Fruit of the Spirit

For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth...Eph 5:9

Winter 2005                                                            Volume 6, Issue 1

Remaining Humble Servants of the Lord
Even As We Rejoice In Our Salvation

The Christian has to be ever mindful of how some in the Bible viewed their relationship with God. We read of many instances where God’s people became proud and arrogant concerning salvation. In Matthew 18, even the disciples wanted to know who would be the greatest in the kingdom. Humility, however, still remains a very key factor in our salvation. One cannot be saved by the gospel until he humbles himself in obedience to it.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3). In commenting on this verse, H. Leo Boles said, "'The poor in spirit' are those whose minds are suited to the humble station of life; 'poor' means destitute of something; poor in spirit means those who are destitute of the proud, haughty spirit of the world. It is the same spirit that is required when we are told that we must become as little children, if we would enter the kingdom of heaven; 'The poor in spirit' truly describes a state of men lowly and reverent before God; humble, not proud; contrite, not rebellious" ( A Commentary on the Gospel According to Matthew, Gospel Advocate, pp. 120-121). Humility, submission of our selfish will and stubborn pride, is essential if one is to be saved.

That humility must continue during/throughout our life as a Christian if we are to remain in fellowship with God. The apostle Peter, writing to fellow Christians in his first epistle, told them to be humble, "...Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for 'God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.' Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you" (I Peter 5:5-7).

Though Jesus taught His disciples many lessons on humility, such as in Matthew 20:20-28, probably the most striking is found in John 13:1-16. Nearing the end of His life on earth, to illustrate the humility they needed to have, He stooped and washed their feet. Since He was their master, He could have demanded such an action of them but instead He performed this lowly task

on them. You see, they needed to learn to humble themselves to one another and to other men (Matthew 7:12) if they were going to be able to fulfill the tasks He was going to give them.

We must have that same humility today. God still resists the proud and only gives grace to the humble. We must not be filled with pride but rather with humility, serving the Lord and ministering to the needs of others. As those disciples long ago were told to follow the example of Jesus, we must pattern our attitude and actions after it today. He humbled Himself in coming to earth, taking on the form of man and becoming the servant of all (Philippians 2:5-8). Let us be like that small child and like the Christ — meek and humble.

Let us determine to be those who are willing to submit to the will of God in all things. It is only then that we will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven and great in the eyes of God. When His disciples asked about being the greatest, Jesus told them (and us) how. Let us hope that we learn this important lesson.

Johnny Oxendine
San Mateo, Ca.

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Inside...
Page 1 - Perhaps It'll "Magically" Appear | Page 2 - Faithfulness Vs. Boredom
Page 3 - Prison Report | Page 4 - Old Testament Studies
Page 5 - The Good Shepherd, Part 1 | Page 6 - Liberty & Love
Page 7 - Christian Evidences | Page 8 - Rejoicing Servants
Page 9 - The Christian Home | Page 10 - Continuations
Page 11 - The Children's Page | Page 12 - Announcements / Continuations

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