Category: Power and Humility

Numbers 12:6-9 NIV
⁶ “Listen to my words:
“When there is a prophet among you,
I, the LORD, reveal myself to them in visions,
I speak to them in dreams.
⁷ But this is not true of my servant Moses;
he is faithful in all my house.
⁸ With him I speak face to face,
clearly and not in riddles;
he sees the form of the LORD.
Why then were you not afraid
to speak against my servant Moses?”
⁹ The anger of the LORD burned against them, and he left them.

“Though Moses faced much opposition from those he was leading, and many hardships on the journey out of Egypt, the Lord met with him face to face. That is power and humility – intimacy with the one who calls us. Humility is facing that hardship, opposition and difficulty of the calling, but in intimacy with the one who calls us.” [P. Nate Sunday Message]

Let’s pray Charles Spurgeon’s prayer from “A Single Eye and Simple Faith”
Prayer: “Fly into his bosom, sinner; fly now; and thou shalt rest there for ever; and neither sin, nor Satan, nor self, shall ever pluck thee thence; for he that believeth is saved. He that believeth in Christ, ‘out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.’ The water which he shall give him shall be in him a well of water, springing up into everlasting life. God grant you [me] the blessing of perseverance, for Jesu’s sake! Amen.

Let’s worship to the song “From Everlasting” by Sovereign Grace (click here)

-LB

Let’s read aloud together the following passages, proclaiming God’s Word over our churches and corporate gatherings this weekend:

 James 4:6-10 NIV
⁶ But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
“God opposes the proud
but shows favor to the humble.”
 ⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. 

Isaiah 63:11-14 NIV
¹¹ Then his people recalled the days of old,
the days of Moses and his people—
where is he who brought them through the sea,
with the shepherd of his flock?
Where is he who set
his Holy Spirit among them,
¹² who sent his glorious arm of power
to be at Moses’ right hand,
who divided the waters before them,
to gain for himself everlasting renown,
¹³ who led them through the depths?
Like a horse in open country,
they did not stumble;
¹⁴ like cattle that go down to the plain,
they were given rest by the Spirit of the LORD.
This is how you guided your people
to make for yourself a glorious name.

Prayer: Lord, you are our Shepherd; with you, we lack nothing. Lead our churches into your holy rest. In Jesus’ name, amen.

With this reality of what Jesus has done for us, let’s worship to the song “God of Revival” by Bethel Worship (click here)

-LB

 

Philippians 2:1-3 NRSVUE
1 If, then, there is any comfort in Christ, any consolation from love, any partnership in the Spirit, any tender affection and sympathy,  2 make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.  3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or empty conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.

“Numbers 13-14 recount the exploration of the promised land. Out of twelve spies, only Joshua and Caleb returned with good news. The rest lost faith, and did not believe they could take the land. The Lord was displeased with Israel as they rebelled, and attempted to stone Moses, Aaron and Joshua. They even spoke of picking a new leader who would take them back to Egypt! Yet, Moses fell facedown in front of them, and before the Lord. He knew his place, and the Lord knew Moses. The Lord’s glory covered them, and Moses interceded for the people as the Lord threatened righteous judgment. Yet the Lord relented as Moses pled for his people, and they were spared. Moses had every reason to allow for their judgment, but he recognized that they were the Lord’s people, and he also knew intimately the Lord who is gracious full of compassion and mercy.” [P. Nate’s Sunday Message]

Prayer: Lord, have mercy on me. I am a sinner in need of your grace and compassion. Cover me and empower me in your love. In Jesus’ name, amen.

With this reality of what Jesus has done for us, let’s worship to the song “Holy Forever” by Chris Tomlin (click here)

-LB

Let’s read aloud together the following passages:

John 5:19-20 NIV
¹⁹ Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. ²⁰ For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.

In 2 Samuel 3, King David’s general, Joab, committed murder out of vengeance and as newly anointed king, King David was afraid to bring about righteous justice. King David wanted someone else to deal with the problem.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon comments on this passage that we are all kings with Christ, as we have been seated with Christ in the heavenly realms at God’s right hand. Yet, we, like David, are all too aware of our weakness. We have never been here before, just as David had always been running, having never been king. “When you are stripped, and emptied, and poured from vessel to vessel, it is then that you are where you ought to be; when you can say ‘I can do nothing apart from Him,’ and yet can feel that you can do everything with him: then you are on the point of safety, you are on the eve of triumph and honour. God is with you, and will greatly bless you so long as you know where your great strength lieth.”

Prayer: Lord, I pour all of myself out so that you may pour into me. May it be your strength in me to do your good works.  May it be your Spirit’s power moving and overflowing in me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship to the song “Gracefully Broken” by Matt Redman (click here).

-LB

Let’s read aloud together the following passage:

1 Corinthians 2:11-12 NIV
11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.

“Then fill your mind often with the knowledge that the Holy Spirit has made you a child of the living God. You are a son or daughter of the King of the universe. What more status do you need? Glory in that and humility will bloom quietly, unconsciously and fragrantly as the fruit of the same Spirit.” (Christopher Wright, Knowing the Holy Spirit through the Old Testament)

We belong to the Lord, and we are his dearly loved children. He wants us to grow and thrive as his children. But sometimes we take on other identities that keep us from living and breathing who we are in Christ. Let’s receive the empowering of the Holy Spirit to understand what God has freely given us.

Prayer: Lord, open my eyes afresh today that I am a child of God. You have put your Spirit in me and you have given me every spiritual blessing to receive as sons and daughters of the King of the universe. In Jesus’ name, amen.

With this reality of what Jesus has done for us, let’s worship to the song “Nothing But the Blood” by Charity Gayle (click here).

-LB