False Humility

 

By Andrea Merrell

Remember this: If you have a lofty opinion of yourself and seek to be honored, you will be humbled. But if you have a modest opinion of yourself and choose to humble yourself, you will be honored.

Matthew 23:12 TPT

 

The man droned on and on about all the things he’d done for the Lord. He was extremely proud—and quite braggadocios—about his “humble servitude.”

One woman muttered under her breath, “You need to get over yourself.”

False humility is pretentious and fishes for compliments. Looks for affirmation. Borders on boastful. All while appearing to be humble. It’s all about self. 

The new buzzword is humblebrags. According to Merriam Webster it means “to make a seemingly modest, self-critical, or casual statement or reference that is meant to draw attention to one's admirable or impressive qualities or achievements.”

The Bible has much to say about true humility. We are to be generous and serve others without tooting our own horn, expecting anything in return, or drawing undue attention to ourselves.

God gives each of us unique gifts, talents, and abilities. He expects us to use them for His glory, not our own. True humility is not thinking less of ourselves but thinking of ourselves less. It’s acknowledging who we are and our total dependence on God, for without Him we can do nothing at all.

Choose humility in all you do. Honor others above yourself, and God will honor you.

 

(Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and vectorolie.)

 

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True humility means being generous and serving others without tooting our own horn, expecting anything in return, or drawing undue attention to ourselves. via @Andrea Merrell (Click to tweet.)

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Are You Building a Solid Foundation?

 

By Andrea Merrell

Everyone who hears my teaching and applies it to his life

can be compared to a wise man who built his house

on an unshakable foundation.  

Matthew 7:24-25 TPT

 

I grew up singing about it in Sunday school, the wise man who built his house on a rock, while the foolish man built his on sand.

We all know which one withstood the storms and remained standing, but I never thought much about it until many years later.

Our log home was constructed on a rock-solid foundation. So rocky, in fact, that we had a hard time digging out for the basement. The problem came when our chimney was built on loosely compacted backfill. Nothing solid about it. Over time, the structure pulled away from the house as it sunk into the unstable ground. It eventually had to be torn down—before it fell down.

Jesus used the parable of the wise and foolish as an example of how we should build the foundation of our lives with Him as the cornerstone. Then we’re told by Paul:

Your lives have been built up together upon the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets, and best of all, you are connected to the Head Cornerstone of the building, the Anointed One, Jesus Christ himself! (Ephesians 2:20 TPT)

The storms of life will come. Is your life built on a rock-solid foundation?

 

(Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and Stuart Miles.)

 

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When the storms of life come, is your life built on a rock-solid foundation? via @AndreaMerrell (Click to tweet.)

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Broken Hearts and Lives

 

By Andrea Merrell

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.

He rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

Psalm 34:18 NLT

We sang a new song in church that said God came to fix our broken lives. The words gave me pause as I thought about all the brokenness in my life—loss, grief, stupid mistakes, disobedience and rebellion, rejection and betrayal, anger, depression. Tears came as I realized how He had fixed all those broken places and made me whole. My heart—and my mouth—overflowed with gratitude and praise.

Life can be hard. We face abuse, divorce, prodigals, and disease. We lose loved ones. Businesses fail. Without warning, we can find ourselves lying on a junk heap, bruised and shattered into a million pieces.

But God never leaves us there. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. Even when we hit the bottom, thinking there is no hope, He is there. He rescues those whose spirits are crushed. He sees, He knows, and He understands. And in His great mercy, He goes to work putting all those pieces back together.

No matter what you’re facing today, God is ready to restore you. He will heal your broken heart and life. Call out to Him and receive His amazing love and grace.

(Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and Sira Anamwong).

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No matter what you're facing today, God is ready to heal your broken heart and life. via @AndreaMerrell (Click to tweet.)

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The Sting of Rejection

 By Andrea Merrell

Love never fails.

 I Corinthians 13:8 AMP.

Rejection hurts. It stings. It goes deep into our innermost being and wreaks havoc. One writer says it causes "feelings of inferiority, worthlessness, anger, inability to trust, and fear of intimacy.” **

Been there? I sure have.

I have experienced reject
ion with family and trusted friends, in the workplace, and even in the church. I’ve dealt with the I’m-a-mistake mentality, wondering if anyone really cared.

As painful as it is to live this way, we only make matters worse when we try to self-medicate by becoming a people-pleaser or workaholic.

So, what’s the answer? Finding our identity and our worth in Christ. Accepting His love and adoption into His family. Knowing what He says about us, and that His opinion is the only one that counts. Realizing that in His eyes, we are valuable and precious. Being confident that not only will He never leave us, we will spend eternity with Him in a place prepared especially for us.

Accept God’s amazing love and let it soothe and heal that sting of rejection. His love never fails.

(Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and digitalart.)

** Quote taken from The Word for You Today (Bob Gass ministries.)

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Accept God's amazing love, and let it soothe and heal the sting of rejection. via @AndreaMerrell (Click to tweet.)

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Three Tools for Overcoming Fear

 By Andrea Merrell

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, 

but of power and of love and of a sound mind.             

2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV

 

Fear is a spirit that tries to harass us day and night. I lived under this bondage for a large portion of my life. But God has given us three tools to conquer fear:  power, love, and a sound mind. 

 

POWER

Jesus told His disciples they would be “clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49 NIV). The Passion translation calls it “the mighty power from heaven.” This power gives us the ability to put on the armor of God (Eph. 6) and then stand firm and strong against the deceit and tactics of the Enemy, resist him, and trust that God will fight the battle for us. When we speak God’s Word, we release power.

LOVE

Love is the greatest force in the universe (1 Cor. 13)—a life-changing force that covers a multitude of sins (1 Pet. 4:8). Fear contains torment, but perfect love (God’s agape love) drives away all fear (1 John 4:18). Love—the love of God in us—never fails.

SOUND MIND

We have been given the “mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16). When we allow His mind to be in us, it creates sound judgment, personal discipline, and abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control. We are transformed by renewing our mind with God’s Word (Rom. 12:2).

The Word makes it clear that fear has no place in our life as a child of God. We have been given His power, His very own love, and a sound (self-controlled) mind. It’s a matter of trusting God, submitting to Him, resisting the Enemy, and watching the fear flee from us.

 

(Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and Stuart Miles.)

 

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Fear has no place in the life of a child of God. He has given us tools to overcome fear. via @AndreaMerrell (Click to tweet.) 

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