"Oh Lord, It's Hard To Be Humble"

Your Faith Will Give You Testimony - Continued


By Rob Bailes



John 9:16-18
16 Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keeps not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.
17 They say unto the blind man again, What say thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet.
18 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight.

I believe that John made a point in verse sixteen to let us know that there was a division among these people. I can guarantee you that there is going to be some kind of division between the people in a congregation where the leaders are proud and hold strong to their own opinions. Please take notice that I said, "their own opinions"!
Jesus and his disciples had been teaching His followers to not be proud, but rather to humble themselves and love one another. Is it really possible to love someone else while looking down on them with criticism? I find it very hard to feel love and compassion for others when I am the one who is judging them. Let's read where Luke documents the words of Jesus concerning the matter of us judging one another.

Luke 6:37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

Chapter sixth of Luke gives so much guidance in this matter of love, compassion and mercy towards others. As a matter of fact, Jesus gave a parable about a blind man leading a blind man in this chapter. That parable was teaching us about being humble and why we shouldn't judge. Isn't it interesting that Jesus used the blind leading the blind man; symbolic of one who is proud and judgmental of others? Someone who is telling others what to do with their life when they themselves ignore the teachings of Jesus is like a man who sees the mote in his brother's eye and offers to pull it out, but he isn't aware that he has a beam in his own eye!

Jesus says, "Thou hypocrite, cast out the beam that is in your eye first and then you'll see clearly to pull the mote out of your brother's eye." Keep this in mind, my friend, when someone begins to point out the faults in your life and you begin to feel defensive. It's easy for us to fall into the same trap of judging others when this happens. We feel that we need to defend ourselves or our family when someone points out faults, even if it is true. Keep the last sentence of Luke 6:37 in mind when this happens! "Forgive and you will be forgiven!" I know that Jesus spoke these words many years ago, so that we would apply them to our lives today and remember not to fall into this trap. Once the judging and criticism starts, it is very hard to stop.

Even in marital relationships, the fault finding and judging can get started and it will continue to fester and escalate until someone humbles themselves and is willing to ask for forgiveness and to forgive their spouse for the things that were said out of pride and defence. Maybe this is happening in your home, even today between you and your spouse or between you and your teenager! If so, go to Luke 6 and let the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ guide you today!

Let's go back to our main passage in John and look at the next thing that happens when the Jews called the blind man's parents,

John 9:19-22
19 And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then does he now see?
20 His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind:
21 But by what means he now sees, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself.
22 These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.

Isn't that absolutely amazing, my friend? The parents of the blind man acted as though they were ignorant of what had happened to their son. Yet they knew he could now see! They had seen him and knew it was their son! They could now testify that he was blind since birth but now he could see! Why then were they afraid to tell the truth about the one who had healed their son?

Look at verse twenty-two and you will see that what they feared was that they would be put out of the synagogue; AND FOR WHAT REASON? The Jews in their pride had judged Jesus and they agreed together to put any man out of the synagogue (temple) if he confessed that Jesus was "Christ"! Another words, they had their own opinions and didn't accept the truth and would punish anyone who stood up for it! If you have ever found yourself being silenced or getting picked on for speaking the truth found in God's Word, it is likely that you are being judged by those people who have become arogant with pride in their heart rather than love and mercy. Just remember though, that Jesus told us to condemn not and to forgive in Luke 6:37! Don't go on the defence, but rather love, forgive and show mercy to those who judge you. It may sound totally absurd according to the world's rules and according to some of the success or positive speakers of our day, but it is the guidance given us by our true Shepard, Jesus Christ!

There is no religious organization or person that will keep me from declaring that Jesus is Christ! People can judge me; take away my membership; turn their back on me; fire me; ridicule and criticise me; point blame; remind me of my past mistakes; abuse and torture me and even threaten to take my life if I claim Jesus as my Christ, but I cannot DENY MY LORD as CHRIST! Jesus gave His life for me that I may have Life and have it more abundantly!

In John 10:9-11 Jesus says,
9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
10 The thief comes not , but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.

I pray that you will always share with others the testimony that Jesus is your Christ and what He has done for you! If you haven't ever come to the place in your life when you have confessed Jesus Christ as your Savior, but you would like to receive Him right now as your personal Savior, God will forgive your past and receive you as His child in the family of God. Don't let your foolish pride keep you from the most wonderful thing that God offers us all; eternal life in Heaven one day and His Spirit to live in you and care for you on this earth. Talk with God right now and tell Him what's on your heart. It's very simple.

Repent of your life of sin in the past; tell Him you want Him to be YOUR Savior from this day forward and believe that Jesus is God's son who was raised from the dead after giving His life on the cross to pay for the sins of our world!

Once you have prayed this prayer and received Christ, I would love to pray for you and send you some helpful information and resources that would help you learn more on your own. Just email me: rbailesnc@yahoo.com or call me at (919)621-9930. I look forward to hearing from you today! God bless you.