The Heart Of Humility Receive Grace

Learning the heart of humility is a life lesson for every one of us. The heart of humility is the kind of heart that can receive grace and keep love inside to serve and give.

I had a short fuse and a hot temper before. My grandma said I always pouted in the corner if there was anything makes me unhappy. I remembered I even hid myself in the cabinet to not to meet any one when my relatives came to my house to spend the holidays. I may descrived myself as a person with a strange temper before I met Christ. Now when I looked back, I may be amazed to find out how selfish and arrogant a person I am. Thank Jesus, how much grace I have been given by God and how patient is God to raise up a sinner like me.

The rooted sin of arrogance tend to blind our eyes and our minds to let us feel we are so special and we are the best. This tendency let us misinterpret many things happening in our lives. I have to admit I made many mistakes that actually cause the "misfortune" in my understanding. I came to know my shortcomings and wrong thoughts after something happened a long time ago and came to thank God that he didn't allow those things to happen according to my wishes at that time.

There were two people in the Bible came to the temple to pray to God. One is a parisee. And another is a tax collector. The parisee said God I thank you that I am not like other people-robbers, evildoers, adulterers- or even like this tax collector. He counted what he did before God one by one " fast twice a week" "give a tenth of all he get". But the tax collector would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner."

What kind of heart do we have in front of God? We may felt very good to ourselves and we may put what we have done beautifully and correctly in front of God and felt we are a righteous person. But the true godliness lies in repentance. It is the heart of the tax collector that pleases the Lord. "For all those who exalt themselves will be humbles, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."

When we feel we deserved to have something or do something, maybe it is the time we need to humble ourselves and ask mercy of God to examine ourselves.

When I was young spiritually, I sometimes felt I was the most amazing person in faith. I may easily lift up myself and boasted some of my work. I was easily get angry and felt it was not fair when I didn't get what I want. And I was very hasty in getting the result instead of having patience and perseverance to wait and endure.

This kind of deep arrogance lies in our hearts and we tend to think God owe me something or others owe me something.

But after we had more experince and more dealings with different kinds of people, we confess that I am just a person. I have my weakness. I have my limitation. I cannot do everything on my own. I have too limited knowledge of many things. I don't know what is happening in the spiritual reality. If we compare more of the law of God with ourselves, we will realize how sinful we are. It is only by the grace of God that we can serve him. It is only by the grace of God that we can still work and breathe. And if there is not the help and protection of God, many victories in our lives or in the fighting for the kingdom of God won't happen.

Recently I went back to my hometown and had a pleasant retreat time with my grandparents. My grandpa was not a believer of Christ. But when I was with him, I found his heart was humble and gentle. He worked in the yard with those vegetables in a humble way everyday. And I felt very peaceful and joyable to be with him. I thought after many life experiences, people can learn the humble heart.

"God resist the proud, but give grace to the humble." God is love. And what God cares most is love. God teaches us to learn the humble heart so we can deal with others in love. Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud. It does not dishonor others. It is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered. In humility, we value others above ourselves. This is the mind set of Jesus. So he served us with self-denial love. And let us be obedient to him to serve and love each other with the loving and humbling heart.