586 Humility Precedes Glory - Matthew 23:12

Let's talk about how humility proceeds glory. 

Welcome back to the Follower of One podcast. This is our 586th standard episode. I believe we've had over 600 episodes of this devotional. Thank you for listening to this show. 

We talk about humility and I've talked in the previous episode about humility and thought I would continue in this passage from Matthew chapter 23, to talk about how humility proceeds glory. Our verse for today is Matthew 23 verse 12.

"Whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

 I think Jesus had certain phrases that he said many times. He says this one in Luke chapter 18. And I actually talked about that in our episode 208. If you want to go check that out, I'll try and put a link in the show notes. ( https://followerofone.org/the-key-of-humility-luke-1814/)

 I think this was one of the phrases that Jesus said many times. "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." In episode 208. I talked about the verses that just precede this. And it was talking about how people try to get into a position of influence. They try to become leaders or authorities or teachers, or, they try to achieve positions of authority. 

Today, the reminder, and this all begins right before he goes into these seven woes for the leaders of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, " whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." He's reminding us that humility comes before glory. We are just the same as everyone else. We're all children of Adam. We're like everyone else. We're not to put ourselves in a position where we consider ourselves better than others. Nor are we to consider ourselves as, advantaged or that we figured something out, that we're smarter or weaker. 

I think it's interesting how Jesus puts us all in the same place. He basically says in the verse preceding this, "The greatest among you shall be your servant." And this word "servant"  that's the word "minister."  We're to be ministers. We're to be serving other people so that Jesus would become visible.

Our humility is reminding ourselves that if it wasn't for God, we wouldn't be here. We wouldn't be in a position to do anything. I can't tell you how many different lessons I've learned, how many times I've had to take the class and flunked the test, where I thought that I was supposed to be doing something and I was wrong. I see myself as the answer to every problem. And I struggle with this arrogance in everything that I do. And I've talked about it before on the show. For all of us who are believers in Jesus. Our job is to follow him. Our job is to practice doing what he tells us to do so that others might see the joy and the difference in our lives, and be curious. 

Our job is to begin with humility. Begin remembering who Jesus says we are and what he's given us to do. God is the originator of our faith. He's the originator of our salvation. And everything he does is designed to draw us to him because he is the only valid answer. There are not multiple answers or multiple ways to God.

Jesus is the only way, according to Jesus' own words. And if that's offensive to you, I'm sorry, But that happens to be the truth. I want to trust Jesus. I want to do what he says, and I hope that you do too. As marketplace ministers. That's our job. 

Let's follow him humbly today. He is the answer, not anything else. And therefore we don't have to judge anybody that we interact with. Our job is to just serve others so that they might see him. 

Thank you for being a marketplace minister, and thank you for practicing your faith; practicing a life following Jesus.

That's our job. We practice that by doing five daily activities. And we also take part in a thing called the Marketplace Mission Trip. If you've never taken one of our Marketplace Mission Trips, we have another one coming up in just a few days. You can find out more about it on the website, https://marketplacemissiontrip.com. And you can request an invitation to join.

Thanks so much for living your faith every day in the marketplace. Thank you for serving and following Jesus and making him visible. Your faith and the difference that you make because of it matters every day. Thanks very much.