You Should Go Down Before You Can Come Up Spiritually!
By Abraham Israel
The man who has come to realise that each day no matter how good he can act, it is the Lord's mercies that can keep him from dying both physically and spiritually, will not fail to live a joyful life of gratitute towards God.
All of our disatisfaction in life are because of want of gratitude and thankfullness towards God. The self realization that we are sinners bound to hell without our Savior Jesus Christ should make us understand the innate sinfulness of our own heart.
Christianity is an enigmatic paradox. The more a person grows spiritually, the lesser he thinks about himself and his own righteousness. The lesser a person becomes in his own eyes, the greater he will become in the eyes of God. For example in the life of the great apostle Paul, when he started his ministry he introduced himself to his readers as "Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead)" (Gal 1:1) approximately in 50-60 AD. Then while writing to Corinthians in his first letter later in 54-59 AD he said, "I am the least of the apostles" (1 Cor 15:9). Then a few years down the line when he was writing to the Ephesians in 60-63 AD he said, "I am less than the least of all the saints" (Eph 3:8). Then some years before the end of his life when he was writing a letter to his apostolic son in 62-63 AD he said, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief" (1 Tim 1:15). Then finally just months before his death, writing to his apostolic son Timothy he said in 67 AD, "the Lord stood with me and strengthened me...I was delivered...and the Lord will deliver me...preserve me. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!" (2 Tim 4:17-18).
What happened to the great Apostle Paul here, the man who has started his ministry knowing and saying that he is a apostle to the whole Church of the Gentile world (Gal 2:8)...goes in to a downward spiral in his own estimation and at the end of his life ...fails to describe about himself but only gave glory to God for his very life. Then he signed the apostolic letter saying, "The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Grace be with you. Amen." (2 Tim 4:22). What is this? He is no more mentioning himself but only the grace of God at the end of his life. Why? Because Paul knew that any person who stoops low in his own esteem will receive a grace of God just like himself to do the works that he did. In other words, he is saying that all believer can live supernaturally like him spiritually, if only they receive the supernatural grace of God in their spirit-man within. He wishes towards all believers to become humble enough to receive the grace of God inside them for the glory of God just like himself.
God want us to start the day by understanding the new mercies of His that he releases anew by forgiving all the yesterdays sins of our wrong thoughts and actions, known and unknown sins, presumptuous sins and those of ignorance and sins of both breaking comissions and failure to fullfill by our omissions, and instead gives a new grace and thoughts of empowerment each morning. SO WHAT IS YOUR THOUGHT ABOUT YOURSELF TODAY? Both Paul and Peter, the greatest founding apostles to the gentiles and the Jews say, "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." (James 4:10) and " 5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time." (1 Peter 5:5-6). REMEMBER, YOU HAVE TO STOOP LOW AND HAVE TO GO DOWN IN A DOWNWARD SPIRAL IN YOUR OWN SIGHT BEFORE YOU CAN REALLY EXPECT GOD TO LOOK UPON YOU AS SOME ONE GREAT AND THEREBY RECEIVE AND GROWN IN GRACE TO BE BLESSED AND BECOME A BLESSING TO OTHERS.
Always at the start of the day, the one who comes saying to God "I am a begger in need of your righteousness today to be spiritually successful," will never fail to receive God's grace and enjoy the new mercies of the Lord every morning (Lam 3:22-23). God never makes a difference between the righteousness of a new believer and a spiritually mature believer because both should come to Him every morning to receive it humbly by faith. The righteous man will live by faith to appropriate and bring God's grace to empower him to spiritually excel (Rom 1:17; Php 3:9). These humble spiritual beggars who come begging before God will be great before all men because they will be thankful for God's compassion by knowing and confessing back to Him that He is good at the end of the day (Lam 3:32). They will declare the faithfullness of God to their generation (Lam 3:25). Such people who are poor in their spirit will recall this spiritual truth of humility often everyday and will therefore excel in hope to reach the promised destiny of God in His time happily (Luke 5:3; Lam 3:21). Keep praising and thanking for the Lord's mercies given anew every morning. Praise the Lord!
