Daily Treasure

“He must increase, but I must decrease”  (John 3:30).

I believe one of the biggest indications of humility is found in today’s verse.  John the Baptist had a tremendous ministry.  Pride could have slipped in.  However, he knew the secret of true humility.  I like what The Living Bible says about our verse, “He must become greater and greater and I must become less and less.”

John had the awesome responsibility of being the forerunner of Christ.  He prepared the way for Christ’s earthly ministry by humbling himself to preach repentance.  He realized his life was wrapped up in Christ and not in himself.

We see from our verse that John let Jesus be. He didn’t promote himself when he wrote these wordse.  Our last week of study deals with “living in humility.”  We must be willing to “let Jesus be” by remembering, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain”(Philippians 1:21).

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Examine your heart and your motives for all purchases made on this ultimate shopping day. Do they reflect “Less of me”?

“He hath shown thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy Lord” (Micah 6:8).

Happy Thanksgiving!

In our passage today, Micah was referring to the Israelites who were under the old covenant, the Law.  However, we can easily apply this as we, as Gentiles, are under the new covenant, grace.  God’s requirement under each was obedience.  As we love and serve the Lord, none of the things mentioned in the latter part of our verse will be unreasonable.  All these requirements won’t be grievous to the child of God who has a humble heart.  They will be part of the indications of humility.

Walking humbly with our God, may we each enjoy a very blessed Thanksgiving Day.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray that God’s love and the message of the gospel will be mightily displayed through Thankgiving Day outreaches at rescue missions, local churches and combined community efforts.

“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good” (Luke 6:45a).

We have already studied about pride and the various facets of it.  Humility should show in the life of a Christian.  We shouldn’t have to draw attention that we are humble.  I paraphrase a saying I once heard about humility. “If you brag about having humility, you just lost it.”

Humility comes from a humble heart.  It will always “bringeth forth that which is good.”

There is not a trace of arrogance in the heart and life of the child of God.  If you have ever had to be humbled by God, you will notice the difference.  You will quietly serve the Lord, waiting for Him to reward your faithfulness to Him.  Just to hear Him say, “well done” will mean for more than man’s applause.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: “Praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men.”

“Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work. To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, showing meekness unto all men”  (Titus 3:1-2).

These verses appear in the NIV translation as follows: “Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.”

As Christians, our citizenship is in Heaven. This old world is just our temporary home.  God expects us to submit to human government.  To do the latter and strive to lead a righteous lifestyle must be done in meekness.  However, many think doing this shows sign of weakness. In my opinion, we are only weak when we don’t rely on God’s strength. I would not consider a person a weakling who can (in a meek and gentle way) take a firm stand for what is right.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for good response to the upcoming Mission: North America Offering. Ask God concerning your gift to this annual event.

“Put on therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering”  (Colossians 3:12).

The third week of our study is titled, “Indications of Humility.”  I feel our verse gives some definite indications.  We must safeguard ourselves against pride. If we wear the garment of humility, we will be more prone to turn to God if pride slips in. As the old saying goes, “Nip it in the bud.”  As we look at the indications this week, let us use them to help us know if we’re on the right track. Because of God’s love and concern for you, you should be willing to follow the words of our verse.  An attractive garment, wear it with humility.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for families of missionaries separated by miles this holiday week. Thank God for their willingness to go and give of themselves for the gospel.

“For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us” (2 Corinthians 1:20).

The NIV offers this rendering of today’s verse: “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.”

How can we dare not to be humbled by the promises of God? He is faithful to keep every promise He makes. However, it will be according to His timetable. We must trust His Word that He will come again.  Being with Jesus for all eternity will be worth the wait.  Rest upon His every promise and patiently wait for Him.  Let us not grow lazy while we wait.  Continue to be a blessing and testimony to those around you. God has proved through His Word, He always keeps His promises.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER:  Pray that missionary families would claim God’s promises as they seek direction in ministry. Ask Him to supply encouragement and strength, especially for those facing difficult trials.

He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor” (Proverbs 22:9).

Simply put, our verse says the generous man shall be blessed because of his willingness to share his bounty with the poor. As I was reading through some commentaries, I couldn’t help but see this person himself as a recipient of God’s provision. That will always be the case when people use opportunities to share with others. Sadly, a familiar quote states, “When it comes to giving, some people stop at nothing.”  The world has become so calloused to the needs of others. Even we, as Christians, are joining the world by being judgmental and non-trusting of others. We can’t muster enough compassion to help people in their time of great need. We feel if we drop some coins in a red kettle during the holidays that’s sufficient.

Have we forgotten when God provided abundantly for us in times of need?  At an early age I learned what the phrase “Jehovah-Jireh” meant. Modern translations define this as “The Lord will provide.” In spite of being bullied or ridiculed for being poor, my humble upbringing made me appreciate God’s provision.

Through the years I have claimed Psalm 37:25, “I was young, and now am old; yet have I  not seen the righteous forsaken or his seed begging bread.”  Today’s verse is special to me because there are people in our world who give of their abundance to help those in need.  If God has blessed you by providing for your needs, remember our verse   Ecclesiastes 11:1 states “Cast your bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.”  The Living Bible states this about this verse: Give generously, for your gifts will return to you later.”  Moms often quoted it this way: “Bread cast upon the water will not return void.  However you interpret the verses used in today’s devotional, humbly remember ways God provides for whatever needs we may have. This enables us to share when we can.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER:  Examine your own attitude toward God’s provisions. Pray God would supply the needs of home missionaries, giving them opportunities to share.