Humbling Yourselves and A Litany of Humility by Greg Gordon

[Greg Gordon]

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. - James 4:10

Humility is the way to heaven. Christ was humble, the prophets of God were men of humility. The Apostles Jesus choose ended up being men of great humility. Saints in church history are considered those who reached a place of humility. Pride is everything that opposes Gods will and way. The demons are proud and love to come near those who are of a proud boastful spirit. Humility of heart drives satan from us. Humility is not just a sense of being but hundreds of daily choices we make.

We can humble ourselves in a manifold amount of ways each day in our thought-life, actions we make, in relationships we are in. The Spirit of God is working with us daily to allow us to choose the right humble choices. Archimandrite Joel Giannakopoulos said rightly: "Humility is, not only to humble your own self, but also to forbear the humiliations which others impose on you." St. Chrysostom said: "For he that is humbled, and bruised in heart, will not be vainglorious, will not be wrathful, will not envy his neighbor, will not harbor any other passion." The Scriptures say to humble "yourselves." And to realize that when we do this we are doing it "before" the Lord not only men. God see's our hearts condition and honours humility. He longs and desires to "lift us up" and grant us His blessings safely as we maintain humility of heart.

There are many steps to take towards humility, here is one practical step. Consider to pray out loud this "Litany of Humility" even daily if it becomes a help to you:

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, hear me
From the desire of being esteemed, deliver me, Jesus
From the desire of being loved, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being honoured, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being praised, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of consulted, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being despised, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected, deliver me, Jesus.
That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be praised and I unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I become as holy as I should,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

 

[bibleguy]

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. - James 4:10

Humility is the way to heaven. Christ was humble, the prophets of God were men of humility. The Apostles Jesus choose ended up being men of great humility. Saints in church history are considered those who reached a place of humility. Pride is everything that opposes Gods will and way. The demons are proud and love to come near those who are of a proud boastful spirit. Humility of heart drives satan from us. Humility is not just a sense of being but hundreds of daily choices we make.

We can humble ourselves in a manifold amount of ways each day in our thought-life, actions we make, in relationships we are in. The Spirit of God is working with us daily to allow us to choose the right humble choices. Archimandrite Joel Giannakopoulos said rightly: "Humility is, not only to humble your own self, but also to forbear the humiliations which others impose on you." St. Chrysostom said: "For he that is humbled, and bruised in heart, will not be vainglorious, will not be wrathful, will not envy his neighbor, will not harbor any other passion." The Scriptures say to humble "yourselves." And to realize that when we do this we are doing it "before" the Lord not only men. God see's our hearts condition and honours humility. He longs and desires to "lift us up" and grant us His blessings safely as we maintain humility of heart.

There are many steps to take towards humility, here is one practical step. Consider to pray out loud this "Litany of Humility" even daily if it becomes a help to you:

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, hear me
From the desire of being esteemed, deliver me, Jesus
From the desire of being loved, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being honoured, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being praised, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of consulted, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being despised, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected, deliver me, Jesus.
That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be praised and I unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I become as holy as I should,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

Thank you! Lot's of good points.

I might add, too, that humble people obey the law (Torah).

1. God does not give grace to everyone, but He gives grace to the humble (Gr. ταπεινός, "tapeinos", Jas. 4:6).
2. "tapeinos" is "anav" (עָנָו) in Hebrew (Pr. 3:34, which James was quoting in Jas. 4:6).
3. People who are "anav" obey the law (Torah). [Nu. 12:3; Ps. 25:9; Zep. 2:3]
4. God does not give grace to everyone, but He gives grace to humble people who obey Torah (from 1, 2, and 3)

That's a good reason for us Christians to grow in faithful obedience to the Torah!

Growing in grace...

blessings....

 

[Greg Gordon]

Thank you! Lot's of good points.

I might add, too, that humble people obey the law (Torah).

