No greater love exists than that of God for His creation.
Acts 2:39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
Knowing that it is nothing, absolutely nothing to do with our righteousness but everything to do with His is that is humility.
James 3:6 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
The tongue can fire a world of iniquity. No one, without God’s help, can tame it. We bless God with our words and with them curse mankind made in His image. This should not happen. We should not have envying and strife as children of our Creator God. The base nature of man without God is confusing and evil. The wisdom of God is pure, peaceful and gentle full of mercy and without partiality and hypocrisy. We are in a fight between the spirit of grace and the law of the flesh and without Holy Spirit it is impossible to be transformed.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
We are saved by grace the gift of God. We cannot work for it so that no one can boast of our goodness. We are created in Christ Jesus for salvation which God knew beforehand that we would accept.
Galatians 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
We show our love for God for our salvation by walking in the Spirit who gives us the strength to reject temptation. In Christ and in the unity of Holy Spirit we can do the good works that we were created for. Our flesh always wars against the Spirit BUT… Thanks to our Savior, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit within us wins the war.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?
A life lived in humility and temperance honors God. Carla
Isaiah 57:15–19
15 For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones. 16 For I will not contend forever, Nor will I always be angry; For the spirit would fail before Me, And the souls which I have made. 17 For the iniquity of his covetousness I was angry and struck him; I hid and was angry, And he went on backsliding in the way of his heart. 18 I have seen his ways, and will heal him; I will also lead him, And restore comforts to him And to his mourners. 19 “I create the fruit of the lips: Peace, peace to him who is far off and to him who is near,” Says the Lord, “And I will heal him.” The New King James Version
The high and lofty echoes the vision of God in 6:1, and the exaltation of the Servant in 52:13. While God’s dwelling is high and separate, His presence can still be found among the humble. Yahweh’s unending wrath would extinguish all life that He had created; His anger is temporary.
The leaders of Israel sinned by seeking their own gain. I have seen his ways contrasts with God’s ways—which they should have been following. Faithlife Study Bible
Although God is completely unapproachable, He reaches down to lift up those who humble themselves before Him.
High and Lofty may be rephrased as “Exceedingly Lofty”. This is one of the ways in which Isaiah describes the transcendence and holiness of God. He is above everyone—perfect and holy. Not only is God eternal, without beginning or ending, He transcends time itself. In this way He is able to give all of His time to each of His people; He is not bound by the succession of moments that limits our experience. High and holy may be rephrased as “unsearchably high”.
Contrite and humble may be rephrased as “genuinely humble,” referring to those who submit and repent under God’s judgment.
God will not contend forever because humans will always fail. Therefore, in His sovereign grace, the Lord “created” salvation.
Peace, peace indicates “genuine peace.” The NKJV Study Bible
Isaiah 61:1–3
“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,
Because the LORD has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn…
Psalm 34:18
The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as have a contrite spirit.
Psalm 103:9
He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
Jesus is the Bread of Life (John 6:35) that sustains us to live out the words of 1 Corinthians 10:31: "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." Thankfully, we have a great and powerful Savior who strengthens us to do all things for His glory. Our friendship with God is fueled by our faith in Christ. Jesus is our sinless Savior. He came to rescue us from condemnation under the law, inviting us to turn from our sin and receive His righteousness in a new covenant of faith: "And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure" (1 John 3:3). First5
As long as success is measured by keeping score (weighing or honoring or carrying the wrong stuff), we lose track of most everything that makes us human and grounded, and therefore, glad to be alive:
--reveling in the gifts of the senses
--resting in moments of gratitude
--sharing laughter, a smile, camaraderie or joy
And in knowing we are on this journey together—fueled by the gratitude for the gift of life—empowers us to spill small gestures of kindness and healing. To create acts of inclusion or community to someone left out, or someone on the fringes (extending a hand of healing or acceptance to someone who hurts). And to find a friend, a family member, or someone important to you, and say, “Thank you”. Sabbath Moments
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