Crowning himself king

This picture was taken of the painting of The Coronation of Emperor Napoleon I and of the Empress Josephine in the Notre-Dame de Paris, from the book Exploring World History part 2, by Ray Notgrass, 2014, p 580

“As the pope approached Napoleon with the crown, Napoleon took the crown and placed it on his own head. Napoleon did not want to answer to anyone.” Ray Notgrass, Exploring World History part 2, 2014, p. 580

He crowned himself king.

As arrogant as this action speaks to us of the pride of Napoleon, we dare not pass it off as merely one man’s error.

For arrogance is simply the offspring of self being allowed to rule within one’s heart.

We might fool ourselves or others, as to the extent we allow self to rule.

But God is never fooled.

Not only is He always aware of the complete standing of one’s heart, He is also seeking to teach us what is there as well.

Our teachability comes from who sits upon the throne of our heart.

“While Judas called Jesus ‘Rabbi’ (Matt. 26:49), there is no record that he used the term ‘Lord’. It has always been possible to claim allegiance to God without ever handling over the soul’s title deed…How many attend church regularly and give Jesus intellectual assent, but not their hearts? How many call Him King, only to assume their own thrones?” Charles Stanley, The Life Principles Bible, Nelson Bibles, 2005, page 1257

Have I crowned myself king?

Or do I allow God to rule my heart?

The Lord knows the truth and we should be honest within ourselves as to that truth as well.

Because God doesn’t share lordship.

Either we grant Him the place He deserves our we don’t, it’s never a partial thing.

Luke 16:13 KJV — No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

“That faith alone is true which rests on God alone, that confidence which relies but partly on the Lord is vain confidence.” C. H. Spurgeon

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for Your faithfulness. Thank You for Your Word. Lord, please continue to show me my heart and the motivations there. Lord, I want You to rule and reign. I want my life to bring You glory. I want my actions, attitudes, and words to be honorable before You. Lord, I know You have everything in Your hands. Your ways are perfect and blessing comes from You. Please continue to teach me how to walk in today letting You be King, for You are the King of all kings. I love You, Jesus. Amen.

Are you ready?

With all the preparation happening, this question came to mind.

But it has nothing to do with Christmas.

Instead, it’s about my heart.

For weeks now the Lord has been challenging me to give up my own ideas and expectations; to come to Him with a heart ready to listen rather than request.

Not that I’m without requests, for it is important to stand before the Lord in prayer for those He places on my heart.

Intercession is about coming before God on behalf of those God leads me to pray for and often I begin with asking the Lord for how He would have me pray.

Which is what He’s been leading me to do in my personal prayer time as well.

To come before Him with humility, acknowledging my sins, open to correction, and willingly laying down my desires.

Because I’m learning how beautiful it is to die to my flesh, to surrender my thoughts, and to adjust my expectations.

It’s not easy, but it’s so good.

Why?

Beginning each day with a heart ready to serve the Lord is the best way I can be ready for my day.

Choosing not to start with telling Him all my plans, but rather asking Him for His.

Am I ready?

Are you?

Romans 12:1-2KJV — I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for teaching me continually through Your scriptures. Please continue to train my heart to be ready for Your service, walking in humility, quick to listen and slow to speak. Lord, thank You for using my circumstances yesterday to show me a place in my heart which wasn’t ready to serve You, but was still stubbornly clinging to what I wanted. Lord, thank You for reminding me that I have no idea what is best for me and I have often wanted things which were not what was good for me. Lord, please keep me from living in rebellion to You and Your Word. Place a hedge of protection around my heart that I might not fall into sin, but rather be transformed by Your Word. Lord Jesus, Your ways are perfect. Your truth is amazing. Your salvation is proof of Your incredible love. Thank You. My heart is Yours. Whatever comes today, may I be Your faithful servant. In Your name, Jesus, I request these things. Amen.

Pride

How easy it is to fall into pride.

No matter the circumstance, there always seems to be something which tempts us to think better of ourselves than others.

The Bible warns against pride, and we see the consequences of it in both the Old and New Testaments.

Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.
Jeremiah 9:23‭-‬24 KJV

1 Corinthians 1:31 KJV — That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

Pride hides underneath many cloaks, but the evidence of it is a lack of love and respect for others.

This most dangerous foe: pride; sets itself up against all others, including God, when allowed to reign in our lives.

Recently, the Lord has been dealing with my heart and the pride which I had been blind to.

It reared it’s ugly head when a circumstance triggered in me both fear and some resentment.

At the time it felt like a battle within between what I knew was the correct choice, the proper response, and my emotions which were all over between panic and anger.

While walking through this, God brought the truth through the words of a friend.

“What’s my problem?” I spoke with frustration.

“The problem is you love yourself too much.”

Her words were truth and cut straight through all my excuses, all my reasons, all my emotions.

