What I Have Escaped

The Ants Challenge the Mountain

Rosey Grier played football in the 1970s. A powerfully built man, he enjoyed needle craft and crocheting. He wrote books for male needlepointers.

An old joke goes:

Two men walked by him and saw him stitching a project.

The first man: "That isn’t masculine."

The second man: "You tell him."

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Job 40

Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who reproves God answer it.

Then Job answered the Lord and said,

“Behold, I am insignificant; what can I say in response to You?
I put my hand on my mouth.
I have spoken once, and I will not reply;
Or twice, and I will add nothing more.”

vvvv

Job wisely stopped speaking, and he never knew why he endured so much. The LORD continues Chapter 40 detailing His power.

The God of the Universe looms far bigger and more powerful than Mr. Grier. And yet in defiance the ants challenge the Mountain. We, ladies and gentlemen, are the ants. In the Book of Job, when Job asks Him why he must suffer so, he heard (we read) hour after hour of God’s sovereignty. If you click on the verse above, you will see what the LORD had to say.

The independent American asks “why” regarding everything. Some of us take pride in our contempt for authority. God ranks as one more authority figure to defy. Why do we believe we can wave our fists at God? Our puny little fists.

It’s foolish to question God. Cling to Him. Pray to Him. Trust in Him. And let Him reign over creation. Satan counted himself equal to the Almighty and found himself evicted from heaven, waiting for his eternal punishment.

Dear Lord: Please deliver me from anger and rebellion because things aren’t going my way. Let me accept Your will no matter how hard. And forgive me for asking why.

 

 

 

 

 

Humble in Heart

^{Matthew 11:29}

^{Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.}

What a beautiful verse. 

But Dictionary.com defines humble as "having a feeling of insignificance, inferiority, and subservience.”

Jesus wasn’t a hypocrite, so how could He call Himself humble? We know He practiced servitude. At the last supper he washed the probably-dirty-from-a-day-of-tramping-over-the-rocky-terrain (breathe) feet of his disciples as an example. But He accepted His place in the Godhead—far from insignificant or inferior. So what is Christian humility? Is humility servitude?

Some people see humility as belittling themselves, head bowed, worthless. In truth, we are so valuable to God that Jesus died for our sins that we might spend eternity with Him. Christians understand that our value comes from God. Without God, we have no worth.

“Meek: quiet, gentle, and easily imposed on; submissive.” I found this phrase over and over. Christians strive to fulfill this description when possible. Jesus allowed all sorts of wrongs against Him. 

Jesus stood before Pilate and refused to answer, prepared to take any punishment the people wanted to inflict on Him. He never fought for His “rights,” though He tore up the money changers’ tables when they dishonored the Father. Meek doesn’t mean standing by while God or others take abuse.

Dear Lord, please let me know my worth as coming from You. Let me live as Jesus did, humble and meek but willing to stand for right.

 

Painting probably taken from

Jesus Washing Peter's Feet by Ford Madox Brown 1821-1893