Tag Archives: church

discipleship, Finding Answers to Stuff Churches Don't Discuss, Uncategorized

Been Cleaned, Being Cleaned!

Leave a comment

Ron! If we are forgiven for our sins when we respond to God’s call through devotion to Him (making Jesus ‘Lord’ as seen in Romans 10:8-10) and obedience to honor and love God and people, why do we need to keep seeking forgiveness? Great question! Jesus hinted at the answer in John 13:5-10.

“Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” … Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” Jesus said to him, ‘He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.’”

This servant-leader taught that we need regenerative bathing in the New Covenant, as seen in 13:10, and regular washing (ongoing repentance) to inherit God’s Kingdom. Let me explain. There are two kinds of washings referenced in John 13. The first is washing a part of the body, such as the hand or foot (e.g., verses 5 & 6). It is referenced by the word Peter used in 13:6 when he said, “… Lord, do you wash my feet??” The washing of the part of the body referenced here is the Greek word pronounced ‘nip-toe.’ This ‘washing’ for forgiveness when we rebel against God’s standard is part of our repentance—turning away from sin as we exercise changed behavior because of a new heart.

The second washing is bathing the whole body, as in the Old Testament reference to what Bathsheba was doing when David saw her. This Greek word is pronounced ‘loo-oh,’ and we see this in 13:10. There’s a distinct difference between the two types of spiritual washing. First, the atoning work of Christ bathes – “loo-oh’s” – us from the sin and disobedience we practiced BEFORE we knew better, repented, and devoted ourselves to God through Christ. Second, we continue to repent and experience a cleansing when we fall short of God’s desires AFTER devotion to Him. In verse 10, we learn that the one who has been bathed (loo-oh’d) needs only to have regular washings (nip-toes) for forgiveness in repentance. Finally, Jesus explained to Peter that He and the other disciples had been ‘bathed’ (regenerated) except for Judas.

In summary, we are bathed (loo-oh’d) when we devote ourselves to God out of our belief in Him, and we continue to be ‘nip-toed’ in our repentance when we mess up. Next week, we’ll look at Jesus’ instruction for a disciple-maker to ‘wipe the dust off the feet and move on instead of stagnating.

Blessings and peace,
Dr. Ron Braley (MDiv, DMin)

discipleship, Finding Answers to Stuff Churches Don't Discuss, Uncategorized

The Problem with Divorce Isn’t Divorce!

Leave a comment

Destruction of husband-wife unions and resulting divorce is commonplace. But is divorce the problem or a sin? No. Underlying lies, abuse, and otherwise ungodly behavior are. And adultery isn’t the only culprit.

Traditionally, religious leaders teach that adultery is the only ‘authorized’ reason for divorce. Consequently, people often remain in physically and mentally abusive relationships, even unto death. However, we understand from the Scriptures that valid reasons for divorce can include other violations of promises to love, honor, and cherish.

Acceptable reasons can include grievous offenses that threaten the well-being of a spouse and damage the marriage relationship. This was certainly the case in ancient Israel. Since marriage is often founded on culturally cultivated vows and promises, divorce due to breaking those promises could (and can) also depend on cultural expectations.

Grievous offenses by Israelite women warranting divorce: Adultery is the only one, especially since the marriage bed consecrated the covenant in the first place. Her adultery violated the promise to honor her husband, and is why Jesus, who was speaking to men, said the only valid reason to divorce one’s wife would be sexual immorality.

Accepting Jesus’ response without considering the historical, cultural, or biblical contexts prompts the misbelief that sexual infidelity was, and is, the only valid reason for divorce by either spouse. This has been the unfortunate position held by the Church for many centuries. In fact, the Catholic Church and Protestant offshoots have historically banned divorce except for adultery and, at best, only allowed separation for physical abuse or abandonment. However, Jesus’ non-legalistic response was related to a contemporary ‘any cause’ divorce and Moses’ reluctant permission for men to divorce because of their lack of love and forgiveness. He wasn’t relegating married women to abuse or death unless sexual faithlessness occurred.

Grievous offenses by Israelite men warranting divorce: Husbands were to care for their wives and love them as they love themselves. That meant to protect and provide. What about adultery? Multiple wives and concubines were part of the culture, so this would not have been considered adultery and a marital violation. What would have been? Not providing for or protecting a wife. This could include physical, mental, or emotional harm.

What about today? Remember that marriages are born of promises—vows. Those made or implied in the marriage covenant must not be broken! Lying, cheating, beating, starving, gaslighting, or leaving breaks the agreement, violates godly love, and becomes a valid reason for divorce—especially if left unresolved.

To summarize, divorce is an unfortunate end to a marriage caused by unfaithful or ungodly behavior by either spouse, involving any violation of the marital contract, and possibly harming someone. It can result from neglect, abuse, or sexual infidelity—any broken promise. Next, we’ll learn about ancient martyrs, Perpetua and Felicitas. In the meantime, please treat your spouses with the love Christ taught and modeled, and avoid harmful relationships.

