Category: Level: Intermediate

humility

Practical Tips For Deeper Humility

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This is our third post on the topic of humility. We began with the challenge of humility then looked at the humility of Francis of Assisi. I thought that it would be helpful to list some of the traits of deeper humility mentioned by two great Christian teachers. The first list is from John of the Cross (b. 1542 – d. 1591) who observed: They think everyone else is far better than they are… Their good deeds and the gratification they receive from them only cause them to be more aware of their debt to God and the inadequacy of their service to him… These souls humbly and tranquilly long to be taught by anyone who might be a help to them. They rejoice when others receive praise… These souls would give their life’s blood to anyone who serves God… When they see themselves fall into imperfections, they suffer this Continue Reading →

The Unusually Humble Words of Francis of Assissi

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Previously, we described the challenge of humility. On this day when we remember the crucifixion of Jesus and his deep humility, it might be helpful to remember someone who strove to imitate Christ’s humility. Francis of Assissi (b.1182 – d.1246) was founder of the Franciscan movement that swept across Europe in the 13th century. Francis left behind his family wealth after a dream from God and encounters with God that filled him with love and convinced him to follow the way of poverty. He began to minister to the poor and at one point he went to a local lepers’ house and asked forgiveness for despising them, gave them all some money and kissed each one on the mouth. Later, he spent two years nursing lepers and living in poverty. Many people in the town thought he was mad and they mocked and ridiculed him. Soon others began following him Continue Reading →

approval

The Pitfall Of Pleasing Others

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One of the biggest barriers to spiritual growth is the desire to please people more than God. This is a constant temptation for all of us. People are right in front of us. We can see their faces and we don’t want to disappoint them. And if we have a big heart for people then we are even more tempted to please them before we please God. It is hard to put into words how enormous this problem is. We watch unbelievers live wasted lives because they want to win the approval of people around them. They compromise and live meaningless lives because that’s the environment they are in and they want the approval of others. And there are plenty of people willing to give them this approval. Paul describes this in Romans Chapter 1 where he first lists various sins then says people who do them are “foolish, faithless, Continue Reading →

open to God's will

Are You Open to God’s Will?

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When it comes to pursuing God’s will it is important to ask ourselves if we are truly open to knowing God’s will. Once we decide to consider God’s will we may still close our minds to knowing his will because of what we suspect it will be. Are we really open to whatever he may desire? Are we really open to changing our thoughts or plans? We may convince ourselves that we are pursuing his will when in fact we are only rationalizing our own attitudes or actions. For major decisions it may take weeks to discern whether we are truly open to God’s will. For example, someone who falls in love with another and wants to marry them may be closed to God’s will unless they spend a lot of time gradually opening up to God. The more investment and momentum we have in a particular direction the more Continue Reading →

shame

How To Accept Yourself -Overcoming Self-Rejection – Part 4

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For the last three weeks we have been looking at overcoming shame and self-rejection. Two weeks ago we began a practical process for doing this. We continued that last week. This week we continue with that process as we work through the final steps of confession of sin and reconciliation. Step 6. Now that you have accepted your younger self you need to confess any negative thoughts and feelings you have harbored against your younger self . Those are sins against yourself. Therefore, confess to your younger self your sins of rejection, and negative thoughts and beliefs toward your younger self . Repeat all the negative thoughts you expressed earlier and confess those as sins. When done, wait silently for a few moments to see if your younger self responds, if your younger self responds then you can further respond. It is okay if your younger self does not respond Continue Reading →