Following in Humility

Scripture: And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people's faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them. Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people. But everyone knows that you are obedient to the Lord. This makes me very happy. I want you to be wise in doing right and to stay innocent of any wrong. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. - Romans 16:17-20

Observation: With all the pop culture in the world and all the media leading minds in crazy directions, we must remain vigilant of any people that may lead us away from the Word of God. This is not to say that we should shun them and criticize their words, for the bible tells us, "Who are you to condemn someone else's servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him judge whether they are right or wrong." (Romans 14:4) But we must look to God and pray that he help this individual receive the true words of the Lord. If then, the Lord tells us that we are to be the one to carry out this task, then we'll look to Him for guidance as to how to accomplish that. We have to be careful of how we approach individuals so "we should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord" (Romans 15:2), and not tear them down.

Application: I notice as I became a new Christian that I was extremely excited about what the Lord had in store for me. And though I think there's nothing wrong with that, I became too prideful and righteous in my own beliefs that I condemned others in my own mind, for their beliefs as it didn't follow what I had learned. I had to learn, and am still continuing to learn, that I am not serving myself by bringing them to the Lord, I am serving God by bringing His children, back to Him and He has the plan as to when each person will see His unending love.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father...I thank You for the people that surround me everyday Lord. I thank You for the unique insights and attitudes that each bring to my life. I pray that You give me the understanding of other peoples opinions and that You give me the mind set necessary to combine all of these unique perspectives in my own mind, so that I may serve You better. I believe that You bring people into my life for a specific reason Lord, and I pray that I get the full message that You are trying to teach me. I pray that You use me as a tool Lord, so that I may serve Your Mighty Kingdom in all that I do. Amen.