So I’m having this beautiful, spiritual, victorious day at Meadow yesterday. God began really moving in my heart on Friday and it carried me all the way through as I pondered my two sermons and the leadership meeting that was scheduled between them. In a rare occurrence, all three worked out swimmingly with the morning message being delivered with God’s touch, the leadership meeting achieving the desired (and much prayed for) results and then the Sunday evening message being well received by the congregation. Of all things, three young men who have been visiting Meadow waited for me after the evening service and shared how greatly God was working in their lives through the messages and indicated that they would like to spend some time with me sharing how they hoped to get involved with the church and serve Him alongside of us. From beginning to end, it was a remarkable day and one that rarely plays out for me that way.
Then…right before my heart might be tempted to marinade in the juices of smugness…a text from my beloved came to my phone as I was leaving the church house.
“Landon wants some KFC chicken legs. And some mashed potatoes. Can you swing by and grab some on the way home? Thanks.”
I had scaled the heights of ministry all day. I had experienced the satisfaction of a consensus among a group of 20 leaders on a very big decision. God’s Spirit had made the Sunday morning service thick with His presence. The Sunday night service had been responded to with commitments from young men to serve and help.
But in the end
I was humbled
to remember that I am,
in the end,
a guy in a truck who is simply
the mashed potato man.
God knows how to keep us humble. Today I’m wondering if you would be willing to share an area where God repeatedly shows you mercy to keep you from entering into self-sufficiency. For me it is chicken and taters. How is it that God keeps you humble? Type in your response in the Leave A Reply section below and help me know I’m not alone 🙂
I, like Paul, has a “thorn in the flesh” and God said “No” to physical healing when I acted on James 5, I think. ( asked the elders to anoint me and pray for healing in the name of Jesus). My preacher at that stage said, the day before when we arranged for the meeting, that he felt, very strong in his spirit that God said to him, concerning me, that His Grace and Mercy will be sufficient for me. And how true that is, how blessed I am. What keeps me humble is my ” thorn in the flesh”. I will never be popular in the world but, who cares? I have Jesus. I have everything I need in Him. Thank you Jesus for blessing me with this “thorn in the flesh”.
It is evident in what you wrote, Christine, that His grace is certainly at work. Your comment brings Him glory and encourages me. Thank you.
Thank you for the opportunity to share. I still marvel at the greatest miracle ever, that of a spiritual rebirth and the fact that we, as pots of clay, have this amazing, loving, super-intelligent, powerful, Being working in and through us. My heart aches for those that does not know Jesus Christ. To Him the glory.
In 2009 I ran out of angles to play and people to blame. Running from Family and desperate for God in a way only He could put words to, physical pain and finally having “no answers” found me silent for once. God did it, I did nothing but give up the hustle. I pray to remain that desperate on purpose…works very well to date.
I had the experience Jan 2nd on my birthday. I received so many lovely tributes and was really humbled and then this from the Lord.
“All the lovely tributes are because of what I have done in your life.”
…Jesus so precious to me. He did not speak audibly to me, of course, but in the night it came to me and that keeps me humble for the right reason.
I have the following verses in my daily prayer list and read them every day.
“Without me you can do nothing” (John 15:15)
“Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit”
“God gives the increase.”
“Some trust in chariots…” Psa 20:7
“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help” (Isa 31:1)
“This kind cannot come out by anything but by prayer”
“Not that we are adequate in ourselves…” (II Cor 3:6)
“for power is perfected in weakness” (II Cor 12:9)
“for when I am weak, then I am strong” (II Cor 12:10)
“…earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves”
“lean not to your own understanding…” (Prov 3:5)
“Out of weakness were made strong (Heb 11:34)
“I am unskilled in speech” (Moses) (Ex 6:30)
“The battle is the Lords…” (I Sam 17:47)
We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (II Chron 20:12)
“I am weak today, though anointed king” (II Sam 3:39)
“You need not fight in this battle… stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf” (II Chron 20:17)
“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain” (Psa 127:1)
Now therefore why should we die? For this great fire will consume us. If we hear the voice of the LORD our God any more, we shall die.
God keeps me humble through the My husband being away , keeps me dependent on Him and through my children who always are in need , where I can’t focus too much on self .
Missing Shon also, Cherish. Landon is writing him a letter this week to thank him for serving our country. God’s grace will keep you and shape you, Shon and the boys during this season of life. Your church family is here also – let us know how to “be there” for you all!
I spent 40 years of my life as an angry man. Through a series of very painful health issues which began in December of 2007, the Lord took me to a very dark place where It was just me and Him. He confronted me with my anger and its causes and, mercifully, He took my anger away. This was at first humiliating but quickly turned into freedom. “He who the Son sets free is free indeed!” I saw for the first time in my life that I was just a human being, having no basis for being independent. He showed me that dependence is the normal human condition; independence is a bizarre aberration.
The Lord burned my freedom into my heart and mind along with the humbling reality that only He could have set me free. I was helpless but He was strong. That’s the way it was and that’s the way it remains. And that’s a very good thing!
Dad, I remember the process and have seen the results. Having not been through it I still would say, as an observer, the price was worth the purchase. Love you!
Thanks, Jeff. I agree. Painful price but priceless result.