“You’re right.”

Humility, although difficult, is the first step to defeating pride.

The next was to seek God’s forgiveness and other’s, for in my struggle I’d reacted poorly to those around me.

Since then, I’ve been allowing the Word to wash me, seeking His truth, and requesting He reveal my heart completely, that every trace of pride would be dealt with.

It’s not been easy.

I’m ashamed to say I have allowed a great deal of pride to grow where I never realized it was residing.

But the part that hurts the most is where I’ve allowed pride to puff me up.

I allowed pride to keep careful track of others’ errors, their shortcomings, their mistakes, almost as if God needed a record keeper.

It wasn’t an intentional thing, but very subtle, because I know God doesn’t want me to keep such a record, ever.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
I Corinthians 13:4‭-‬7 NKJV

It’s opposite of love and kills my desire to trust that person.

The worst part of pride is the way it taints my walk with God.

The arrogance God revealed to me was coloring my ability to surrender myself and my family before Him.

Some of this pride has been a habit of long standing and God is having to purify me in ways I didn’t expect.

I’m so thankful for His truth shining into my heart and dealing with me, no matter how painful or embarrassing.

It’s worth every bit of the discomfort.

I want to dwell with the Lord Jesus and be completely humbled before Him.

Proverbs 11:2 KJV — When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for dealing with my heart and showing me the ways of pride and arrogance in my life. Lord, I thank You for how You used things I never expected to show me the truth. Lord, continue to wash me with Your Word that I might be completely humbled before You daily. Lord, I have confessed my errors before You and Your forgiveness has been so sweet! Such beautiful gifts of mercy and grace You bestow! May my heart be chastened daily, that no speck of pride be allowed admittance. Let me be Your maidservant, without regard to anything save the joy of serving You. Thank You for Your blessings, Jesus. May my life bring glory to Your name. Amen.

How do you deal with mistakes?

This morning I was in the garden briefly and noticed one these beauties laying on the ground.

I found a stake and tried to put it in the dirt, but it was way too dry.

I got the hose and watered the area then set the stake in.

As I gently lifted the plant my hold slipped.

Crack-snap!

I’d broken the plant clean off at the base!

“Oh no!” I exclaimed, but no one was around to hear it.

I felt like crying, but realized my best response would be to gather the flowers from the plant and thank God.

Maybe it sounds strange to be thankful to God at a moment when I just ruined something He gave me, but I’ve been asking the Lord to help me learn to have a thankful attitude.

Here was my chance.

And there is much to be thankful for.

How I handle myself when I’ve made a mistake speaks loudly to the condition of my heart.

Especially, if it’s something small and no one is around.

Luke 19:17 KJV — And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.

God has been working on my heart a lot this past week through a variety of circumstances and His Word.

(It’s been a difficult journey.)

Challenging me to step up to His standards more fully.

Praise God continually.

Philippians 4:4 NKJV — Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

Submit myself daily before Him, including my schedule.

Proverbs 3:5 KJV — Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Don’t worry, and always bring requests before the Lord with a grateful heart.

Philippians 4:6 NKJV — Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

Be humble.

James 4:10 KJV — Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

The Word of God is true and should be applied daily to our lives.

For through it we can see a more accurate picture of ourselves and what God is calling us to.

Personally, it was a struggle to realize I needed to revisit truths I know and to humble myself before God and people.

Yet, through the submission came incredible blessing, and I can testify to the goodness of God.

It’s one of the wonders of God’s Word, how it can be so familiar, yet still teach something new, still unearth something hidden inside our hearts, and still bring us closer to Our Heavenly Father.

No matter how much we know about the Lord, there is always more to learn and more to apply, for this is a journey.

But the path of the just is as the shining light, That shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
Proverbs 4:18 KJV

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for this past week and the difficulties You used to teach me and deal with me. Lord, thank You for holding me in Your hand and walking with me through this. Lord, thank You for helping me see that through humility I find clarity. When I’m proud in any area, I’m going to struggle with total surrender. Lord, thank You for bringing these things to my attention. Thank You for surrounding me those those who love me through my struggles and encourage me to do what is right. Lord, thank You for Your Word which teaches me so much. I love You, Jesus. May my life bring glory to Your name. Amen.

Personally a hypocrite

“But we are sure that his religious difficulties never resulted in hypocrisy.” Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

This struck me almost as pointedly as the scriptures.

Luke 6:42 NKJV — “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye.”

It had been during prayer.

I was talking with the Lord about a past circumstance and suddenly the Lord asked me a question.

Who has hurt you the most?

The truth was clear.

“I have.”

My own sin has caused me the most suffering.

Then, respond to all other hurts with that in mind.

And with this my entire prayer focus turned.

It is so easy to look at another and see their blindness, prejudice, or sin.

To experience the pain of hypocrisy in another and recoil from the sting, bruised and battered.

