeliever and persecutors of Christians to be the messenger of the gospel so they too can be saved. When he spoke in verse 20 about being broken off from the tree, he was pointing out to them their “unbelief” which gives a chance for the unbelievers to be grafted into the olive tree. He admonished the new Gentile believer to stay humble and not arrogant or they too will be cut off if they continue to sin despite knowing the truth. The fear of the Lord will keep them meek. When a believer does not acknowledge God’s sovereignty and power, they will produce pride.

REFLECTION

·       Can an unbeliever have the fear of the Lord and be humble on their own?

March 23

MATTHEW 18

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ² And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them ³ and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.⁵ “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, ⁶ but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

⁷ “Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! ⁸ And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. ⁹ And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.

                                                                                                                      – Matthew 18:1-9

MATTHEW 18 HUMBLE LIKE A CHILD

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Jesus Christ calls his children to be humble like a child

Children are pure and innocent, they are not full of pride

They have no preconceived notion of things yet

They are dependent on their caregivers and parents

They are meek, trust easily and free to explore

They are vulnerable and uncorrupted and thankful

God’s people are called to be like these children

The kingdom of heaven is open to all those who are like them.

Jesus knew the competitive spirit that dwells in all men, including his disciples. So, he explains to them which one is going to likely be greatest in the kingdom of heaven. We see how Jesus has a special spot for the little children. He tells them that they cannot be great in the heavenly kingdom if they do not enter it like a child. So, what did Jesus mean by this? Does it mean to be childish and act like a child? No, Jesus focused on the qualities of a child that he wants his disciples to follow to enter God’s kingdom. He specifically emphasized humility in verse 4 as a characteristic of a child that they need to possess. A child is humble because it is still developing and growing and the child does not yet have any notions of the world. He is just taking in all the things he observes and experiences. Why does Jesus specifically stress this trait of a child? It manifests purity, dependence on their parents and caregivers, innocence and open-mindedness. There is no corruption in their minds and hearts yet. They are open for teaching and reproof and correction. On the other hand, an adult is the opposite of all of these traits. An adult walking without the Lord is stubborn, proud, arrogant, rebellious and full of himself. They are deceived in their “self-centeredness and self-reliance.” They are proud and unteachable and corrupt. They don’t depend on God but rely heavily on their own understanding and strength.

REFLECTION

·       Are you childlike? Why do you think so? What are the proofs of your childlikeness?

March 21

MATTHEW 6

Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.² “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ³ But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.⁵ “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. – Matthew 6:1-6

MATTHEW 6 PRACTICE RIGHTEOUSNESS HUMBLY

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

As a servant of God, you ought to follow his example

Jesus did not announce all the good things he was doing

He obeyed the will of his Father discreetly and meekly

He didn’t boast or announce his salvation plan loudly

Instead, he obeyed his Father’s will submissively and humbly

He instructs his people not to make a show of their deeds but to do it silently.

In this account, Jesus teaches his followers how to do works of their salvation and how to pray in the humblest manner. He pointed out what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets and warned them not to follow such acts. The hypocrites do not do it for the love or service of others, but to seek praise for themselves. They love accolades and being elevated so they can gain rewards for their achievements or good behavior. But, isn’t it human nature to perform and do as the hypocrites did? Yes, our flesh wants attention for the “self” and wants to be proud of what we have accomplished. This is why Jesus warns us against following such natural tendencies to feed our sinful nature.

Jesus gave instructions to his followers which were all counter-intuitive to the world system. Here are some of those directives he mentioned in this account:

·       Do not do righteous deeds to be praised or else the rewards will no longer be in heaven since you have already claimed them when you have performed it in front of others.

·       When you give to the needy, do not announce it so that you can be praised; do it quietly instead.

·       Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing when you give to the needy because by doing so, you will have your reward in heaven and not on earth because you did it secretly.

·       When you pray, go into your room and make sure no one sees you so that your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

REFLECTION

·       How are Jesus’ instructions to his followers against the world system?

