Restoration- Part II

Humility and Repentance

Every believer is exhorted to clothe herself in humility; it’s like a command - I Peter 5.5;
Why? Because of the example of our Lord Jesus Christ and what He said in Matthew 11.29. Although He was humble, yet He was strong. As believers, Jesus is our role model; we are supposed to walk in His steps. Philipians 2.3-8.

We are also expected to walk in humility because our God resists the proud- I Peter 5.5. Who can oppose God when He opposes you? God demands humility from each and everyone of us because that is the way to the kingdom. This is what Jesus told us in Matthew 18.1-4.

Reason: Man is proud and never admits his faults. That’s why many are not giving their lives to Christ but the one who accepts God’s verdict of being a sinner, is the humble one and God loves such a person because the opposite of this is pride which is the epitome of Satan.
How many accept God’s judgement in Romans 3.23? The main ingredient or the main channel to God is through repentance which is the result of humility. So the two go hand in hand. You cannot have one without the other. A humble heart easily forgives another person whether they themselves are 1% wrong in any situation. Matthew 5.23-24. A humble heart takes the initiative to make peace because this person will remember the Word of God on forgiveness and OBEY her Master! In so doing, she repents of whatever happened before.
Repentance is 180 degree turn around from the direction one was going before. It takes humility to repent of any sin. Pride is the opposite of humility. It is the source of un-forgiveness so be careful ‘cos it’s destroying relationships. Humility will accept the hurts but will forgive not in its own power but in the strength of God.

Doug Britton puts it this way:
“Many people have the wrong idea about God, the Bible and humility, or being humble. They think being humble means grovelling in front of others or thinking we're no good and others are good.
God says when you are humble, you are free from pride and arrogance.
You don't need to defend yourself when you understand the Bible's picture of humility, for you know who you are in Christ. You are able to be a peacemaker without needing to fight for your rights. You are able to walk humbly in the power of God’s Holy Spirit, not your own personal power.
Godly humility is being comfortable with who you are in the Lord and therefore putting others first. The meaning of humility in the Bible is one of loving others, not being a wimp!”

Advantages of walking in humility and repentance:
1. God’s power and love rests on you - II Corinthians 12.9-10
2. Always a peacemaker and you know the reward of a peace maker -Matthew 5.5 & 9; Ephesians 4.29. You have kind and gracious words for everybody even when correcting them
3. It keeps a believer focused on making it to heaven - you search yourself daily, if not moment by moment using David’s cry in Psalm 139.23 -24
4. Gives you peace of mind because you can handle unfair treatment without being overcome with bitterness
Ephesians 4. 31-32

Conclusion: Bible-based humility isn't being unaware of your gifts or calling.
Although we should avoid self-pride, godly humility does not mean we should pretend we are unaware of the gifts God has given us. The key is to remember that they are from God. Ephesians 3:8 ; 2 Corinthians 12:11.
Bible-based humility does not mean never speaking directly.
When God says to be humble, he it lets us know we must examine our motives and attitudes. We also must examine how we take action. But there are times when we need to take strong actions. Here are two examples of taking strong actions while maintaining a humble spirit: Jesus was meek of spirit, yet he chased the moneychangers