Yet, the Bible is clear, our own sins are as black as anyone’s.

Humility says, “I’m a sinner, too” and stops talking.

Instead of recoiling, rejecting, or loudly renouncing another’s sin, what of prayer, forgiveness, and honesty?

Can we allow Christ’s love to enlarge our hearts and include those who have sinned against us?

What about a brother or sister?

Can we choose to continue in love, prayer, and encouragement even when the other seems calloused?

Matthew 18:21 NKJV — Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”

Matthew 18:22 NKJV — Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

Can we forgive seventy times seven?

If I have been hurt, I certain I have hurt others.

If Christ forgave me, He will forgive them.

Therefore, my heart must be willing to love, quick to forgive, and honestly humble, for we all stand stained by sin, in desperate need of a Savior.

John 15:12 KJV — This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

It’s a command which takes every fiber of our choice to walk in every day of our lives, but it’s a command.

And He knows what is best for us.

John 15:13-14 NKJV — “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.”

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You so much for Your Word. Thank You for convicting me of my sin, that I might repent and see others more clearly, not tainted by the past. Lord, please help me to walk daily in this commandment. Please teach me how to be Your friend and how to love as You do. Lord, please help me to see myself clearly, remove the plank from my eye. Lord, I want to be real, honest, and humble, please help me to be. Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for Your patience. May my life reflect Yours, that Your name be glorified. Amen.

Jonathan

Illustration from The Children’s Bible by Golden

He waited for his father to finish speaking.

As soon as he was finished he spoke with him.

“David! Praise the Lord for His victory today! Truly, the Lord has set you before Him to do His mighty deeds. Please, come with me.”

1 Samuel 18:3 NKJV — Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.

1 Samuel 18:4 NKJV — And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt.

He was the son of the king, King Saul’s oldest son.

Next in line for the throne.

He was a warrior, who trusted God to lead him.

1 Samuel 14:14 NKJV — That first slaughter which Jonathan and his armorbearer made was about twenty men within about half an acre of land.

Jonathan could easily have been full of expectation for his future as the next king, but his heart was surrendered to God.

Jonathan’s life is a lesson in humility, he walked honorably before God.

God had not chosen him to be the next king.

His father, King Saul, didn’t follow the Lord with his whole heart and actually refused to obey God more than once.

Through King Saul’s choices, he removes his own family from the kingly line.

1 Samuel 15:23 NKJV — “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king.”

But Jonathan doesn’t turn his back on God.

Never, not even once, does Jonathan envy David for being God’s chosen king after King Saul.

Instead, he sees the man who God has anointed to be the next king and he loves him.

1 Samuel 20:17 NKJV — Now Jonathan again caused David to vow, because he loved him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

Jonathan is an excellent example of friendship.

When King Saul was afraid of David and wants him killed Jonathan first warns David of the danger and then speaks to his father on his behalf.

1 Samuel 19:4 NKJV — Thus Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father, and said to him, “Let not the king sin against his servant, against David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his works have been very good toward you.

And Jonathan has to do it again, because his father had become hardened.

At one point King Saul is so enraged by his fear and hatred of David that he tries to kill Jonathan when he speaks to him in defense of David.(1 Samuel 20:33)

Jonathan is humble, and walks in honor before the Lord, no matter what.

Including, honoring his father, although King Saul was no longer an honorable man.

Nothing changed Jonathan, he continued to choose to walk rightly before God.

That same choice meant he followed his father and king into the battle which cost him his life.

He died fighting to protect his king.

1 Samuel 31:2 NKJV — Then the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons.

No one can choose to make others honorable before God.

Each person only has the choice for themselves.

“Will I walk rightly before God?”

That is the question.

Jonathan answered that question very well.

May his life inspire us to choose to be honorable as well.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for Jonathan and his life. Thank You for teaching me so much through his example. I love how devoted he was to You, to David and to his father. Please help me to live a life which inspires others to honor You as well. Please help me to be a friend like Jonathan was to David. Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for Your love and faithfulness. Thank You. Amen.

December 13

Today’s prayer:

Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
Psalms 112:4 NKJV

Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank You for being our light! Thank You for being upright and righteousness. Lord, thank You for being merciful and kind, full of compassion and understanding. Lord Jesus, please help each one of us to completely surrender ourselves before You. Help us to be aware of those things which would hinder our relationship with You, those things we have allowed to bend our perspective away from completely following You. Lord, please remove anything which would ensnare us. Lord, please break off the chains of sin and help us obey Your Word with zeal and humility, not as puffing ourselves up, but instead resting in Your strength and Your Sovereignty. For You do not see as man sees. Lord Jesus, help me to relinquish every part, every piece of my life to You. Please help me to walk in wisdom, honor, and love. Please give me Your perspective and set Your Word upon my heart. Thank You for all Your wonderful works. Lord, I humbly lift up the hurting, the sick, the lost,the caption, the prodigal, and the innocent before You. Please, touch each heart and bring them all they need. Thank You. Amen.

