30th Mar 26 | 13:54
Studies by Book
Luke 17 1-2 Children and the kingdom of God 09 Humility in the kingdom of heaven
📖 Luke 17:1-2
17Jun2020 - *Humility in the kingdom of heaven* - _Luke 17:1-2_ - Bible reading: _John 13:3-5_
_Luke 17:1-2 Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! (2) It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones._
The first lesson that we learn by focussing our attention on children is that we will *internalise a culture of willing to be unnoticed, ignored and overlooked but be focussed on genuinely caring for the vulnerable*.
The second lesson is the *lesson of Trust*. The third is to have a *hunger for God’s word*. The fourth lesson is the *lesson of Growth* and the fifth lesson is that we *should not remain immature but be free from malice*.
The sixth lesson to be learnt from children that will make us be a part of His kingdom is *humility*. _Matthew 18:4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven._
Greatness in the kingdom of heaven is opposing to that of greatness in the world. Greatness in the world is a high achiever, standing head and shoulder above others and revolves around boosting the self and the ego.
Whereas, greatness in the kingdom of heaven is humility that is demonstrated in the life of Jesus. He could relate with the poorest of the poor and at the same time, He was comfortable to move with the rich and powerful. He was considerate to the outcasts of society but He never spared the influential people and confronted them of their pride and double standards.
Humility is definitely not a weakness. This must be clearly understood. _John 13:3-5 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, (4) rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. (5) After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded_
Jesus knew His authority and His identity, which is why He was secure and could wash the feet of the disciples. This is the picture of humility. Humility is not about becoming a doormat or a no-body. It is about being secure in our identity and authority in Christ and therefore being able to take on any opportunity to serve others.
_James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. I Peter 5:5-6 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. 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." (6) Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,_
Humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God. This is what is needed in us. We must come to God and ask Him to humble us and to teach us humility. It is not about being seen as humble before people. Pretending to be humble before people is repulsive, isn’t it?
Let us have the courage to come to God and ask Him to make us humble in His sight and He will teach us humility, which will be tough but wonderful lessons to learn from Him.
_Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself._
The humility that we will learn from God will be of that calibre that we will esteem others better than ourselves. This kind of distinctive in us will be brought about when we are good listeners, to begin with, and are willing to give importance to others. Sadly, we are so full of ourselves that we are often poor listeners and are not genuinely interested in the other person.
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Are you willing to be humbled under God?
*Thought to ponder*
``The church ought to be the body of Christ, displaying His nature but sadly we see the world being displayed in the church.```