The Foundation of Humilty

The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor. (Proverbs 15:33)

God has no tolerance for those who attempt to take His place. When we try to play God, we are bound to lose. God won’t allow it, not just because He is a jealous God we need to be deathly afraid of, but also because God is a loving Father who knows we can’t handle it.

In the face of this, we need to be humbled. The best we can do is bow down to the only One who can and will lift us up.

I like what St. Augustine writes –

“Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility.”

Loving One

[Jesus said,] “…even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” (Matthew 10:30)

As a parent of four children, I sometimes worry that I might express love more for one than for the others – that I might play favorites. I pray I don’t do this, but this is a concern I have. It’s hard to love all your children and love each of them at the same time.

Not so with God. God’s love for His children is both universal and particular. St. Augustine put it this way –

“God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.”

Complete Abstinence

The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of separation to the LORD as a Nazirite, he must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or from other fermented drink. He must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins. As long as he is a Nazirite, he must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins.” (Numbers 6:1-4)

Our Presbyterian tradition has generally accepted the Stoic ethic of “everything in moderation.” This is true for a variety of behaviors, including the use of alcohol. A Presbyterian can be a social drinker and still be true to his/her faith tradition.

But this doesn’t work for everybody. Some of us have such addictive personalities that we need to run from certain substances and particular behaviors like the plague. For us, the words of St. Augustine especially ring true --

“Complete abstinence is easier than perfect moderation.”











Not only is complete abstinence easier, it is sometimes it is totally necessary.




{Dedicated to a friend who just celebrated his 18th year anniversary of being clean and sober.}

Good News and Bad News

“The time has come,” [Jesus] said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15)

To repent is to completely turn around – to shift from going in one direction (toward worldly sin) to going in the opposite direction (toward God). It requires transformation of our whole selves - hearts, minds, and bodies. This can be very difficult and extremely painful, but to enter God’s presence, it is absolutely necessary.

To receive the good news of God’s saving love in Jesus Christ, we must face the bad news of our sin. We can only be forgiven if we first admit we are sinners. If we try to gloss over the challenge of the gospel, we aren’t really accepting the good news at all.

St. Augustine wrote --

“If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don't like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself.”

Do you trust in Christ’s love or in yourself?