Humble...young man...Humble

The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed:

Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly,

not for dishonest gain but eagerly;

nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

1 Peter 5:1-4

I want you to read that….wait, actually before you read any more, before you read any blog post of mine(Brothers/Sisters in Christ), I want you to pray to Almighty God, pray that He reveals Himself through what you are reading, Pray that He reveals whatever scripture I am quoting, gives you complete understanding and knowledge in that scripture.

Look at what Peter is saying "Shepherd the flock not by Compulsion..but willingly" I.e not by force, not by your irrational motives. "Not for dishonest gain..but eagerly; Nor as being lords over those entrusted to you."

What does he mean by "lords?" what does that even mean? It means a person who has authority over others. I.E don't shepherd people like you are the authority. You must always point people to God and what He says,

without puffing yourself up in the process.

Yeah, you can just read over all that is being said in 1 Peter 1-5 and be like "yeah ok", and maybe even say "yeah this is for clergy men or preachers" but no!

this is for everyone.

A lot of people like to puff themselves up, they like to think because they know this scripture or that scripture or because they can quote this or that, that they're better then a brother or sister in Christ, or better then a non-believer in general. Yet we must remember, we are not to put ourselves or our knowledge on pedestals, who gave us said knowledge? God, that is who we glorify..NEVER ourselves. To put what Peter is saying in even more simplistic terms; Yes indeed, some of us may have more knowledge of the word. Some of us may have a closer walk with Christ, but it is not US that we are to glorify for that.

We also don't lord our knowledge over others like we are to be praised for it, we share what we have learned and give all glory to God. For nothing that I have or you have is worth boasting about, for it all comes from God almighty. We share what God has revealed through His word and our lives with each other, not to praise ourselves but to praise God, not to gain knowledge of ourselves but to gain knowledge of God.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; [it is] the gift of God,not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

For who makes you differ [from another]? And what do you have that you did not receive?

Now if you did indeed receive [it],

why do you boast as if you had not received [it]?

1 Corinthians 4:7

Why do you boast of which you didn't achieve?

It's not about "look at what i've done.." "Look at what knowledge I have" it's ALL about look at what Christ has done, look at what God has given.

It would be like if I got injured in a basketball game, and then the person who came into the game for me.. hit the game winning shot, and then I ran around boasting about how awesome I am.

putting yourself on a pedestal and lording your knowledge of God on others isn't how you shepherd, the knowledge you've gained by Gods grace and through the Holy spirit isn't for the purpose of YOUR GLORY! It IS NOT for you to hold in and puff yourself up with, and to show how great you are and knowledgeable….NO

It's for Gods GLORY! you humble yourself and you share what knowledge you've gained with others so that they may also boast in GOD and what He has done for them.

Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to [your] elders. Yes, all of [you] be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for

God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.

Surely He scorns the scornful,

But gives grace to the humble.-(Proverbs 3:34)

Therefore humble yourselves

under the mighty hand of God,

that He may exalt you in due time,

casting all your care upon Him,

for He cares for you.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

1 Peter 5:5-8

Interesting is it not? Do you not see what Peter is saying?

do you not see how much he is warning?

Look how he says to humble yourselves to be submissive to one another, he is talking about young people to respect older…yes, but ALL to be submissive to each other. Again not to lord knowledge over each other, not to put yourselves above each other but to be clothed inhumility.

Can we safely say we are this way? I know I can't say I have been in every situation. Notice how Peter warns of humbleness,submissiveness and then as it would seem brings the Devil up out of nowhere? But he brought him up for a reason didn't he, it's because satan is the ultimate form of prideful, the classic example, the king of pridehimself. So Peter warns us if we don't humble ourselves before God, if we start to get on the path of self righteousness and lording our knowledge over others, and boasting in ourselves we are being children of the devil in danger of being overwhelmed and devoured by him.

Pride [goes] before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 16:18

"A truly humble man is sensible of his natural distance from God; of his dependence on Him; of the insufficiency of his own power and wisdom; and that it is by God’s power that he is upheld and provided for, and that he needs God’s wisdom to lead and guide him, and His might to enable him to do what he ought to do for Him."

Jonathan Edwards

Oblivious to Sin

Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth, Who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden In the day of the LORD's anger.

Zephaniah 2:3

Sometimes when we are seeking to be righteous we fall into

a place of self righteousness, which can lead to a very selfish

"proud" attitude and a judgmental demeanor.

Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him;

But the just shall live by faith.

Habakkuk 2:4

We (as followers of Christ) are called to be humble,

however this also can lead to a problem, As some mistake

the meaning of humble. Or maybe rather then mistake the meaning,

people let humbleness lead them down a path of a "Woe is me"

attitude. By the way just for the record I struggle with the following at times myself, I in NO way mean to elude that I am perfect.

