Today’s Reading: Proverbs 25:3-7
Don’t brag about yourself before the king, and don’t stand in the place of the great; for it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here!” than to demote you in plain view of a noble.
Proverbs 25:6-7
Reflection: It is foolish to brag about our own greatness in the presence of someone who is far greater than ourselves. In his proverbs, King Solomon shares tips for proper self-conduct in the presence of a king. He warns that when we exalt ourselves in a king’s presence, we risk being shamed in front of many witnesses. But if we remain humble, we allow others to exalt us.
In the presence of the Eternal King, the same concept applies. Keeping in mind the span and height of His sovereignty, how much more should we, in God’s presence, act in humility before Him? This speaks to the degree of humility by which we are called to conduct ourselves as God’s people. Also, we must consider this: how often do we find ourselves in the King’s Presence? Because God’s Presence is with us always, we are called to be humble always. When we remain humble in the everlasting Presence of God, we not only allow Him to exalt us as His own, but more importantly, we allow Him to remain exalted as the rightful King of our lives.
We are blessed when we trade in our own need to be great for surrender to God’s greatness. But sometimes, this principle is difficult to apply in daily living. Even in pure eagerness and sense of accomplishment, we can mistakenly claim for ourselves or others the good things that God has actually done through us, His creation. While He does empower us to do good works for His purpose, The LORD is responsible for far more wondrous deeds than we could even fathom accomplishing on our own. There is peace and rest that is found in understanding God’s greatness that is far above ours. We must always remember to be humble in the Presence of our King.
Prayer: God, my Eternal King, You are truly great. You are exalted high above the heavens and the earth. No one compares to You. Thank You for doing great things. Please Lord, move me and direct me to do Your good work, for there is nothing that I can do that honors You more than surrendering to Your Will. In Jesus’ Name I pray, AMEN.
Bible-in-a-Year Reading Plan (credit: Biblestudytools.com): Matthew 11:20-30; Leviticus 13; Proverbs 25
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