Clothed in Robes of Humbleness by Mark Roper

A certain virtue that I’m endeared to is Humility.

There is a thin line between being confident about oneself vs and being the only person in your world.

There are some messages you read that make you think carefully about your actions. It is easy to call yourself white until you stand next to a white wall and then the difference is clear.

The message below is speaking in volumes to me and it is on read-repeat because it broke down in details the meaning of humility and backed it up with scriptures. Humility is not an on and off switch but a lifestyle graced by God. From the below I also learnt that if at any point in time, I am despising myself thinking it is humility, it is not. 

Let us go on a transforming journey as we read the below:

Clothed in Robes of Humbleness

by Mark Roper

Colossians 3:12

When asked what the three most important Christian virtues were, Augustine replied, “Humility, humility, and humility.” Yet, this great virtue is in rather short supply in our culture.

There is no way to become a mature Christian unless we learn to be humble.

Colossians 3:12, “…as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

The importance of Humility – God uses broken things.

It takes broken soil to produce a crop,

Broken clouds to produce rain,

Broken grain to give bread and

Broken bread to give strength.

It is the broken alabaster box that gives forth perfume.

It is the broken Peter, weeping bitterly, who returns to greater power than ever.

Biblical humility is grounded in the character of God.

The Father stoops down to help the poor and needy; the Son displayed humility from the manger to the cross.

Before the birth of Christ, no royalty would ever show their humility. That would be too human, too common. Kings have parades & entourages to draw the focus toward them. When Queen Elizabeth last visited America, she brought with her the following items • 4000 pounds of luggage – 4 outfits for everyday she was in America • 40 pints of plasma • Her own hairdresser • Two valets • An official photographer • Two personal secretaries • THE COST OF HER TRIP TO AMERICA WAS 20 MILLION DOLLARS

In meek contrast, God’s visit to earth took place in an animal stable, no attendants were present, there was no place for the baby to lay down except in a feeding trough known as a manger.

In fact, the event, which divided history and our calendars, went by unnoticed except for a few shepherds who came by for a visit.

Humility is the defining characteristic of an unpretentious and modest person, someone who does not think that he or she is better or more important than others.

Shane Claiborne, who spent a summer in the slums of Calcutta with Mother Teresa, wrote about her experience there. She said, “People often ask me what Mother Teresa was like. Sometimes it’s like they wonder if she glowed in the dark or had a halo. She was short, wrinkled, and precious, maybe even a little ornery — like a beautiful, wise old granny. But there is one thing I will never forget — her feet. Her feet were deformed. Each morning in Mass, I would stare at them. I wondered if she had contracted leprosy. But I wasn't going to ask, of course. ‘Hey Mother, what’s wrong with your feet?’ One day a sister said to us, ‘Have you noticed her feet?’ We nodded, curious. She said: ‘Her feet are deformed because we get just enough donated shoes for everyone, and Mother does not want anyone to get stuck with the worst pair, so she digs through and finds them. And years of doing that have deformed her feet.’ Years of loving her neighbor as herself deformed her feet.” 

Humility means that our focus is away from ourselves and not on ourselves. 

The Scripture says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4).

“True humility is not an abject, groveling, self-despising spirit; it is but a right estimate of ourselves as God sees us.” *PLACCARD WORTHY*

                                      Humility “not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less.”

Humility is quite simply, truthfulness–self-honesty. (Self honesty…I think this is where it gets tricky because for some self-honesty might be ‘I am who I am in Christ Jesus vs I am untouchable because I am a god on this earth.. They are both accurate, but when self is involved, it because a subjective kind of ball game)

A well-known Christian businessman who was visiting a church was asked to give his testimony. He said, “I have a fine family, a large house, a successful business, and a good reputation. I have plenty of money so I can support some Christian ministries very generously. Many organizations want me on their board of directors. I have good health and almost unlimited opportunities. What more could I ask from God?” As he paused for effect, a voice shouted from the back of the auditorium, “How about asking Him for a good dose of humility?”

Humility is a freedom from arrogance that grows out of the recognition that all we have and are comes from God.

“The axe cannot boast of the trees it has cut down. IT could do nothing but for the woodsman. He made it, he sharpened it, he used it. The moment he throws it aside, it becomes only old iron.”

