Humilty in Action

{Notes and ideas from Ps Murry's sermon last Sunday night}

True humility begins at the cross, it all starts with our position before God - and then is evident in different aspects of our life

James 4:11-12. 

Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

What we say about others is a true depiction of our level of humility.  Slander = talking down to or taking a higher position of someone else before speaking to them.  How then can someone who slanders, and takes a higher position be showing humility?

Do we sometimes even do this when we pray? (eg: "God please help this person who is doing these terrible things, only you can save them because of the mess they're getting themselves into."), When we pray for people, do we take a higher position than we aught? Especially when we are praying with other people and in a place where our prayers are heard.

~Beware the critical and judgmental attitude that puts people down~

Like the last part of the verse above says, when you speak against someone, you're judging the law that is held on them - when you do this you bring that judgment of law on yourself also and how well do we really stand up against that?

James 4:13 - 17.  

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

What are we so caught up in our own importance? We don't even know what's going to happen tomorrow, yet we spend all our time planning and thinking about it.

We do not have control of our own destiny, our plans are only ever subject to the One who ultimately has control over them. Our humility is shown through how we plan our lives.  We need a 'God willing' attitude to life - "I've made these plans for next week God willing" - not as a catch cry to religious living, but as a honest reaction to the plan of God.  Planning our lives isn't a bad thing, but we need to continue to realise that our lives are in God's hands and we can't assume anything.

~Are we filled with a sense of our own importance, or are we open to God directing our lives to his will?~

James 5:1 -6.

Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.

Our wealth can provide for us the kind of lifestyle we want to live, because of this we gain this attitude of 'why do we need God?".  When everything is going well we kind of just cruise forgetting about our reliance on God and look to our own provision to provide out needs.

It seems the more and more we have, the less and less we rely on God.

So what can we do with our wealth to display humility? Life is not about living in a flash house, gaining a large salary or driving a late model car. Our life should reflect our real wealth which is in Jesus Christ.  If that means using your late model car to ferry around youth group kids that's great, but we need to be open to the fact that it may mean selling that car and using the funds to volunteer in an aboriginal community out of the city where you won't need a new set of wheels.

~There is pride lurking in all of our lives!~

The key to humility:~ understanding our place under God.