God’s blessings and peace,

Dr. Ron Braley, MDiv, DMin.

discipleship, Finding Answers to Stuff Churches Don't Discuss, Finding the End of the World, Uncategorized

God’s Names & Attributes

Leave a comment

Father of lights. Father of spirits. Creator, daddy, healer, and provider. All label and describe the One who was, is, and is to come. And, as He is, God cares for His children as no other. What follows is a sampling of God’s many attributes, starting with His name.

  • God’s name. Hebrew YHVH is His formal name, usually pronounced as Jehovah or Yahweh. Conversely, the Bible mentions ‘in the name’ of God or Christ. Just ending a prayer “In Jesus’ name!” is not what this means—it’s their power, character, and authority by which followers must operate.
  • Creator & Father. “This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made earth and heaven.” (Genesis 2:4)
  • Daddy. One of the coolest names of God is Abba, which means ‘daddy’ or ‘papa:’ “And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me …” (Mark 14:36)
  • King/Lord. “The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.” (Acts 17:24)
  • Shepherd (YHVH Rohi). Psalm 23:1-3 reflects this attribute: “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.  He makes … He leads … He restores … He guides …”
  • Healer (YHVH Rapha). Exodus 15:26 states “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer.”
  • Provider (YHVH Jireh). God gives so many things, including food, shelter, money, transportation, and salvation.
  • Savior. We see the saving hand of YHVH through His Son, whom we call Jesus, who obediently came to earth, lived as a human, died a horrible death, and was raised by the Father to be the first of many who would be raised on the last day: “We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.” (1John 4:14)
  • Judge. YHVH’s Son will judge everyone at the end of this age. Some will then enter eternal life. Others will experience eternal destruction (2 Corinthians 5:10; Matthew 25:31-46): “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30-31)

Summary. God can be Father, Daddy, Creator, Healer, Provider, and Savior. Is He yours? Next time, we’ll dive into the complex topic of divorce. Meanwhile, remember the Father of Spirits and honor Him appropriately.

God’s blessings and peace,

Dr. Ron Braley, MDiv, DMin.

discipleship, Finding Answers to Stuff Churches Don't Discuss, Finding the End of the World, Uncategorized

What God Hates

Leave a comment

While God loves many things, there are things He hates. Some, such as sexual immorality and deviousness (Proverbs 3:32), are disgusting—an abomination, according to the ancient language (Hebrew to-ay-baw’, to-ay-baw’). This makes sense, as He designed us to reflect His character and behave as He created us. Anything else is disrespectful and counter to God’s design. Here, we’ll focus on several categories of disgusting things after considering why they happen. But, before we do, a caveat: All rebellion against God is bad, and none is better or worse than another—the same fate awaits all who practice such things.

Why do we do stuff that God hates? Self-centeredness that seeks personal pleasure over obedience to God. Verse 1 John 2:16 states that, “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life;” these become the root of all kinds of abominations. Sexual immorality is an excellent example and one that deserves special attention because many Christian leaders have turned bad into good and corrupted the Church.

Sexual immorality. This includes adultery, prostitution, incest, bestiality, pedophilia, and homosexuality (Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13; Deuteronomy 22:5). Redefining the ancient language, distorting history, or promoting a self-gratifying love to legitimize disgusting behavior in the Church won’t make it less so or soften God’s response. See my related article for additional information (https://ronbraley.blog/2022/11/10/weed-patrol-weeds-beget-weeds-part-two-sexual-immorality/). Dishonoring God in a variety of ways is also something He hates.

Dishonoring God. Besides what I’ve already listed, God hates our prioritizing other gods, spiritual or material. Lying, especially to the detriment of others, and wicked behavior are also disgusting according to God (Proverbs 12:22; Exodus 20:16). God hates the abuse of His name (Exodus 20:7), which concerns His character and authority, not syllables. For instance, Ezekiel 13:6 condemns prophets who “see false visions and utter lying divinations” and claim, “This is what the Lord declares,” when He has not spoken. See also Jeremiah 14:14 and 23:16 and Deuteronomy 18:20. If I only had a dollar for every time I heard, “The Spirit said this…” or “God told me that …”)! God also hates the poor treatment of people.

Hurting people. Sexual immorality, lying, and injustice that God hates, as I’ve already mentioned, negatively affect humans. Add murder, theft, malice, slander, and envy (e.g., Galatians 5:19-21; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10). God commands us to love our neighbors charitably. So, the lack of love would be something He also hates, as evidenced by the hell-bound nature of those who don’t care for the less fortunate. Matthew 25:31-46 tells us that we’ll be judged for how we care for them. And Jesus chided the Pharisees for honoring the religious tithe instead of treating people appropriately (Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42).

