We often burden ourselves with the very cares God instructed us to cast on Him. We allow ourselves to fret, worry, and stress-out under the load of our trouble so we can’t EVER seem to enjoy the fruitful life we were intended to live. WHY???
Well, believe it or not it’s typically our PRIDE that keeps us burdened.
Pride tells us we don’t need God; we can’t trust God, and we must do it all ourselves. But the Bible says:
“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.”
1 Peter 5:6-7
If we are not disciplined to give God our trouble as it arises; rather, in our pride, we are determined to handle everything ourselves—well, we’re reeling in a huge bucket of some pretty rotten fish! We must reset our thinking.
We must recover our humility.
When we choose to live in humility, we are exercising a very powerful gift. We have opened the portal to the gift of God’s glorious presence! The Bible says:
“For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is HOLY: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a CONTRITE and HUMBLE spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones‘.”
Isaiah 57:15
Our omnipotent, omniscient, loving God makes His dwelling place—where? Within the humble heart. Can you imagine the insight, love, and power of being indwelt by God? As born again believers, we EACH have this REMARKABLE opportunity.
So why do so many Christians walk around like they are burdened instead of overflowing with God’s wisdom, power, and love?
PRIDE.
We love doing things our own way by our own rules. I’m guilty. You’re guilty. We’ve been this way since the dawn of humanity. PRIDE was the original sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. It still plagues the human race. Pride places us in OPPOSITION to God—Who IS love; while HUMILITY—draws us INTO His presence. The Bible says:
“[B]e 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.”
1 Peter 5:5-7
So—what is humility anyway?
Humility is not about hating yourself or being self-deprecating; but rather, about being “others-centered” instead of “self-centered.” My friend, this is NOT even possible unless we love GOD with all of our heart, soul, and mind. Jesus said the proof that we LOVE Him is by living in obedience to Him. As God becomes our center, HE is our source of love and—we can afford to give freely to others—without selfish expectations. How is this possible? Well, we have ALL we need in God and—we do not DEPEND UPON the appreciation, affirmation, or recognition of others.
Loving God with all of our heart, soul, and mind produces abundant self-sacrifice.
Interestingly, the phrase “be clothed with humility” is actually a reference to a slave putting on an apron before serving, much like Jesus did before he washed the disciples’ feet in John 13:4. When our life is about serving others, we are in concert with Jesus Christ, who laid down his life for us. Quite simply, to exercise the gift of humility is—to be more like Jesus!
But we must also consider the flip side; that is, the consequences of pride. What does it mean to have God “resist” us? When I think about it, I picture God placing himself in battle against me. What a terrible thought! Ah, my friend, to divest ourselves of pride is to embrace God’s grace, which means that our blessings and satisfaction are completely based upon WHO God is – – NOT who we are or what our circumstances are.
What a relief it is to be fully surrendered to God!
True humility is manifested by our ability to “cast every care upon God.” In Matthew 6:31–34, Jesus made it clear that we are to give HIM every burden. It is only our pride that makes us presume that we can take things into our own hands, and somehow—by our worry and hard work—we can do our life better than God can. In essence, we are opposing the very God—who loves us more than we love ourselves.
What a GIFT humility is! It walks us into the presence of God, and allows him to carry our burdens for us! We can ONLY do GOD’S work, if we are NOT weighing ourselves down by our own burdens and worries. When we cast our cares on Jesus, and take up HIS work in HIS way; we discover HIS plan, and—it fits us perfectly. One last thought…
…there is remarkable POWER in Humility.
The Book of Isaiah reminds us:
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the WEAK, and to those who have NO MIGHT He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall.But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
Isaiah 40:28-31
Without God, we are all weak; we just don’t realize it.
We cannot cast our burdens on God if we are too proud to trust Him. However, when we become satisfied by God by—reading His Word, meditation in His presence, Christian fellowship, church, and prayer–we realize just how well He takes care of us! We begin to passionately desire to take EVERY care to Him.
The more we humbly acknowledge our need for God, the more wise, strong and free we live.
We would love to hear your thoughts about this devotional. Did God speak to you or challenge your daily walk with him? Or is there a topic that you would like Kimberly to cover or expound on? Please share with us in the comments below.
To learn more about Kimberly Faith and the mission of Faith Strong, click HERE.
Out Now – Essential Faith, Volume II. Find it on Amazon by clicking HERE.
To learn more about Kimberly Faith’s ministry Fostering By Faith, click HERE.
2 Responses
For whom the son sets free is free indeed.
Amen