Humble Heart

30 Then I will praise God’s name with singing,
and I will honor him with thanksgiving.
31 For this will please the Lord more than sacrificing cattle,
more than presenting a bull with its horns and hooves.
32 The humble will see their God at work and be glad.
Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged.
33 For the Lord hears the cries of the needy;
he does not despise his imprisoned people.

36 

- Psalm 69

Praising GOD with worship and singing is something that GOD takes pleasure in from His loved ones. He is honored when we remember His goodness and faithfulness and thank Him for what He has done. These simple acts of please GOD more than sacrificing things in our lives to offer to Him. It's more than what we can give Him because worship and thankfulness come from our hearts. We can give GOD out of our abundance, but true worship and thanksgiving can only come from a heart that truly sees GOD's love in their lives. Praising GOD truly can come only from a humble heart.

The humble sees GOD's hand at work, they depend on His power to do what GOD has promised for them. The humble are the ones who depend on GOD alone, who trusts in GOD's hand to fulfill His promises and His heart to love them no matter what. Humility is a rare treasure found in a person. You are humble when you don't complain in spite of the the hardships you have to go through. Humility does not focus on the negative but hopes in the LORD and trust that whatever GOD is allowing in our lives is for our best. Pride says "I deserve to be happy." But humility says "may GOD look to me in mercy and lift me up once again. Pride sees all the bad and continue to speak about it. But the humble will be encouraged by the LORD because they cry out to Him and they are comforted by His love and presence.

The Great Enabler

12 After the Lord has used the king of Assyria to accomplish his purposes on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, he will turn against the king of Assyria and punish him—for he is proud and arrogant. 13 He boasts,
“By my own powerful arm I have done this.
With my own shrewd wisdom I planned it.
I have broken down the defenses of nations
and carried off their treasures.
I have knocked down their kings like a bull...
15 But can the ax boast greater power than the person who uses it?
Is the saw greater than the person who saws?
Can a rod strike unless a hand moves it?
Can a wooden cane walk by itself?

The LORD GOD Almighty will use anything on earth to accomplish His purpose. HE even uses evil to let them be with their plans, to flourish but for a while, but after the work of GOD's purpose is being done, HE will also do away with evil. So do not be frustrtated when you see evil propser for now, when their power seems to be limitless. For the LORD GOD Almighty will bring down evil one day when their time is done. Pride and arrogance are most common with evil people, and this is what the LORD hates. The LORD may seem silent for now but it doesn't mean that GOD is not at work... HE is behind all things.

Be careful of pride, it sneeks up on you and you won't even know it. When you begin to boast of your accomplishments and the great things that you have done, when you think you deserve to be respected because you are "somebody" then you have fallen from the grace of GOD. No matter how much you have accomplished in life, these things were done because GOD allowed it, GOD blessed it. For we humans are like the tools that GOD uses to accomplish HIS purpose on earth. We are like axes, saws, rods, woods that only function and make things happen because GOD is the one lifting us up, making us useful, and accomplishing things through us. GOD is the great enabler, we are merely as  though we are tools or things and without HIM we can't accomplish anything. 

Be Careful

10 When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.
11 “But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. 12 For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, 13 and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! 14 Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.15 Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! 16 He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good. 17 He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ 18 Remember theLord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.

- Deuteronomy 8

Does it seem like everything is going your way? Do you feel happy satisfied and blessed beyond what you ever thought you could be? Praise GOD! But remember your Maker, your enabler, for HE is the one that enables you to be and to achieve great things. And most of all be careful. For enjoying success is the time when we let our guards down and let the enemy have an opportunity to strike us when we are weak. During our horrible days, we always seek GOD's comfort and we spend time kneeling at HIS throne of grace for we know HE is merciful and HE is our only hope for better days. But when we don't lack anything it's easy to forget our provider because we have all the provisions we would ever need and want. When you start to think to yourself "I have achieved all these things" "I have made it" "I did it" "I'm so smart" "Nothing can stop me now" Think again.

Pride is a silent illness. You never know it has already crept in on you and your head is already up high on the skies until one day you suddenly fall crashing down on the ground. It's like having high blood pressure, you never know you have it until you suddenly have a heart attack one day. It is easy to forget our difficulties, when we have already made it. But the Bible tells us to remember, remember what we have gone through, remember how GOD has led you in the darkest night, remember how GOD helped you to survive the toughest days. It is during our dark days that we see GOD's miraculous provision. So we have to remind ourselves, when we feel we are on top, that it is GOD who has brought us where we are now and we can never take credit for what we have achieved because without GOD, we are nothing. The difficult times are also GOD's doing, so that HE could discipline us and mold our characters until it is fit to receive whatever blessings HE has prepared for us. So if you are in your dark days now, take comfort, for GOD has a plan to bless you in the end of those dark seasons in your life. Yes, hold on to GOD for HE has great things in store for you and no event in your life is ever a waste. Everything that happens is allowed by GOD for HE is in control. HE is Sovereign. There is nothing that happens on earth that HE is unaware or surprised of. So be careful, never to forget the LORD who has blessed you. Always remember that the One who has given you life is also the only One who can take it away not accidents, not killers and not the enemy. Only HE, the great I AM. HE alone is worthy of all glory and praise!