Substance brings you close but fruit brings you to the front


Jesus does not choose us because of what we are but because of what He makes of us Substance brings you close but fruit brings you to the front When I’m hurt my response determines my future.

He who is of a proud heart stirs up strife, But he who trusts in the Lord will be prospered.

Proverbs 28:25
A man’s pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor.

Proverbs 29:23
We serve a God who resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble and He exalts the humble. The first above scripture portion tells us that those who trust in the Lord ( not themselves ) will prosper. The second scripture portion tells us about the results of pride. Pride brings a person down whereas those who are humble in spirit will be exalted and they will not lose but retain their honor.

Pride was the first sin committed in heaven, Lucifer was filled with pride and it wanted to exalt itself above God, so it was simply thrown down from heaven ( sin will not and can not be entertained and exist in heaven ). Anything that we have and others don’t have will bring in pride. Anything that others have and we don’t have will bring in jealousy. Pride and jealousy is from the devil, they cannot be seperated, they go hand in hand, where pride works jealousy works. The most commonly used weapon to bring down a person is pride and jealousy. Humbleness is not a gift, it is a fruit which is to be developed by us with the help of the Holy Spirit. Saul was anointed by God to be the king of Israel, but because of pride and jealousy he lost his destiny in God. Saul didn’t wait for Samuel to come and offer burnt offerings to God, he offered it by himself, he was filled with pride he thought since he was a king he can do anything and everything. Saul became jealous of David when the women of Israel sang for David ( silly reason ) both pride and jealousy successfully brought down Saul and in the end, because of pride he took away his life with his own hands.

The secret of Davids sucess was his humbleness even though he was anointed to be the future king of Israel he never went throwing his weight around, he humbly carried lunch boxes to his brothers who worked in Saul’s army, he took care of his fathers sheep. God saw and noticed David’s humbleness and He raised and elevated him to be the king of Israel, He made the same army for which his brothers work for to work under him. Humble people repent of their mistakes and the pride filled try to cover and justify their mistakes and weaknesses. David committed adultery and planned for murder, he never remained in the same state, he repented and came back running to God and he never committed the same mistakes once again in his life, that is why he is known as a man after God’s own heart.

The greatest example of humbleness in the Bible is of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. The creator of the universe left heaven and came down searching for the creation that He created. Jesus was so humble that He washed the feet of His disciples whom He taught, He was so humble that He even washed the feet of Judas the betrayer and broke bread with him. Jesus obedience to the Father earned our redemption, had Jesus not come to the earth and gone to the cross all of mankind would have spent eternity with the devil in hell.

Salvation is a free gift from God and it is for the humble. The pride filled will never accept that they are sinners and that they need a savior to save them. The humble will accept that they are sinners and that they need a savior to save them from their sins, so they believe in the birth, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and accept Him as their Lord and savior of their lives and are saved.

The reason why there is no salvation without Jesus is, because Jesus humbled Himself, so much that He went to the cross and paid the price for our sins, that is why our Heavenly Father has put all things in heaven, on the earth and under the earth under His feet. There is no way to the Father except through Jesus, even if you know the Father you cannot go directly to Him, we have to go to the Father only through Jesus, because He paid the price. Humbleness brings exaltation, Jesus humbled Himself and is highly exalted that at the very mention of His name every knee should bow in heaven, on the earth and under the earth. Say goodbye to pride and jealousy and be elevated and exalted by God.

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,

but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,

and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Phillipians 2:5-11.
Heavenly Father thank You for the word, Lord give us the grace to say no to pride and jealousy and always remain humble in every times and seasons in every area, all the days of our lives in Jesus name we ask and pray.
Amen and Amen.
God loves you
Blessings

Alfred Joseph
Hyderabad Telangana India
[email protected]