1. God does not give grace to everyone, but He gives grace to the humble (Gr. ταπεινός, "tapeinos", Jas. 4:6).
2. "tapeinos" is "anav" (עָנָו) in Hebrew (Pr. 3:34, which James was quoting in Jas. 4:6).
3. People who are "anav" obey the law (Torah). [Nu. 12:3; Ps. 25:9; Zep. 2:3]
4. God does not give grace to everyone, but He gives grace to humble people who obey Torah (from 1, 2, and 3)

That's a good reason for us Christians to grow in faithful obedience to the Torah!

Growing in grace...

blessings....

"God does not give grace to everyone, but He gives grace to the humble". Amen that is very true.

Towards obedience to the torah that is stretching the scriptures to make that point. Early Church Fathers (the first 2 generations of christian leaders did not put emphasis on what you are saying). So it has to be asked why now in the 21st century are we looking to restore something? when was it lost? did truth die with the Apostle John? Unfortunately most cults and new doctrines in our day give that stance that christianity apostatized from the truth after the death of the original apostles which of course is not true.

 

[bibleguy]

"God does not give grace to everyone, but He gives grace to the humble". Amen that is very true.

Towards obedience to the torah that is stretching the scriptures to make that point. Early Church Fathers (the first 2 generations of christian leaders did not put emphasis on what you are saying). So it has to be asked why now in the 21st century are we looking to restore something? when was it lost? did truth die with the Apostle John? Unfortunately most cults and new doctrines in our day give that stance that christianity apostatized from the truth after the death of the original apostles which of course is not true.

You wrote: "Towards obedience to the torah that is stretching the scriptures to make that point. "

My response: No stretch at all. Humble people obey Torah (as the Bible confirms). You gave no evidence to the contrary.

And, Jesus was just joking in Mt. 5:19?

Of COURSE He was not joking!

Jesus expects us to obey even the SMALLEST of Torah commands, lest we be at risk of being called LEAST in the forthcoming kingdom (Mt. 5:19).

And, Jesus says greatness in the forthcoming kingdom is to be guaranteed for those who OBEY even the least of Torah commands, and teach others to do the same (Mt. 5:19).

And, Jesus gives great warnings against those who disobey Torah (Mt. 5:19-20; 7:21-23; 13:41-42).

And, Jesus assures ETERNAL LIFE to those who obey Torah (Lk. 10:25-28).

And, Jesus SHARPLY rebuked the anti-Torah religious establishment of His day because it OPPOSED Torah (Mt. 23:2-3,23,34).


You wrote: "Early Church Fathers (the first 2 generations of christian leaders did not put emphasis on what you are saying)."

My response: Wow! So you are free to contradict Scripture because of "early church fathers" ?

Wrong choice, my friend!

All Scripture (including TORAH!) should rebuke and correct and train your behavior (2 Ti. 3:16). Please get back to the Bible...

When traditions of men contradict Torah, Jesus teaches we should obey TORAH (NOT the traditions which contradict!) See Mt. 23:2-3,23,34 and Mk. 7 for proof.

Please stop using "early church fathers" to contradict Scripture.


You wrote: "So it has to be asked why now in the 21st century are we looking to restore something?"

My response: Because the prophets GUARANTEE restoration of 100% complete Torah-obedience (Dt. 30:1-8), even restoration of Levitical/ceremonial/sacrificial Torah (Jer. 33; Eze. 40-47; Is. 66; Zec. 14). Jesus HIMSELF shall restore those sacrifices (Mal. 3).

We should repent even while in diaspora and obey Torah (Dt. 30:1-2).

Why would you oppose what Jesus desires to restore?

Why would you oppose what the prophets GUARANTEE will be restored?

You wrote: "when was it lost?"

My response: Church leaders even in the 1st century began to oppose the Torah-teachings of the apostles (3 Jn. 1:9-10).

Jesus assured us that the Torah-teachers (Gr. "γραμματεύς") He sent forth would be immediately persecuted and cast out of the religious establishment (Mt. 23:34).

Constantine delighted to squash the Torah-obedient elements of Christian faith.

The multitudes of pagans/Gentiles who came into the church over the centuries were uninformed and uneducated regarding the Torah-obedient teachings of Jesus and the Apostles, thus the church drifted away from its Torah-obedient foundation.

