From
Mongolian folklore comes this helpful little fable of the boastful frog.
Two
geese were about to start southward on their annual autumn migration, when
they were entreated by a frog to take him with them. On the geese expressing
their willingness to do so if a means of conveyance could be devised, the frog
produced a long stalk of grass, got the two geese to take it one by each end,
while he clung to it by his mouth in the middle.
In this manner the three were making their journey when some men
noticed them from below.
The
men loudly expressed their admiration for the device and wondered who had been
clever enough to discover it. Whereupon
the vainglorious frog opened his mouth to say, "It was I," lost his
hold, fell to the earth, and was dashed to pieces.
Moral:
When you have a good thing going, keep your mouth shut!
"Lord,
when we are wrong, make us willing to change.
And when we are right, make us easy to live with.
-- Peter Marshall
F.
B. Meyer once said: "I used
to think that God's gifts were on shelves one above the other; and that the
taller we grew in Christian character the easier we could reach them.
I now find that God's gifts are on shelves one beneath the other.
It is not a question of growing taller but of stooping lower; that we
have to go down, always down, to get His best gifts."
Scripture
Text:
Micah 6:6 Wherewith
shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I
come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? 7 Will the
LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of
oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body
for the sin of my soul? 8
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of
thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
What in
the world does God want? He wants
you. Do you want him?
With
what shall I bring before the Lord assumes three things…
- I
want to come before the Lord
- I
want to bring something to pay for transgressions and sin of my soul.
- I
want to please the Lord.
Why
bring an offering, so that I will be accepted.
If I am accepted then I have become pleasing to the Lord.
He
has showed you what is good and what does God want?
He wants you, but you must come to him, his way.
Could we get God to change to come our way instead of our changing?
Does God change? Mal. 3:6
says, I am the Lord I change not. These
are his ways. He wants his people
to…
1.
To
walk humbly with thy God:
What is humility? It
is humbleness, meekness, unassuming attitude, and gentleness.
The opposite of humility is arrogance, superiority, egotism, pride, and
overconfidence.
In his
Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis contended that we can even be proud of our
humility. Pride is a telescope
turned the wrong way. It magnifies self and makes the heavens small.
No wonder Jesus said, "To be congratulated are the poor in
spirit." He illustrated their text with His parable of a Pharisee and
publican in prayer.
An admirer once asked the famous orchestra conductor Leonard Bernstein
what was the most difficult instrument to play.
He responded with quick wit: "Second fiddle.
I can get plenty of first violinists, but to find one who plays second
violin with as much enthusiasm or second french horn or second flute, now
that's a problem. And yet if no
one plays second, we have no harmony.
God
came as a humble man, a carpenter.
During the American Revolution a man in civilian clothes rode past a
group of soldiers repairing a small defensive barrier.
Their leader was shouting instructions, but making no attempt to help
them. Asked why by the rider, he retorted with great dignity, "Sir, I am
a corporal!"
The stranger apologized, dismounted, and
proceeded to help the exhausted soldiers.
The job done, he turned to the corporal and said, "Mr. Corporal,
next time you have a job like this and not enough men to do it, go to your
commander-in-chief, and I will come and help you again."
God wants people who will walk with him and talk with
him. To be able to walk and talk
with God we have to possess humility. That
is we have to be on the same road that he is on and walking next to him.
Jesus walked the lonely road that led to Calvary.
Will you walk with him? He
humbled himself to walk with us. He
came as an average person, a carpenter's son.
We all have the opportunity to walk with the Lord, if we will humble
ourselves with him.
Since no one has seen him walking down the road, I believe that he is
speaking about walking with those you see day to day.
Humbling ourselves so that we can walk and talk with one another.
Becoming a friend to all we see even those who don't deserve it or want
it.
Are
we Humble?
Have we walked in God’s ways?
Have we been humble before God?
1Kin
11:33 (KJS) Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth
the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the
god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do [that
which is] right in mine eyes, and [to keep] my statutes and my judgments, as
[did] David his father.
Have
we walked with each other? Have we been humble toward one other?
1Pet 5:5 (KJS) Likewise,
ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all [of you] be subject one
to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and
giveth grace to the humble. 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty
hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon
him; for he careth for you.
Humility
puts us into proper perspective. He
is God and we are not. We
voluntarily put our lives in his hands for his service to others.
As he served we now serve. We
become the profitable instruments of his justice, and mercy.
We must be humble first. Pride
will prevent you from entering into the presence of the loving heavenly Father
who sent his son humbly for you.
Matt
5:3 (KJS) Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven.