UI – Part 251 – Humility and the Lord

Defining ‘Humility‘ – “an exaggerated meekness or pusillanimity” – The Great Ideas[i] – pg. 321. For the Christian ‘humility’ is “the virtue of the truly religious man.” Does the (unduly) humble man not seek the honor he deserves (Aristotle’s view)? Does the vain man seek more honor than he deserves, “honor out of proportion to his qualities,” an overestimation of self-worth.

Defining ‘Heroism’ – A man of noble proportions that is better than the ordinary man – would summarize Aristotle’s view.

Defining ‘Sanctity‘ – (defined: the condition of being considered sacred or holy, and therefore entitled to respect and reverence – Encarta Dictionary) – having God’s grace, superhuman strength – having an aspect of divinity.

God’s Glory

“God’s Glory cannot be increased by human recognition.” Pg. 323 – The Great Ideas. When you love God and God loves you, you acquire divinity by his Glory. Serve one another through Love.

Teaching of Jesus

Jesus taught his friends how to behave towards everyone, even their enemies. He said that we could be happy even in difficult times. God is kind and he wants us to be kind towards other people. But it is important to remember that God is our judge. From 1 Corinthians 2:5, Paul preaching of God as Judge – as a “demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.”

Commander in Chief

Knowing who commands all things one must be humble towards, and humbled by, His creation, as well as the Creator. Every person should be in awe of all that surrounds from the human to the material, our environment and our intellect, the gift of discernment and this ideal earth that supports His creatures, His creation. We must wear our knees to a calloused condition by thanking God. We are the created, as is all else. It is only God that is the Creator. We must respect the incomprehensible extremes, without limits, of his kingdom. We are but a small part and should submit in love, one to another, as a result. We are not the ones to condemn or admonish how we choose to serve or obey God; that is His decision alone. Taking a sword to another human for disagreements over ones faith as is the practice of the Islamists, or condemning the sins of another which is the practice of the fundamentalist Christian, is not for man to do. The Commander in Chief is the Creator.

Guide-Books

There are guides to living; the most essential is the Word of God. Through this Book, the Book of the People, God communicates with his created humans so they may know the Truth and be motivated to live accordingly. Muslims acknowledge the Bible preceded the Quran. Laws made by man are only to aide in maintaining order for the common good, for the good of everyone regardless of religion or ideology. When it comes to ordering condemnation and punishment for those that do not satisfy commandments of the Bible or the Quran that are strictly religious in nature, such as obeying sacraments, praying, dress, grooming, honouring God or honouring Allah per se, criticizing Muhammad, the Bible, the Quran or Jesus, or being disobedient to Scripture, even destroying religious materials, it is not for man to decide, but God. It may bother you; you may object, but to take action to cause physical harm would be acting out of selfish wants, not godly desires. It would be a sin. “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.” (1 John 3:4) It would deny Love, which is the essence of God. God is Love. I cannot say that for Allah.

Have you been true to your faith? Have you accepted the saving grace of the Lord? Have you chosen wisely?

God or Allah

Then the question may be is it God or Allah who decides, and are they the same? That is a subject for the religions to debate, but to debate openly and in harmony. Not with weapons at the ready. Do not kill because you disagree. God will take care of that at His time. I can assure anyone who kills in the name of God or Allah, beheads another, and claims his horrendous act is done to honour his Creator, will find himself on his judgment day where the sun never shines. That is not according to God’s Will.

Criticism

Each faith group may well find another group’s approach is critical of their own – so be it. Argue the point. Be humble in your discussions, respectful too. I disagree with the example of the violent practice of Muhammad to establish his belief by subjecting the people around him to his will, calling such Allah’s Will. We need choose our faith freely, without being subject to threats of violence for following a path that differs from another. Express your reasons, and find the freedom to do so without condemnation. God will find the hearts of those he has chosen, his door open to all, and he will love until the day we die, the day he makes judgment on the brief time we spent in his earthly kingdom. You either get it right, or you don’t. That is not for you and me to decide. There are guide books you can use, the Quran and the Bible are two, but one is right, the other in error. There are other erroneous books to choose from as well. Read them, the Bible too, and then determine which one erases any doubts. For me it was the Bible. I heard God. It is you that decides, so do your homework. Live with your choice, say what you will about another’s choosing, but do not harm or destroy a human because you do not agree. That is what communication is for – God’s gift to you and me.

Humble Before the Lord

Be humble in the face of the Lord. Respect your leaders. Separate your faith from the structure of your community. Believe as you wish, but live among all people, in a plural society, possibly secular, influenced by the highest standards of moral and ethical behaviour, if possible. Be exposed to other ways of thinking. Apply your intellect, your independence, your freedom of thought to the path you follow. Erase any doubts and you will find you are on the right road.

If humble towards the Lord, accepting, you will find his glow upon you and be a hero to others to whom you are an example of God’s love and to whom you impart, pass-on, what you have learned. You will not be better than another man, however, but filled with His grace which will be made obvious to others. His Spirit will be displayed by your countenance. You will be sanctified, yet short of divine, as we all sin. Those made righteous are those who believe in the one who is righteous. The righteous will discover a seat at the table after Judgment Day.

Grace and Peace
[i] The Great Ideas, Mortimer Adler