Lower to go Higher

I just got back from a weekend retreat called "Men at the Cross", I was struck through the whole experience how integral humility is in our journey with the Lord.  As I had written earlier I believe 1 Peter 5:5, "...God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."  Jesus was willing to humble Himself by coming from Heaven into earth, being born a little baby to a working class family, be under his earthly parent's authority, apprentice under Joseph, and then humble Himself unto death through the terrible toture of the cross including everything that led up to it.  Since Jesus came to us in humility, weakness, and even brokenness are we to come any other way.  Jesus said "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."  in John 14:6.  I have recently been struck with the awareness that I often don't realize how I am coming to God but when I am exposed then I can understand the outcome.  In other words the Holy Spirit has revealed to me that I often come to the Father expecting disappointment, that He won't meet me and bring comfort, hope, and life.  So my flesh is stirred up, then I make excuses for not spending time in worship, study, or prayer.  The lie is that He will disappoint me and leave me all alone, the only way that I have gotten free of this is to come in humility being open about what I really believe.  Jesus is the truth, He does not need me to correct my thinking but to bring what I am really believing to Him.  I once heard a Beloved Daughter of the King say, "I seek to humble myself because the Spirit flows to the low places."  The Enemy always seeks to bring the counterfeit, which is self-condemnation and degrading oneself.  This is not humility but actually pride because we are not agreeing with who God says we are, the Word says that the carnal mind is at enmity with God.  Only we as believers can hold two seemingly contradictory things in tension and see truth, i.e. Jesus says He is the fullness of grace and truth.  We are His Beloved sons and daughters (1 John 3:1&2) but also cracked pots/broken people (2 Corinthians 4:7).  Jesus would often challenge the Pharisees when they wanted to use the Law to qualify some and tear down others, He would speak life into these dichotomies.  The Pharisees in John 8:2-11 brought a woman before Jesus saying that the Law of Moses commands her to be stoned, they were attempting to trap Him between obeying the Law (being just like them) or being soft on the Law and letting her go (then He would be condemned under the Law).  Jesus was able to bring grace by reconciling two contradictory things, this woman's sin and being accepted by God.  I encourage you to come to God in humility, weakness, and complete honesty.  He will meet you.

In His Grace,
Bret