I’M SAVED, NOW WHAT (part-40)

I’M SAVED, NOW WHAT?

HUMBLE IN GOD’S EYES
The scriptures instruct believers to develop a humble attitude if we
expect to experience the blessings available for those with the fruit
of the Spirit. One of the benefits of humility is – the Lord will lift
us up whenever we are distraught.
    Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
    (James 4:10)

Notice the scripture doesn’t say to humble ourselves “before others”.
Why not? Probably because when we humble ourselves “before the
Lord”, by default we will humble ourselves “before others”. Also,
when we humble ourselves before the Lord, we can be assured that
it is genuine humility. God recognizes humility of the heart, which
can be undetectable by others. Others may assume that we are
humble, but they cannot see the sincerity (or lack of sincerity)
in our hearts.

We are assured that God will lift us up when we are sincerely humble
(and we know the importance of having our spirits lifted when we are
down). However, it could also mean that He lifts us to a higher level
of service for Him. We may have proven ourselves as His servants
at one level, and He rewards us with new opportunities to serve
Him (out of a heart of appreciation for what He has given us).

Isn’t it exhilarating to know that the Lord doesn’t want us to live a life
of boredom when we are serving Him? God doesn’t call us to a new life
of mediocrity; He calls us to have an impact for His kingdom. One of
the greatest honors God can give us is an opportunity to serve Him.
Our journey with Him can be a life of joy, happiness and excitement.

However if our motivation is to receive accolades from others on how
well we are serving the Lord, then we will probably experience some
problems, and miss out on the joy, happiness and excitement that
we could enjoy when our focus is on pleasing God and not man.
Basking in the praise of others is not a sign of humility.

So what does it mean to be humble? When you think of a humble
person, do you think of someone who is a weakling? If so, nothing
could be further from the truth. A humble person should be considered
as one with a gentle strength. Why? Because it takes a strong person
to be humble and it requires the strength provided by the Holy Spirit
to sustain humility.

Many people think only of themselves and their desires, but a humble
person has consideration for others. He or she also gives the Lord’s
will a higher priority than their own will. Humility gives us strength
to cope with the times when we are feeling down. Instead of wallowing
in a pity party, a humble person can find opportunities to encourage
someone else.

When we encourage others, we will discover it can lift our own spirits
as well. A weak person has difficulty transitioning from selfish to
selfless thoughts and actions, but a humble person is endowed with
the strength to think of others ahead of themselves.

SLANDER
Humility also gives us the strength to deal with situations when others
disappoint us. We can have certain expectations of others and whenever
those expectations are not met, we can become extremely disappointed.
We may feel that others respect us, but find out later that they have been
saying unkind things about us to others. No one should say derogatory
things about others, and believers should definitely know better.
    Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another.
    Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or
    judges them speaks against the law and judges it.
    When you judge the law, you are not keeping it,
    but sitting in judgment on it. (James 4:11)

James does not just hint at how wrong this is, but he is very blunt
when instructing believers to ‘do not slander one another’. People
can find clever ways to slander others, and believers can be guilty
as well.
For instance, we may hear someone say,
    “We really need to pray for (someone) because…….”
and then they tell us all kinds of bad things about the person.

Another example is when someone says,
    “I really like (someone) but……..”
The word ‘but’ cancels out everything said up to that point. The
things said after the word ‘but’, will more than likely be derogatory
or slanderous comments. And of course there is always gossip,
which is usually devoid of subtleties when slandering others.

Slandering is not just a New Testament sin, it goes back even further.
    “Do not go about spreading slander among your people”.
    “Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life.
    I am the LORD”. (Leviticus 19:16)

The truth is, most of the time when we say bad things about others,
we are being judgmental about them, their personality, their words,
their actions, etc. James confirms that we are sitting in judgment
whenever we slander others.

Jesus warns us about judging others.
    Do not judge, or you too will be judged
    (Matthew 7:1)

The question we may have is,
     “Are we judging someone whenever we point out their faults?”
The answer depends on our attitude at the time and the faults we
are exposing. For instance a coach may point out a player’s faults
in an effort to help him or her improve. In this case, his motive is
okay. It shows that he is concerned about the player improving
and maximizing his or her abilities.

Whenever someone points out personality flaws or shortcomings
of another person, the question to ask is,
    “Are the faults based on the criticizer’s own set of standards?”
If they are, then the criticizer is being judgmental instead of
offering constructive criticism. God made us unique individuals
and consequently the likes and dislikes of one may be quite
different than those of another.

Trying to mold someone to think as you do is not an admirable
character trait. Even when our thoughts are influenced by the
scriptures, we need to remember that God may give two people
different interpretations of His Word. Why would He do that?
Because God may want to accomplish something different in
the life of each person.

Our heavenly Father is the God of dispensation, which means
He gives each person what they need individually for obeying,
fellowshipping with, and serving Him. If the intent is to help
someone improve in obeying God’s Word, then humility and
gentleness should be evident during the discussion.

James tells us that when we are slanderous and judgmental of others,
we can be guilty of judging the law as well. In other words we have
decided that the law either has flaws, or is not appropriate for us,
so we have established our own standards. God’s laws are for
everyone and they are unchangeable.

What law is James talking about? It could be the royal law of love.
    If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture,
    “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.
    (James 2:8)

    Jesus refers to this as the second most important commandment.
        “What is written in the Law?” he replied.
        “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘Love
         the Lord your God with all your heart and with
         all your soul and with all your strength and with
         all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
        “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied.
        “Do this and you will live.” (Luke 10:26-28)

It goes back even further (it is included in the Old Testament).
    “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone
     among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself.
     I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 19:18)

Whenever we see something mentioned in both the Old
and New Testaments, we need to pay special attention
to it and realize its importance.

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