"When you go down in your own sight, actually you are going up in the sight of God." — Abraham Israel
All of our disatisfaction in life are because of want of gratitude and thankfullness towards God. The self realization that we are sinners bound to hell without our Savior Jesus Christ should make us understand the innate sinfulness of our own heart.
Christianity is an enigmatic paradox. The more a person grows spiritually, the lesser he thinks about himself and his own righteousness. The lesser a person becomes in his own eyes, the greater he will become in the eyes of God. For example in the life of the great apostle Paul, when he started his ministry he introduced himself to his readers as "Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead)" (Gal 1:1) approximately in 50-60 AD. Then while writing to Corinthians in his first letter later in 54-59 AD he said, "I am the least of the apostles" (1 Cor 15:9). Then a few years down the line when he was writing to the Ephesians in 60-63 AD he said, "I am less than the least of all the saints" (Eph 3:8). Then some years before the end of his life when he was writing a letter to his apostolic son in 62-63 AD he said, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief" (1 Tim 1:15). Then finally just months before his death, writing to his apostolic son Timothy he said in 67 AD, "the Lord stood with me and strengthened me...I was delivered...and the Lord will deliver me...preserve me. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!" (2 Tim 4:17-18).
What happened to the great Apostle Paul here, the man who has started his ministry knowing and saying that he is a apostle to the whole Church of the Gentile world (Gal 2:8)...goes in to a downward spiral in his own estimation and at the end of his life ...fails to describe about himself but only gave glory to God for his very life. Then he signed the apostolic letter saying, "The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Grace be with you. Amen." (2 Tim 4:22). What is this? He is no more mentioning himself but only the grace of God at the end of his life. Why? Because Paul knew that any person who stoops low in his own esteem will receive a grace of God just like himself to do the works that he did. In other words, he is saying that all believer can live supernaturally like him spiritually, if only they receive the supernatural grace of God in their spirit-man within. He wishes towards all believers to become humble enough to receive the grace of God inside them for the glory of God just like himself.
God want us to start the day by understanding the new mercies of His that he releases anew by forgiving all the yesterdays sins of our wrong thoughts and actions, known and unknown sins, presumptuous sins and those of ignorance and sins of both breaking comissions and failure to fullfill by our omissions, and instead gives a new grace and thoughts of empowerment each morning. SO WHAT IS YOUR THOUGHT ABOUT YOURSELF TODAY? Both Paul and Peter, the greatest founding apostles to the gentiles and the Jews say, "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." (James 4:10) and " 5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time." (1 Peter 5:5-6). REMEMBER, YOU HAVE TO STOOP LOW AND HAVE TO GO DOWN IN A DOWNWARD SPIRAL IN YOUR OWN SIGHT BEFORE YOU CAN REALLY EXPECT GOD TO LOOK UPON YOU AS SOME ONE GREAT AND THEREBY RECEIVE AND GROWN IN GRACE TO BE BLESSED AND BECOME A BLESSING TO OTHERS.
Always at the start of the day, the one who comes saying to God "I am a begger in need of your righteousness today to be spiritually successful," will never fail to receive God's grace and enjoy the new mercies of the Lord every morning (Lam 3:22-23). God never makes a difference between the righteousness of a new believer and a spiritually mature believer because both should come to Him every morning to receive it humbly by faith. The righteous man will live by faith to appropriate and bring God's grace to empower him to spiritually excel (Rom 1:17; Php 3:9). These humble spiritual beggars who come begging before God will be great before all men because they will be thankful for God's compassion by knowing and confessing back to Him that He is good at the end of the day (Lam 3:32). They will declare the faithfullness of God to their generation (Lam 3:25). Such people who are poor in their spirit will recall this spiritual truth of humility often everyday and will therefore excel in hope to reach the promised destiny of God in His time happily (Luke 5:3; Lam 3:21). Keep praising and thanking for the Lord's mercies given anew every morning. Praise the Lord!
"When you go down in your own sight, actually you are going up in the sight of God." — Abraham Israel
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