TUESDAY July 18, 2023

The Living God

But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them, who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways.”
Acts 14:14-16

Paul and Barnabas showed true humility and instantly corrected the people’s thinking by saying, “What are you doing? We are not supernatural. Neither are we superior in our spirituality. We are just like you, flesh and blood!” They turned their attention from themselves and directed their attention instead to the Living God––the Creator of all things. They were just humble servants of God. They never took the glory for themselves––I love that.

Missionaries need to have this characteristic of true humility. It is another essential quality. Humble people like Paul and Barnabas will go a long way in the ministry. God will use a humble person tremendously. When they minister to people, they will understand it is God who is touching the lives of the people.

Jesus rebuked the self-righteous Pharisees for their lack of humility because they were seeking glory from each other. He told them: “How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?” (John 5:44 NIV).

Sometimes, God has His ways of getting people’s attention. A long time ago, one of my teachers was teaching a sermon about the Holy Spirit. He had given a great sermon, but he thought to himself, That was a pretty good sermon. Look at all these people coming forward. I bet everyone is going to want to shake my hand and tell me what a great sermon I gave. So he closed his Bible and went to walk off stage, but in front of everyone, he tripped and flipped over. Then his humility kicked in! So you see, God has His ways of humbling us.

“...whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
~Matthew 23:12~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!