Reflecting God’s Devotions for Holy Living – Thursday, 13 February
2014 “God Humbles the Proud” Scripture Genesis 11:1 The whole earth was of one
language and of one speech. 2 As they traveled east, they found a plain in the
land of Shinar, and they lived there. 3 They said to one another, “Come, let’s
make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they used
tar for mortar. 4 They said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower
whose top reaches to the sky, and let’s make a name for ourselves, lest we be
scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth.”
5 Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower, which the
children of men built. 6 Yahweh said, “Behold, they are one people, and they
have all one language, and this is what they begin to do. Now nothing will be
withheld from them, which they intend to do. 7 Come, let’s go down, and there
confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” 8
So Yahweh scattered them abroad from there on the surface of all the earth.
They stopped building the city. 9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because
there Yahweh confused the language of all the earth. From there, Yahweh
scattered them abroad on the surface of all the earth.
“God Humbles the Proud” by Richard H. Neiderhiser
Some mice were describing a strange creature called an elephant.
The front mouse described the elephant as having a long rough garden hose
coming out of its head. The back mouse said the elephant had a long rope with a
sort of brush at the end of it. The side mouse said it looked like a great
rounded wall of leather. Each of them was partly correct because they only saw
the elephant from a limited perspective. When they got their several
perspectives together they began to get a better overall image of the elephant.
Challenge to Holy Living
The psalmist presents a view of the two faces of God. From one
perspective the Lord demonstrates His tender loving compassion–“The Lord
sustains the humble.” From another perspective He visualizes the plight of the
disobedient–He “casts the wicked to the ground.
While it is true God cannot accept sin, He makes every effort to
invite the sinner. However, He still distinguishes the “humble” from the
“wicked.” He leaves to us to choose the image we would use as a model for our
lives–humility or wickedness.
Hymn for Today:
“Heavenly Father, King Eternal” by L. Harold Johnston copyright
1961, renewal 1989 by Lillenas Publishing Company
1. Heavenly Father, King Eternal, Leading on to victory.
Thro’ the din and strife of battle, Conquerors by Thy side are
we.
Powers of Satan cannot harm us; Evil cannot long endure.
Marching ‘neath Thy mighty banner, We do surely feel secure.
2. Thro’ the valley, o’er the summit, Darkest night and brightest
day.
Waters deep and stormy places, Still Thou leadest all the way.
Flash of lightning, crash of thunder, Restless wave I shall not
fear.
For the pathway straight before me Is not long when Thou art
near.
3. Father, hear our supplication As we bow our hearts to Thee.
Fill us with Thy Holy Spirit; For like Thee, Lord, we would be.
May Thy blood which flowed from Calvary Sin and guile this day
erase.
From our present lowly station, Elevate us by Thy grace.
4. Sing! O sing, ye pure and spotless, For this day art thou
made whole.
Let the rocks and rills proclaim it; Love hath cleansed yet one
more soul.
Praise His name for full salvation; Give Him praise forevermore.
Gladly take the cross of Jesus; Follow as He leads before.
Thought for Today:
“The chief mark of counterfeit holiness is lack of humility. The
holiest will be the humblest” (Andrew Murray)!
Prayer Needs:
Faculty and students as they prepare for full-time Christian
ministry in Switzerland!
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