Showers of Blessing - Humble Pie
Jephthah said to them, “Didn’t you hate me and drive me from my father’s house? Why do you come to me now, when you’re in trouble?” (Judges 11:7)
Our Father in heaven, Exalted God—our Lord Jesus told us that the first and greatest commandment is to “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’" (Matthew 22:37-38). He followed this up by saying, "And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’" (Matthew 22:39).
Father, You warn us of the consequences of pride, disdain, and condescension, and You affirm Your defense of the shunned and the oppressed: The Lord... mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed (Proverbs 3:34).
When You gave Your commands, You knew how important they would be in safeguarding and sustaining individuals and communities. For that reason, as You led Your people out of bondage and to the new land You had promised, You emphasized the importance of passing on the knowledge of God to each successive generation (Deuteronomy 4:9).
But soon after the death of Your leader Joshua—Moses' successor—another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what He had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them (Judges 2:10-12).
And then because they had broken Your commands, they found themselves embattled on many fronts. Not only were they surrounded by hostile forces, but here in this account, they were in desperate need of help from the mighty warrior they had driven away because his mother was a prostitute (Judges 11:1-3).
Oh Lord, teach us to recognize the wisdom in Your commands! You are the God who created us to function both as individuals and as a society, and the commands You have given us benefit and protect both us and others.
Deliver us from the evils of greed, selfishness, pride and power. You warned Your disciples against human tendencies to lord it over others and exercise authority (Matthew 20:25). You know our gravitation to power, to pecking orders, to caste systems, to ranking scales, to feudal structures—formal or informal, subtle or overt.
"Not so with you" taught the Lord Jesus. "Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must serve—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:26-28).
Lord, teach us to serve. Teach us to love, respect, and esteem others in our families, in our jobs and professions, in our ministries, in our churches, in our communities, in our world. Give us humble hearts—not the hearts of proud mockers.
Remind us of the showers of blessing from those among us from various walks of life. Teach us gratitude. Remind us that in many ways, like the Israelites, our thriving, our progress, our deliverance—our very survival may depend on the ones we are tempted to disparage and discard in pride and arrogance.
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