Humility and Happiness

Even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God, So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.  Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 

God had given Paul an awesome revelation. To keep him from becoming proud, God also gave him ‘a thorn in the flesh’. Paul’s reactions was to continue to ask God to remove the thorn. 
Do you feel like this when troubles are a midst your life?

Each time Jesus said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Jesus answered that the trial was really a blessing, that in the weakness it brought, His grace and strength could become more real. So Paul immediately took a new attitude towards his thorn. Instead of simply enduring it, he became “glad to boast about it.” Instead of asking for deliverance, he rejoiced in it. Paul had learned that the place of humility is the place of blessing, power, and joy.

Most of us who pursue humility go through the same thing.  At first, we fear and withdraw and ask for deliverance from the humbling situation. We pray for humility, sometimes very intensely, however, in our secret heart we pray even harder—to be protected from the very things that will make us humble.

We can’t say, “I am glad to boast about my weaknesses; I am grateful for everything that humbles me.”

But we CAN… through Jesus~ Let’s learn from Paul’s example.

When we allow more of Jesus to move in, then more of self will move out. The more we see of Jesus, the more we will be willing to embrace whatever humbles us, to make an even larger place for Him in our hearts.

One of the lessons a believer has to learn is humility.

Do you want to grow in holiness?  I know I do. 

Let us remember: the road to holiness passes through humbling experiences.

And humility only comes if we give God permission to lead us through whatever discipline He requires to train us.

Let’s trust the same Jesus who took charge of Paul to take charge of us, too.  He needed to learn how to boast in weakness! We need that lesson too!

Jesus, who cared for Paul, will care for us, too. He watches over us with a jealous, loving care, to keep us from getting puffed up by our  revelations of Him. If we start becoming proud or arrogant, He shows us our evil and brings us experiences to deliver us from it.
 In trial and weakness and trouble, He seeks to bring us low, until we learn that His grace is enough for us and take pleasure in what makes and keeps us humble.

For the proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored (Luke 14:11; 18:14).

When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on Him, He will lift you up and give you honor (James 4:10).

So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in His good time He will honor you (1 Peter 5:6).

Let us be glad to boast about our own weaknesses, about everything that can humble us and keep us low. The power of Christ will rest upon us. Christ humbled Himself, and so God honored Him. Christ will humble us, and keep us humble.

Let’s join our hearts fully to His work! Let’s trustingly and joyfully accept everything that humbles us.

I pray that we can discover the deepest humility, true happiness and a joy that no one can take away.

Read more on Humility: 

A Holy Experience » Because all of Life flames with God