Borrowed Truths

Before Honor

before honor
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Before Honor

I do not try to emulate anyone in my life, save for the attempts by the Holy Spirit and my willingness to become each day a little more Christlike, which, for those of you who have not quite figured it out yet, if you do not study the life of Christ, or spend any time in the Scriptures, you will never be Christlike.

There are certain individuals in the Scriptures that I do admire though, men who were just like I am, who were just like all men of God were and are, men who determined that the Lord was and is worth devoting their lives to. It is perhaps a little more difficult for us today, you see, I do not think that God is speaking to us as He did to them, verbally, as He did with Abraham, the friend of God. (James 2:23) We have His inerrant and complete Word now, we are expected to read it, to study it, to contemplate it from the moment we wakeup until we rest our heads at night. (1 Chronicles 16:11)

I admire the strength and fortitude of Elijah, from mocking the prophets of Baal, (1 Kings 18:27) to raising an axe head out of the water, (2 Kings 6:6) there was no questioning in him that it was the Most High he served. I can even relate to his running from Jezebel, (1 Kings 19:3) for I have done the same. John the Baptist, “Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Luke 3:7) Ever done that my friends, ever stood up for Christ against evil and called it what it is to its face. The man did not ask to be released from Herod’s prison, at least not that we are told of, he simply wanted to know if Jesus was indeed the Christ, nothing else. This man knew his place in the kingdom, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30) No pride, no desire to attempt to keep whatever power and authority had been granted him, a tool used efficiently and effectively for the purpose of God, and then laid aside for a short time, as it were, until it was time to go home.

And how did the Creator of all that is speak of him? “For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” (Luke 7:28) That is saying quite a bit when you give pause and think of all the prophets of the Most High that came before him. David, Samuel, shall we name them all, shall I speak to you of the individual parts of their lives that I aspire to, that I admire, or would it be easier to speak of all my failures, my selfish desires, both in the past and since I have known Him.

If in fact 1 Corinthians 10:13 is true, which it is, that “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it,” then we have much in common, if it is true, which it is, that Elijah was a man just like any other man, then it is proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, God does not choose the qualified, He qualifies the chosen.

I have been used by our Lord, many times, but I cannot and never will accept any credit whatsoever, I have fallen worse, harder, and more often than I care to admit, there are large parts of my life where Revelation 21:4 will be an extreme blessing, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” I have found as of late, way too late in life, that the more I submit to the will of the Holy Spirit, the more I find within myself a willingness to attempt to serve greater. It is how our Lord has always worked, the more of yourself you give to Him, the more of yourself you will find.

There are no lost people on this planet that can even begin to understand these words, “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” (1 Cor. 1:18) The greatest example? Watching in my minds eye the Lord of all creation washing the feet of the disciples, watching Him use the very last ounces of energy He had left to make it to Golgotha, to fulfill the will of the Father.

When there is one ounce of life left in me, if it comes down to that at my end, it will be offered to Him, and the old man in me (Romans 6:6) will fight me even at that last moment to retain it. There is no greater purpose in the life of a born-again believer than to emulate the Lord Jesus Christ in humble service to God Almighty, and if you are anything like me, you are always searching for the greatest challenge. Make Christ your goal, make Him the only prize worth reaching for, before honor comes humility. (Prov. 18:12)

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