March 19

EXODUS 10

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these signs of mine among them ² that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the Lord.”³ So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me. ⁴ If you refuse to let them go, I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow. ⁵ They will cover the face of the ground so that it cannot be seen. They will devour what little you have left after the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields. ⁶ They will fill your houses and those of all your officials and all the Egyptians—something neither your parents nor your ancestors have ever seen from the day they settled in this land till now.’” Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh. – Exodus 10:1-6

EXODUS 10 ON REFUSING TO MEEKLY SUBMIT TO GOD

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

The Lord God is the only One who is worthy of praise

Refusal to acknowledge Him will deny you of God’s grace

You’ll create idols and gods that will compete with the Lord

You’ll think highly of yourself and follow the ways of the world

Your heart will be hardened and your mind deceived

You will be tossed and blown like the waves of the sea

When proud, you cannot expect anything from the Lord

He will punish those who are haughty and not obeying his laws.

Those denominations that do not see the bible as inerrant (without error), will probably view it as any other historical or storybook containing events and people. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says that ¹⁶ All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. When I was led out of false teachings from those denominations that didn’t see the inerrancy of the bible, these two verses became my life’s principle and light to live a godly life. It taught me what the truth is, it exposed my sins, gave me training to walk in the Spirit and constantly commune with God and with those who love the Lord. It also equipped me to hear and obey the purpose of my life according to God’s will.

The reason that led to the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt was clearly illustrated in the following verses. It is not just a story, but it is an account of the covenant promise of God to his people. It documented the cause of God’s hardening Pharaoh’s heart which was already hardened before all these happened. But it was to show God’s people his power   control over all things and his hatred for evil and wickedness. From this account, we see how God warned Pharaoh before he executed his plan to plague Egypt. It gives us a picture of how God hates and punishes the proud and haughty.

REFLECTION

·       Why do you think people continue to cling to pride and cite consequences of a haughty heart?

March 15

1 KINGS 21

²⁵ (There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited. ²⁶ He acted very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the Lord cast out before the people of Israel.)²⁷ And when Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly. ²⁸ And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ²⁹ “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; but in his son’s days I will bring the disaster upon his house.”– 1 Kings 21:25-29

 1 KINGS 21 HUMILITY SAVES US FROM DESTRUCTION

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

No matter how proud and arrogant one has been

There is still hope for them if they repent of their sin

When Ahab humbled himself after being admonished

It saved him from destruction at that exact instant

If you are corrected by the Lord God, it means you are his

Repent and renew your mind and be saved from collapse.

The chapter where this verse came from is the story of Naboth’s vineyard. Naboth, who was a Jezreelite and owned a vineyard just beside King Ahab’s palace. Ahab wanted the vineyard to convert it into his vegetable garden since it was near his palace. He gave Naboth a good offer but Naboth was faithful to follow the Lord’s instruction not to sell it to him since it was also an inheritance from his father. Ahab’s reaction to this rejection was a clear example of narcissism. He wanted that vineyard and when he couldn’t get it, he pouted and got depressed. Narcissist’s world revolves around him. He cannot see anyone else outside of himself. Because of some insecurity, the narcissist won’t admit to defeat and will passively hide their disappointment. But Jezebel, his evil wife, who was another narcissist controlled everything she could have her hands on. She was mad that her husband, who was a king, was rejected by a mere farmer who lives beside them. So, she plotted to take that vineyard by force and kill Naboth by manipulating the whole thing. She wrote letters to the men of the city so they could hire some men to lie and accuse Naboth of something he never did. So, he was stoned to death and they got the land of Naboth.

Narcissism is the highest form of pride anyone can possess. The narcissist’s world revolves only on himself. He has to cover up all his insecurities, weaknesses and phoniness so they could continue to caress their ego and be the center of their universe. It is interesting that as soon as he heard the verdict of the consequence of his and his wife’s sin, he immediately repented and humbled himself. By doing this, he was saved instantly even though the consequences of what he and his wife have done will still have a bearing on his son’s days. We can never gain anything from pride, haughtiness, manipulation and murder. It will always come back at us. So, let’s humble ourselves and focus on giving God the glory.

REFLECTION

·       Give other examples in the bible that were humiliated to ruin because of their pride.