Remind the people ... to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility. Titus 3:1-2
A country tune whimsically notes, "It's hard to be humble when you're perfect in every way!" Although not many would be so arrogant as to claim perfection, the song does illustrate our reluctance to recognize our sin. We may call a falsehood "just a little white lie." When we are rude to others, we may excuse ourselves by saying we are "having a bad day." When men and women break the marriage vows they made before God, we say they simply "were incompatible." We like to sugarcoat the evil that we perform. But the fact is that the evil we do, including our words and deeds of pride, constitute sin against God.
True humility begins with a personal confession. It does no good to compare ourselves with other people, for God's yardstick of holiness and perfection reveals that we all fall short of the glory of God.
Jesus Christ humbled Himself for us, becoming a servant and dying for us on the shameful cross, to forgive all our sins, including those of pride. Our response in faith includes showing true humility by treating others with respect, defending them, speaking well of them, and living peaceably with them.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, teach us to be considerate and loving toward others as Your humble servants. Amen.
(Devotions from "The Abundant Life" copyright 1998, CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. Permission is granted for one-time e-mailing of this link to a friend. For information on other devotional material, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit CPH at www.cph.org.)
Today's Bible Readings: Ezekiel 8-10 1 Timothy 5
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