Humility is The way we approach God (..And God created man in His Own Image.. As Christians we have to realize that we cannot get away with talking down to people and then talking up to God. Imagine you created the most beautiful creatures and someone decides to insult the esteem out of them or rubbish them like they are not worthy of air…and they come back on Sunday morning to ask you for your unending blessings?  I guess that is why it is often said ‘Thank God, God is not man!’ )

If we go to visit in a friend’s house, we don’t go in our gardening clothes! We know very well that it’s not the clothes that matter to our friend. It’s simply a matter of respect that we should present ourselves as neatly as we can. The fact that we prepare ourselves to go there is the way in which we outwardly show our affection and our esteem for our friend. So it is with God’s house. 

The parable has nothing to do with the actual clothes in which we go to church; it has everything to do with the spirit in which we go to God’s house. Of course we want to be reasonably clothed out of respect for our Lord but He’s not expecting a fashion parade! 

What He’s looking for is a garment of the mind and the heart. It’s to be clothed with expectation, the garment of humility and penitence, and the robe of faith and reverence. It’s all too easy to go to God’s house without preparation of thought and prayer and self-examination. 

Biblical humility is recognizing we are inadequate, but we are created to be in God’s image

“The truth is this – pride must die in you, or nothing of heaven can live in you.”

Humility creates within us a servant attitude.

In the summer of 1986, two ships collided in the Black Sea off the coast of Russia. Hundreds of passengers died as they were hurled into the icy waters below. News of the disaster was further darkened when an investigation revealed the cause of the accident. It wasn't a technology problem like radar malfunction–or even thick fog. The cause was human stubbornness. Each captain was aware of the other ship’s presence nearby. Both could have steered clear, but according to news reports, neither captain wanted to give way to the other.

Each was too proud to yield first. By the time they came to their senses, it was too late.

Many people do not like the idea of being a servant to others because they feel that they are too good or they do not want to do the dirty work of the Kingdom, but I will tell you that without the humble servant’s attitude that Christ showed. we run a great risk. Jesus is our perfect example of a humble servant.

God gives grace to the humble but resists the proud (Prov 3:34)

In Middle Eastern countries, it was the slaves who washed the feet of guests; here Christ took the place of a slave. He makes this clear to His disciples: if their Lord and Teacher has washed their feet, then they should wash one another’s feet, that is, serve each other in humility.

Stoop Down to Reach God’s Highest Gifts

F. B. Meyer once said: “I used to think that God’s gifts were on shelves one above the other, and that the taller we grew in Christian character the easier we could reach them. I now find that God’s gifts are on shelves one beneath the other. It is not a question of growing taller but of stooping lower; that we have to go down, always down, to get His best gifts.”

The Lord rewards the humble with wisdom (Prov 11:2 NIV) When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

Humility is the foremost test of a truly great person or leader (Luke 22:24-27)

Oswald Chambers (1874-1917)

We need to remember that we cannot train ourselves to be Christians; we cannot discipline ourselves to be saints; we cannot bend ourselves to the will of God: we have to be broken to the will of God.

There is a great song that expresses the proper attitude of humbleness:

Have Thine own way, Lord.
Have Thine own way.
Thou art the Potter,
I am the clay.

Mold me and make me
After thy will.
While I am waiting,
Yielded and still.

...I am sure you see why you cannot read this just once. 

As you consider becoming one….! Part 2

Relationships are the corner stone of our everyday existence.  ‘It is not good for man to be alone’- is one statement that encapsulates it all. I think it is ironic that the introverts silently wish to be more sociable and the extroverts sometimes wish they can just put a cap to it. Like someone said, ‘the single look at the couple and wish to be married and the married look at the single and wish to be single’. Irony of life- wanting what others have while someone somewhere is praying for what we neglect.  Quoting the words of the Almighty, who said ‘and from the beginning it was not so!’

Today I am going to be writing on the topic of Trust.

This is a really subjective topic because of how versatile our background is. One of the definition of trust that I easily remember is ‘Trust is hard to build but very easy to destroy’.  I cannot categorically tell you to what degree you should let people in because personally I know with the upbringing most of us have had, when we meet someone for the first time they are bad until proven good or enemy until proven friend and this is deeply ingrained into our everyday relations with people. Trust is something we don’t take lightly because unconsciously it is an  heavy decision to have faith in another person apart from ourselves.

 I want to focus more on Spouse-Trust.

