August 25

Aug 25 - Today from Proverbs 25 we look at verses 6 & 7
"Do not exalt yourself in the king's presence, and do not claim a place among great men; it is better for him to say to you, "Come up here," than for him to humiliate you before a nobleman."

Jesus practically quotes this proverb in Luke 14:7-11. It is a solid Kingdom Principle. Why? Because it takes us back to God's original purpose for man; To worship God and to serve your fellow man in the presence of His grace. To worship God is to love God with all of your heart, soul, strength and mind. To serve your fellow man is to love him as you love yourself. Jesus says that on these two principles alone hang all of the law and the prophets. You can't get much more basic than that.
Self-exaltation is seated in pride. Selfish ambition is directly opposed to God's purposes. I think we have corrupted our values by promoting 'self-esteem' without framing it in Godly virtue; 'self-assurance' without framing it in humility; and 'self-madeness' without expressing gratitude toward the One who gifts and equips. When this happens on a large scale, we are confronted with a generation that shows little respect or regard for others.
True humility is a virtue, and it stems from the understanding that we are created by a loving God and are the constant objects of His love. He loves me (almost incomprehensible!), and He loves my fellow man. God is no respecter of men. How can I possibly claim anything except for the fact that God loves me unconditionally?
It is unnatural for anyone to promote themselves. When I served in the army, a Corporal could not go to the Brigadier General and say, "I did a pretty heroic thing today, so I just want to inform you that I am promoting myself to Sergeant. Would you please inform the brigade clerk and the paymaster?" Sounds pretty foreign to our common sense, doesn't it? Let's dig a little deeper into our example. Let's say the only reason the Corporal performed the heroic act was so that he could promote himself, and he had little or no regard for his fellow soldier. Do you think he would deserve the promotion he risked his life for? Would you serve under the authority of a Sergeant whose only motives were to continually promote himself? He may have acted like a hero, but when a subordinate placed under his command carefully looks at his values and motives, the subordinate would be one nervous and wary soldier.
Now, as a contrast, let's look at a Corporal who received a field commission to Sergeant for the right values and motives. He was out there to serve and to protect his fellow soldier. He risked his own life to save the lives of his comrades. He had no thought of promotion, only of being the best soldier as he knew how. His platoon leader saw the passion and excellence of this soldier and radioed the report to the Battalion Commander. Soon the Battalion Commander flew in by helicopter, and in a brief ceremony he promoted the Corporal to Sergeant. If you were a subordinate in that company, would you mind serving under the command of this new Sergeant? I would fight to serve under such a man. Those around him objectively evaluated his values and motives, and he was not only promoted in rank by his superior, but he was promoted in the hearts of his fellow soldiers as well.
God weighs the motives of our hearts (Prov. 16:2). One day men will say, "Lord, Lord, didn't we do great and heroic things in your name?" And He will reply, "Depart from me you self-promoting evil-doers. You will get no promotion from me, I never knew you." (Paraphrased from Matthew 7:22, 23). Those who thought they were gaining God's respect by piling up a list of heroic acts never humbled themselves and developed a servant’s heart. God promotes the humble; those who value the lives of their fellow man; those who serve because they realize how greatly and compassionately their Master serves them. They were never even looking for a promotion, they were only seeking to worship God and to serve their fellow man in the presence of His grace.