“Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.” (Prov. 3:34) I hope this is only happening in rare cases today, but I seem to be met with much more scorning than I used to when presenting the truths of the Word of God to those who will listen. Not in the form of imprisonment or torture of the flesh as some of our brothers and sisters are yet, but in open rebuke, in ridicule and taunting.
This is of course not a new experience, from the beginnings of the Church there have been these remarks, but as of late there seem to be less and less that are willing to listen, the almost immediate response is on of complete disbelief. And I must let you know this, at least in my own personal experiences, many of these are attending either a local church or a religious organization in the area, these are not only remarks from the lost, it is a relatively new phenomenon. There is an invasive lack of trust in the Lord today, the current circumstances are producing fear and trepidation, not an increase in faith and the provisions of the Lord.
There is a reason that our Lord sends miracles to people, it is to remind them that He is in complete control, that all that exists in the world and our daily lives, He is either bringing or allowing, nothing happens without the knowledge of the Lord God. There are several items that set the scoffers apart from those who know Christ as Lord, but one of the main ones is that they need to see greater miracles than those who are humble, the lowly, in the sight of Almighty God.
Think here of the account of the children of Israel as they were journeying for forty years, they doubted Moses and persecuted him in words and deeds, then the plague’s that the Lord brought upon those who held the power of bondage over them showed them the hand of God. The parting of the Red sea, not enough, the water from the rock, alright, but still not enough, manna, thanks, but I now need more. Scoffers will take every opportunity to rebel, and they will do so even after being shown the majestic power of Almighty God. But our Lord does not only send miracles in the form of blessings and provisions, He sends plagues, pestilence, famine and the sword, yet the scoffers seem to be convinced only as long as the miracles continue, within a very short time after their occurrence, they become emboldened again, and seek the pleasures of the world and the profitability of self.
Professing a faith in Jesus Christ as Lord is not for the weak my friends, the scoffers are ready for almost any words that you may bring unto them, their hearts have been hardened, “While it is said, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.” (Heb. 3:15) through the deceitfulness of sin, (Heb. 3:13) they have denied even the power of the Most High, and will find anyway within themselves to rationalize what either has or is occurring. They will put their faith in man and his contrivances, the events that cannot be explained are shuffled to the side, forgotten within their minds, but not in their hearts, and with their hearts is where they needed to listen.
No man, save for our Lord Jesus Christ while He was here in the flesh, has been blessed with enough faith to never need to see a miracle, but for the humble, they do not need to be often, and they do not need to be magnificent in their size or appearance. The humble trust, the humble are in no need of further proof of the love that our Lord has for them, but in His infinite mercy and love for them, He sends these miracles for their furtherance and continuance of faith in Him. The humble pray, knowing they will receive, trusting in whatever answer He provides as His will in their lives. They can withstand the scoffers, and when they are finished conversing with them they feel nothing but sadness for them, for they have denied once again the most Holy One, and their end if they die in their sins brings great sorrow to our hearts.
The words that the scoffers use hurt them only for the sake of Christ, the only One who will ever love them above all others has been mocked and ridiculed by them, and as the sense of anger flows through us because of the way that they are speaking about our Lord finally subsides, we find in its place sorrow for them, and the great blessings of God that even in the smallest way we have been allowed to partake in the fellowship of His suffering. We have planted a seed, we have become humble for Christ, and we are blessed for it, that is a miracle, to be used by the Lord God for His glory in any way that He chooses is beyond our ability to thank Him for. So we bow our heads, we give thanks, and we humbly continue to seek His will in our lives, following in love the one who first loved us.
The natural outpouring of the spirit of man when he realizes the sovereignty of God is humbleness, for when we begin to be shown even in the smallest way the works and wonders of the Creator of all that is, we can find no place for pride, we stand in awe of His wonderous majesty. When the humble think on the holiness of our righteous Lord, they both fall to their face in great adoration and fear, not the fear of terror, but in the knowledge of a purity and power that they will never truly comprehend in its totality. To think that the Holy, righteous, terrible in power Almighty God of all creation would give even a passing thought to us in beyond the scope of any man, much less that He would send His son to die for our sins so that where He is we could be also, this my friends are the thoughts of the humble, and what are the promises for those who will humble themselves before Almighty God?
“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:” (1st Peter 5:6) “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” (James 4:10) The humble believe in the promises that they will be exalted, they believe with all their hearts that they will be lifted up, they know that without question the Lord God rules in heaven and in earth, their trust is completely and fully in Him, no matter the circumstances, their view is eternal, never temporal. “My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.” (Psalm 121:2-3)
Evil is abounding exponentially my friends, the heart of man is seeking only the ways of man for the ailments of this world, and when we offer them the truth, they will scoff, they will ridicule, and in some places, they will kill you. The humble receive the gifts of God no matter what form He sends them, whether they be pleasant in our eyes or if they come as a hardship, they are from the Lord, and everything that comes into the life of the follower of Jesus Christ is to be received with thanksgiving. I leave you today with hope, the trusting faith that can only come from the knowledge that our Lord is completely in control, that His love for you is unending, and that we will be with Him for all of eternity, the hope that only the truly humble can understand.
“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Rom. 8:18)