The Protestant Reformation was a move back in a better direction, but did not return sufficiently to bring us back to truly authentic Torah-obedient Biblical faith. (Luther, after all, had some VERY ugly anti-Torah and antisemitic theology).

And here we are now, with over 2 billion Christians, and most of us have no clue we should grow in faithful obedience to Torah.

Why? Because the apostasy prophesied by Paul (2 Th. 2:3) has now manifested in great measure.

The churches of the planet have almost uniformly opposed the very TORAH (Jer. 31:33; Heb. 8:10; 10:15-16) of the New Covenant in which its constituents should be participating.

The churches of the planet have almost uniformly failed to inform their congregants that they ARE Israelites (Jer. 31:31-33; Heb. 8:10) who should obey the Torah given to THEM (Mal. 4:4).

But there will come a time when we Gentiles will no longer call Torah a "strange thing" (Hos. 8:12).

There will come a time when we Jews will no longer fail to discern that the Messiah, Jesus, comes in the name of YHVH (Mt. 23:39).

There will come a time when Jesus' prayer to unify our family (Jn. 17:11,21) will be fulfilled, as we are sanctified by the truth of God's word (Jn. 17:17). TORAH is God's word! (Dt. 1:3; 5:27-33; etc.)

Thus, Torah-obedience is CENTRAL and FOUNDATIONAL to the Messiah's desire that His family be reunited.

After all, Jesus applies His Torah-obedient teachings to ALL disciples of ALL nations (Mt. 28:19-20).

Indeed, we SHALL again be reunited as ONE nation (Eze. 37:22) in the land, in obedience to Torah (Eze. 37:24-25), when Jesus finally restores the kingdom to Israel (Ac. 1:6) when all nations will serve us (Is. 60:12).

You wrote: "did truth die with the Apostle John?"

My response: Of course not! Truth never dies. PEOPLE oppose and contradict truth.

Will YOU oppose and contradict the truth?

TORAH is truth (Ps. 119:142).


You wrote: "Unfortunately most cults and new doctrines in our day give that stance that christianity apostatized from the truth after the death of the original apostles which of course is not true."

My response: So Paul was just joking about the forthcoming APOSTASY? (Gr. "ἀποστασία", 2 Th. 2:3).

Of COURSE Paul was not joking!

And, to contradict and oppose the Torah of Moses is to apostatize (see "ἀποστασία" in Ac. 21:21).

TORAH is not a "cult" or "new doctrine". TORAH (Heb. "תּוֹרָה", Jer. 31:33; quoted in Heb. 8:10; 10:15-16) is FOUNDATIONAL to the New Covenant.

Don't let the bogus tactics of "cults and new doctrines" blind you from the truth of Biblical Scripture.

It's OK to do what the Bible says!

It's OK to be BIBLICAL.


CONCLUSION: Why would you oppose the very TORAH of the New Covenant in which you participate?

blessings to you.....

 

[Greg Gordon]

My challenge to you is to find what you are saying and believing in Church history, you simply cannot find it. Therefore you are left with the problem why for 2000 years this truth was hidden of the new covenant as you put it.

 

[bibleguy]

My challenge to you is to find what you are saying and believing in Church history, you simply cannot find it. Therefore you are left with the problem why for 2000 years this truth was hidden of the new covenant as you put it.

Hello!

Why are you worried about Church History?

The BIBLE takes precedence over any "church history" that came after the Bible.

If most church theologians (historically) failed to discern that Christians are Israelites (Jer. 31:31) who should obey TORAH (Jer. 31:33), then that's a sad fact of history.

Whatever!

Let's get back to the BIBLE.

"Therefore you are left with the problem why for 2000 years this truth was hidden of the new covenant as you put it."

Of course this is a problem! Maybe there are 27 different contributing causes of this problem.

Whatever!

Let's work TOGETHER to solve the problem!

Let's work TOGETHER to share with our fellow Christian brethren their true Israelite identity (Jer. 31:31) and Torah-obedient obligations (Jer. 31:33).

OR do you OPPOSE the New Covenant as described in Jer. 31?

blessings...