Humility is needed in all areas of our life. But I guess when I think of humility I think of our relationship with God. Since God should be first and foremost in our life this is where my focus is.
Before I continue please know that my friend referenced in this post is one of the most important and influential people in my life. And I love him dearly. My intention is not to run him down. I have nothing but the utmost respect for him. This is a spiritual lesson on handling sensitive biblical matters of the heart in love, with humility, and in obligation.
I may have lost my friend because we didn’t see eye-to-eye on a spiritual matter. It began with me sharing a situation concerning forgiveness. It ended with that phone call and a couple of texts shortly thereafter. Basically he believed I was wrong and he was right and for some reason he said he was not going to discuss it with me. Then it was just over. Short, but far from sweet.
His reaction was unexpected. He became defensive with no allowance for discussion or further bible studies. It was just done. I’m not going to discuss it with you is the very opposite of humility. It hurt me terribly.
I am not angry with him although I disagree with how he handled the situation. I do feel dazed from my lack of understanding of what exactly happened between the best of friends. I agree with him that people make Christianity harder than it’s supposed to be. But I think it’s quite possible to go the other direction as well and not do enough. Of which, he disagrees.
It’s okay to disagree. It’s not okay to shut someone out who is willing to try to understand your point of view. Humility.
According to scripture:
1) We must be able to defend what we believe.
1 Peter 3:15
But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect…
2) We must study to know spiritual truth. (I admit that I do not study enough.)
Acts 17:11
…they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
3) We must rightly divide the word…I guess that means there is a wrong way of dividing the word.
2 Timothy 2:15 KJV
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Many times in my life I thought I was right. I was insensitive, brass and arrogant, only to be shown that I was wrong. I was humbled, and rightfully so. I admitted my error. What a relief though when things fit together for God’s purpose and not mine.
We humans tend to be a proud creature. Admitting we are wrong isn’t typically easy for us. But it is part of humility, and it is necessary. Accepting God’s truth over our own truth is humbling, to say the least.
My wisdom will not get a single person to heaven. Neither should I take anyone’s word as gospel unless it’s backed with scripture.
If anyone believes I am seeing scripture incorrectly, they have a god-given obligation to help me understand…especially since I have a willing heart. And I have that same obligation to do the same. God wants us to know His truth and the bible contains that truth.
I realize that this blog may not help my situation. But I think there are a couple of lessons here to be learned.
1) We need to be mindful of the souls of others.
2) We need to approach one another in the spirit of love and humility.
3) We need to rely on God’s wisdom above our own.
James 4:10
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
I am currently away on another journey and it’s a tough one. I am exhausted. But this blog has been days in the making. I wanted love to shine through the heaviness of my heart. I hope I succeeded. Prayers would be appreciated. ♥️
Andi
Coffee with Andi 