Let’s start by asking ourselves these questions:

Do I trust my spouse to be truthful?
Do I trust my spouse to be faithful?
Do I trust my spouse to be honest?
Do I trust my spouse to put my best interest first?
Do I trust my spouse to be selfless?
Do I trust my spouse to be a hands-on husband/wife?
Do I trust my spouse to be understanding?
Do I trust my spouse to be lovely/joyful/peaceful/patient/kind/good/faithful/have self-control?

Do you think these are too much to ask for? Right now some wives don’t even care about all these anymore and just want their husbands to acknowledge their existence and some husbands simply want their wives to be more patient. So yes, for some it might be too much questions and for some, a man who isn’t all of the above isn’t fit to be mentioned.

We do not consciously dissect the trust we have for our partners before we say I DO. Whilst dating (depending on your dating journal), you probably were the highlight of his/her world, every other living being and animal was secondary; all things you wanted was yours and you knew his/her every location, position and maybe passwords. There was not a reason to mis-trust, for some, maybe there was mis-trust and trust was rebuilt. My point exactly is, the trust you had prior to I DO, is not the same level of trust you need after I DO.

This is a good thing because it means you are in a relationship that is actually growing. The level of trust is not the same because things have changed. Values still remain the same but priorities and commitments have changed, emotions have matured and life just got real. The dice is been rolled every second and you just have to trust he/she is going to make the best decision for both of you. Work is going to get hectic and you just have to trust that he/she is not thinking of a 4^th party but of the excel sheet pending at work. Friends and relatives might not get the message but you just have to trust when he/she picks the call it is not to answer someone whose name sounds like candy or randy.  He/She might have genuinely had a late meeting and ended up been in the late traffic and that is why they he/she came back late. He/She would be overwhelmed more than once and you might feel neglected. There would be reasons to doubt your trust and it is all up to you to either believe in who you married or to listen to all the wrong voices telling you otherwise.

Why?

You cannot handle all the investigations, dissecting, analysis, manipulation, paranoia, bad thoughts, fear, snooping around and genuinely think you would have a tiny space for anything remotely good, lovely, perfect, honest, of a good report to actually take root! There is no SPACE! Everything rises and falls from the mind and since your mind is much occupied with why, where and fear, how can light shine through from inside to outside?

I hear excuses like, I really love you that is why I am paranoid about every little thing. Yes, I agree that might be a reason, but when will you have the time to love your spouse, if the only emotion you emit is fear? (There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, 1 John 4:18)

Someone said, people think marriage is a filled box when actually it is an empty box that is to be filled with what God has deposited inside of us’.. so imagine if the first thing we deposit is fear and we promise ourselves we are going to stop this and just trust and then we add suspicion to the mix and then fear. What people do not understand is that fear is addictive! It releases adrenalin and then you find it difficult to stop that self-harming habit. 

That one person who is supposed to be the bone of our bones and the flesh of our flesh, the one person who is supposed to be ‘me’ is the one person i do not trust, which in other words says i do not trust myself.

Personally, I believe that a marriage without trust is simply an empty hole filled with fear. Fear- because everything your spouse says is listened in doubt, every cloth/dress your spouse wears to work is scrutinised in fear, every beep on their mobile device makes your heart beat faster than necessary and every call taken without you present leads you to create a whole movie in your mind.

So please tell me, how can one live a normal, peaceful life in all this situation? How do you genuinely care for someone without feeling they are cheating on you? How do you concentrate in building your home if you think you are about to lose it for some reason or the other?

Trust. Without trust a home is built on sand and it does not take the external whirlwind to pull it down, just the internal wind. Do not let the enemy steal your home from you even before you start it.

The blind side of trust is some actually glorify in the fact they are human and make statements such as this to their spouses 'I trust you more than I trust myself’ in other words ‘Boo, put your trust in God because I have pre-mediated sin and I am going to disappoint you even if I say I won’t, because I am human!!’.

One statement to such spouses is’ what shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? Can I also fall into sin because I know we are stuck for life?

Don’t be selfish! Don’t dig your own hole waiting for the day you would fall into it, because YOU WILL!  We ought to strive unto perfection (Hebrews 6 vs 1), so what wisdom exactly is it to strive towards all things that stand against building a godly home, your home?

How?

Transparency. It is as simple as you want it to be. Couples have to realize they are not in the same stage as they started off and as they move from one level to another, they are not alone. Take your spouse along with you every length of the way, each step, each movement, each decision to the level where there's no shame in nakedness. You are not alone but you can choose to be lonely. 

Trust is another way of showing love, for it means, I love you enough to let you see into me and vice versa.

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