The Fertile Seed Bed of God's Grace
God all loving and tender, sweet beyond all understanding loves you! He is in love with you! Everything about you is precious to Him, and being with you and walking with you is HIS great joy. He prefers your "company" above all other. You never boar him or are tiring to HIM. Things in your life great and small are important to Him. He desires that you be real, with HIM and with your brothers and sisters, all human beings. His Will is that you live with HIM forever and ever without end. HE created you, and you have a beginning, but HE made you have no ending! Your life began at your conception, but will never ever end! You will live forever. In order to live with HIM, in HIS Kingdom, God wants us to be absolutely real. As with an athlete that wants to compete, we have to be real and honest when dealing with God, (and HE wants us to be the same with our fellow human beings too). Pretending to lift 300 pounds of weights does not make us able to do so. Only working honestly toward our goal can we achieve and be champions. Each of us is called to be an athlete in Christ, God’s champion.
For this cause God wants us to be humble before HIM, but also in our relationships with our fellow human beings, our brothers and sisters. Being humble is not something that takes away our human dignity. Humility is simply being simple in our lives, and knowing ourselves. This is not something easy. We must want it and desire it deeply, and God will come and help us in our quest. Walking humbly with God is a climb that leads to our place with HIM in Christ our Lord forever! At times arduous the effort is well worth it. As the hymn of St. Nicholas the Wonder Worker says: "through humility you have achieved the highest and most noble things, and through poverty the true wealth."
Here are words from Holy Bible and from the Fathers of the Church for encouragement. Reading what other human beings who have walked the walk and not simply talked the talk have written gives us all hope and faith.
Micah 6:8
8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
(NAS)
In the Scriptures the Parable of the Tax Collector and the Pharisee is the classic example of God’s regard for humility and HIS respect toward a humble person. For God HIMSELF is humble. He came down to us in he form of a Servant, in our Lord Jesus Christ. Being humble we share in the humility of Christ our Lord.
Below are passages from the Holy Bible for you to read and to meditate on. These words inspired by the Holy Spirit bear the fire of holiness and will fill your soul with strength and joy.
Luke 18:10-17
10 "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-gatherer.
11 "The Pharisee stood and was praying thus to himself, 'God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer.
12 'I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.'
13 "But the tax-gatherer, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!'
14 "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, but he who humbles himself shall be exalted."
15 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He might touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they {began} rebuking them.
16 But Jesus called for them, saying, "Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
17 "Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it {at all.}
(NAS)
2 Chr 7:14
14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
(NAS)
Ps 25:9
9 He leads the humble in justice, and He teaches the humble His way.
(NAS)
Ps 37:11
11 But the humble will inherit the land, and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
(NAS)
Prov 29:23
23 A man's pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor.
(NAS)
1 Pet 5:6-7
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,
7 casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.
(NAS)
Now here are some words written and spoken by men and women that walked with God. Each person through the prism of their heart gives an image of God’s grace and love for us to ponder in order to encourage us.
Amma (means mother in Hebrew), Theodora:
The same Amma said that a teacher ought to be a stranger to the desire for domination, vain-glory, and pride; one should not be able to fool him by flattery, nor blind him by gifts, nor conquer him by the stomach, nor dominate him by anger; but he should be patient, gentle and humble as far as possible; he must be tested and without partisanship, full of concern and a lover of souls.
She also said that neither asceticism, nor vigils nor any kind of suffering are able to save, only true humility can do that.
There was an anchorite (hermit) who was able to banish demons; and he asked them:
Hermit:
What make you go away? Is it fasting?
The demons:
We do not eat or drink.
Hermit:
Is it vigils?
The demons:
We do not sleep.
Hermit:
Is it separation from the world?
The demons:
We live in the deserts.
Hermit:
What power sends you away then?
The demons:
Nothing can overcome us, but only humility.
Do you see how humility is victorious over the demons.?
St. Theognostos in On the Practice of the Virtues, Contemplation and the Priesthood
I shall tell you something strange, but do not be surprised by it. Should you fail to attain dispassion because of the predisposition dominating you, but at the time of your death be in the depths of humility, you will be exalted above the clouds no less than the man who is dispassionate. For even if the treasure of those who are dispassionate consists of every virtue, the precious stone of humility is more valuable than them all: it brings about not only propitiation with the Creator, but also entry with the elect into the bridal chamber of His kingdom.
Humility is the seed bed for the grace of the HOLY SPIRIT. When we are humble and walk with God, HE fills us with joy and gladness. We become open to HIS grace and HE works miracles in our lives and in the lives of those around us. We become so full of grace and joy that we can stand tall in the face of all adversity and problems.
Strive my beloved friend! Do the best that you can do, be all that you can be by God’s Grace. Never ever give up no matter what difficulties you may face in your life! There are many pages for you to explore here. Though humble they are yours to enjoy.
Come see... This is created as an oasis for you and only you...
The begining...
Be strong in HIM...
The Joy of all who sorrow....
HIS friends....
Email: spiritwarriorr@yahoo.com