October 18

Today’s prayer:

Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus,
Romans 15:5 NKJV

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You. These words are encouraging. Please let it be so. Let Your church be of one mind. Let the church be unified and pure before You. Lord Jesus, reveal Yourself to each of us, that we might see and know You personally, that our lives might be purified by Your Holy Spirit. Lord Jesus, hold us in Your hands and teach us from Your Word. Let Your light so shine among us that we repent from everything which is contrary to Your Spirit. Lord, make us like Yourself. Lord Jesus, make me into Your image. Please continue to teach me humility, honor, and truth. My life is Yours, do with me as You will. Thank You for Your faithfulness. Thank You for Your love. Amen.

Blue Jay

(Sorry, He wouldn’t hold still, so you get a blue flower!)

After two nights of bad dreams, I awoke this morning feeling panicked.

Instead of following my normal routine of prayer and Bible reading, I began searching the internet on my phone.

This lasted for a bit, when He spoke.

What are you doing?

stop.

“Lord, I have no idea. Please forgive me for allowing myself to be driven by fear.”

I closed the internet and opened my Bible.

Incline my heart to Your testimonies, And not to covetousness.
Psalms 119:36 NKJV

After spending more time in prayer, I got up and began my day.

Yet, I just couldn’t get past my poor choice this morning.

I’ve fought fear as long as I can remember.

I felt ashamed that I had walked in it for any length of time.

Because it’s an old foe.

In this case it took a familiar form.

Fear of the future driving me to make plans and secure items in case…

To have everything I might possibly need because the future is uncertain and I might not…

Piffle!

What utter nonsense!

Like I have any idea what is best?

Do I really have so little faith in God’s provision that I think I have to figure it all out?

The moment the Lord spoke I could see it all clearly as a lie which I’ve fallen into before.

And I was disgusted with myself.

But God is so faithful.

His mercy is broad.

After I confessed and repented, He brought me another reminder.

A blue jay.

I was opening the house and startled a fledgling who has been hanging out with his mom in our yard.

He clumsily flew to the vegetable garden.

As I watched him I remembered earlier this week.

I’d been near the fence, pulling a weed in the flower bed, when a loud sound caused me to look up.

There he was barely hanging on to the top.

From the sound of things, I gathered he’d hit the fence first and then managed to hang on instead of plummeting to the ground.

Of course I scared him badly and he lept into one of the trees.

The memory coupled with the fledgling hoping around the tomatoes helped me let go of my shame.

“Thank You, Lord. Sometimes, I’m going to hit the fence instead of land on it. Thank You for showing me that I’m really just a fledgling, still so much to learn.”

God wants to free us from sin, not burden us with shame, because we are sinners.

Of course we shouldn’t go overboard the opposite direction and think we can behave anyway we like either.

It’s a delicate balance.

And it takes walking with Jesus daily to remain on the narrow path.

Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Matthew 7:14 NKJV

With my errors and scrapes of late, I’m spending today seeking Him.

I’m so thankful He is shining His light into my heart, but I also want to be cleansed completely of anything else which might cause me to stumble.

And it takes time with Him to become clean, renewed, and taught.

Turn away my reproach which I dread, For Your judgments are good. Behold, I long for Your precepts; Revive me in Your righteousness. Let Your mercies come also to me, O Lord — Your salvation according to Your word.
Psalms 119:39‭-‬41 NKJV

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for Your mercy and grace. Thank You for forgiving me of my poor choice this morning. Lord Jesus, I choose to trust You alone, not put my hope in things or people or even times and seasons. Lord, You alone are worthy of all my praise and worship, I do not want to look to anything else. Thank You for teaching me and loving me always. Thank You for humbling my heart and making the truth clear. Only in You is there peace and security. I praise Your Holy name, Jesus! Amen.

and He…

“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
James 4:10 NKJV

It grinds against every part.

It can be the roughest sand paper to one’s soul.

It can seem as difficult as lifting a semi truck with one hand.

Yet humility holds a promise.

When I choose to humble myself, God will lift me up.

Pride begins so early, that it is able to be demonstrated at an young age.

Humility on the other hand takes conscious continued choice.

The rewards of humility are astonishing: to be lifted by God.

Pride will never pay that kind of dividend.

So I have to ask the Lord:

“Am I remaining humble before You?”

It’s important for me to check my heart.

It’s a valuable exercise to ask difficult questions.

Through this I can hear the Lord drawing me farther and farther from the sinful prideful person I am.

And the more I work at humbly setting myself before God, the easier it gets.

Why?

Because, the longer I walk with Jesus the more I realize how much higher, better, and holy He truly is.