30th Mar 26 | 13:54
Studies by Book
Luke 11 27-28 Hearing God's word and keeping it Keeping God's word 2
📖 Luke 11:27-28
*The value of humility* _Luke 11:27-28_
As people appreciated Jesus, they blessed His mother, who gave birth to Him. Our Lord’s response was, _"More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"_ We are therefore looking at the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus, to see what are the qualities in her life that we can discover and apply into our lives.
The first quality of Mary that we saw yesterday was that Mary chose the Lord and not anything else. The Lord was with her. This is a quality that we must apply. We must choose God and not come to Him as a means to our own end.
The second quality that we are considering today, from the life of Mary, is the value of humility.
When the angel greeted her as, _highly favoured one, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women,_ this greeting troubled Mary. Mary was never focussed on herself. She was who she was but was never calculating to see if her life was adding up, to be given a name or recognition, before God or man.
We live in a society, where we are pushed to give an identity or credit for ourselves. We are pressed to market ourselves. This is what we end up doing. We promote ourselves and we also prop up others. Paul says that he and his team never sought glory from the people, when they went to serve them _I Thessalonians 2:4-6._
Humility is an amazing quality that if we think we have it, then we have lost it. God dwells in the high and holy place, which is with the person, who has a contrite and humble spirit _Isaiah 57:15._ God rests with the one, who is poor and of a contrite spirit _Isaiah 66:1-2._ It is the quality of humility, which is the foundation for us to tremble and obey God’s word. If we do not have the quality of humility, we will not obey His word.
Humility, which is contriteness and brokenness, also leads us to repent and pray for our people, society and nation. King Josiah was deeply troubled about the condition of Judah. It troubled him that the nation had moved far away from God. He tore his clothes and wept before God _II Chronicles 34:27. How many of us are weeping for our people, society and our nation? Are we repenting on behalf of our nations?_ Daniel did _Daniel 9:3-19_ and the Lord heard his cry. God heard the cry of King Josiah. The Lord marks those who sigh and cry for the people, society and nation _Ezekiel 9:4._ Humility will lead us to weep and cry for our people, society and nation.
We live by His grace. Grace is divine enablement or the work of the Holy Spirit in us. God resists the proud but gives grace, which is His enablement or the work of His Holy Spirit, to the humble _James 4:5-6._
_Should we not desire and long for the value of humility?_
*Thought to ponder*
```The problem of the self in us has caused immense damage to our witness as the body of Christ, to our world.```