I just see so many of us that hang on to the fact that we are all sinners,

and yes indeed this is true, but so many of us ignore seeking righteousness,

as if the fact that we are forgiven allows us to be oblivious of our sins,

oblivious to the fact that sin ANGERS GOD...Oblivious to what is right and what is wrong. How many have the attitude that "Yup..I'm a sinner, freely admit it, Christ saved me from them" and then therefore do not even seek to allow Christ to work through them and change their behavior, do not repent when they do sin because they do not think they need too, and don't even seek righteousness that can be found in Christ.

Sin very much so angers God, so much so that Christ suffered

and paid the price for it,as I've quoted before..

DO NOT think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.

I DID NOT come to destroy but to fulfill.

Matthew 5:17

Christ was the only one who actually followed the Law perfectly,

and He came to be the sacrifice for US because we could

not and can not follow the LAW(without him), this everyone indeed agrees with...BUT Christ's forgiveness doesn't give us FREEDOM to sin..

This I feel really needs to be explained. I'm a horrible person, I'm a sinner,

this I recognize with a remorseful disposition "For the things I wish to do, those things I do not do, but the things I wish not to do, those I do"

I HATE my sins, I seek not Self-righteousness... BUT the righteousness that is found in Christ Jesus, I seek to live by his words as there is nothing else to even remotely live for, "Whom have I in heaven but you? and earth has nothing I desire besides you"

However it is in this seeking of righteousness that I must REMAIN humble as not to think I could ever save myself or to think that which I seek to do makes me better then anyone else.

Forgiven for being the failures that we are....yes indeed,

this however doesn't mean we blind ourselves into thinking

sin is ok, or that we do not warn those about the damaging

life of sin. If I do not seek to be humble in dealing justly with others,

you better believe the holy spirit will convict me of my own doings,

it is in this inward self examination of just how corrupt I am,

that without Christ... without His sacrifice, which led to Gods forgiveness, just how unworthy I'd be of any sort of relationship with Him, other then of course His wrath and anger...

If there be ground for you to trust, as you do, in your own righteousness, then all that Christ did to purchase salvation, and all that God did from the fall of man to prepare the way for it, is in vain.

Consider what greater folly could you have devised to charge upon God than this, that all those things were done so needlessly; when, instead of all this, He might only have called you forth, and committed the business to you, which you think you can do so easily.

-Jonathan Edwards

Does forgiveness mean we shouldn't realize what we are forgiven from?

If we should realize this fact, then why don't more of us know the Ten Commandments? many ignore them saying "We don't have to follow them"

indeed we are saved by Grace not works, but the fact is we have broken the law wether we think we have or not, otherwise Christ wouldn't of had to die for us. Shouldn't we know them, not for salvation purposes but to realize how fallen we are? NOT so we can "feel bad" or walk around saying "Woe is me"

but so we can see how amazing His forgiveness really is, So we can see

just how undeserving of His grace we are.

1."You shall have no other gods before Me.

2.You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

3.You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain,

for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

4.Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

5.Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.

6.You shall not murder.

7.You shall not commit adultery.

8.You shall not steal.

9.You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

10.You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.

Some might say; "gods? Idols? i've never done such a thing"

really? anything can be an idol, and anything can become your god,

for anything you put above God hence becomes your god..

I.E Money,Cars,Yourself,Music,Tv,Movies,Video Games ect...ect..

remember the man who came to Jesus in Matthew 19?

He said he has kept all the commandments since he was young(Liar)

and then jesus said;

"If you want to be perfect, go, give all you have to the poor,

and come follow me."

Did the man do it? who knows, all it says is he was very sorrowful,

because he had great wealth, if He wouldn't follow Jesus because he loved

His money more, he essentially broke the first/second commandment.

Even still some might say; "I've never murdered or committed Adultery!"

Really? Jesus said in Matthew;

You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.

But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.

Matthew 5:21-22

Hmm..Ever been angry with someone for no reason? had a bad day

and you chew someone out...just because? or whatever the case may be..

guess what? Christ says then you have broken the 6th Commandment.

You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Matthew 5:27-28

Who can say they have never lusted after someone before? If you have,

and YOU HAVE...then you also have broken the 7th commandment...

What is my point? my point is we all have sinned and fall short of Grace,

anyone who claims to be without sin is a liar and the truth is not in him.

There is no justification in sinning, there is no work you can do,

there is no mountain you can climb that will ever make you deserving of anything other then the wrath of GOD...

It's like what Paul Washer said in the video I posted on Facebook, Many people ask why do bad things happen to good people? When the question should be, Why does any good ever happen at all? For we are not "good people" and any good that we receive is more blessing and love that none of us deserve in the first place, for we are wicked.

Therefore humble yourselves under Gods mighty hand, and realize the price

has been paid for YOU, someone had to suffer for what YOU DID...and you will NEVER deserve that kind of love...