Summary. God hates, and often finds disgusting, behaviors that violate His standards and dishonor Him and hurt people. Next, let’s learn more about God through His names and attributes!

God’s blessings and peace,

Dr. Ron Braley, MDiv, DMin.

discipleship, Finding Answers to Stuff Churches Don't Discuss, Uncategorized

What God Loves

1 Comment

God is Love; He does love, and He experiences love … just like we do.  He loves things like justice, mercy, purity, righteousness, obedience, and loving kindness. As imagers of God, we should love what He loves and hate what He hates. Let’s focus on the things God loves here (we’ll cover rebellion and the things He finds disgusting next time!).

I began this article with the phrase, “God is Love.” Read 1 John 4:7-16 (at least!) and you’ll find these golden nuggets: “for love is from God” and “for God is love” and a reminder in verse 10 that He loved us so much that He sent His Son to satisfy our sin debt. Finally, verse 16 states that, “We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” God is love … and He, therefore, loves actionably. Salvation and discipline are but two examples.

God loves His creation (even if He doesn’t always like us or what we do (e.g., Genesis 6:6-7)). In fact, He loves us so much that He provided a way back to Him through Jesus’ death and resurrection (John 3:16). This is how “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). And He corrects those He loves as any good father would (e.g., Proverbs 3:12 and Hebrews 12:6). God also loves righteousness, which is ‘right action’ according to His standards, and justice.

So, what is justice and its relationship to righteousness? Fairness and moral rightness in the way people are treated and how laws are applied. Because God loves His creation, it’s easy to see why justice and righteousness are essential. Psalm 37:28 teaches that God “loves justice, and does not forsake His saints”—a sentiment echoed in Psalm 146:8 and Isaiah 61:8. And Micah 6:8 reiterates that God desires for us to love kindness, do justice (as He does), and walk humbly with Him. OK. God loves us, justice, righteousness, and mercy. How do these manifest in practice?

As God’s ambassadors and partners, we are called to care for the less fortunate. In mercy, we must be fair and impartial. In righteousness, we must behave as God intended, as He loves: sexual purity, patience, self-control, and charity (see Matthew 25:32-46). Our charitable actions toward the poor may include sharing money, food, time, or talents; we give to others what God has given to us. In other words, our spirit, created by the ‘Father of Spirits, ’ must move the human mammal to do good, pure things. This is what God desires, what He loves.

Summary. God loves the charitable, merciful, just, and righteous person. Love what He loves; do what He does. In the next installment, we’ll, conversely, learn about what God hates.

God’s blessings and peace,

Dr. Ron Braley, MDiv, DMin.

discipleship, Finding the End of the World, Uncategorized

No King but YHVH

Leave a comment

“We have no king but Caesar!” the Jewish high priests exclaimed to Pontius Pilate, who would send Jesus to be crucified. Conversely, we experienced a flurry of ‘No Kings!’ protests on June 14, 2025, in opposition to President Donald Trump’s authoritative measures. Have a king; don’t have a king … Which is it? Like it or not, the Creator of the universe is king and owns everything, whether people demand a human king or defy any kingly rule.

The Jewish people understood the Creator’s name to be represented by the four Hebrew consonants YHVH. We who have been adopted into His family pronounce it Yehovah or Yahweh, depending on how you consider the V. The apostle Paul explained nearly 2,000 years ago that YHVH made everything and is King over all in His realm and our created world (Acts 17:24). So, the heavens and the earth are His throne (Matthew 5:34). YHVH owns everything and was recognized by the Jews as their King until about 1,000 BCE.

Selfishly, we generally want what others have. Such was the case with the 10th-century BCE Jews, who decided to be governed by a human king like other nations: “Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations … Give us a king to judge us.” The LORD said to Samuel, ‘… they have rejected Me from being king over them.’” (1 Samuel 8:5-7) The Jewish people would eventually have a puppet king under the Roman leaders and then … none.

Yet, YHVH was, is, and will be King, whether humans recognize His sovereignty. Old Testament king David expressed this in Psalm 47:2 & 7: “For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth” and “For God is the King of all the earth … God reigns over the nations, God sits on His holy throne.” Similarly, New Testament Paul wrote this about YHVH, the one true King, in 1 Timothy 6:15: “… He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.”

So, what about the future? YHVH will eventually tire of our nonsense and immoralities and redo everything. Then, His realm and ours will become one again as was the case in Eden, as we find in Revelation 22:3-5: “There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it … And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.”

Summary. Like it or not, you have a King that is above all and rules over everything, including you and even Trump! Soon, I’ll contrast what that King loves against what He hates: What He loves, first. Meanwhile, choose your king well!

God’s blessings and peace,

Dr. Ron Braley, MDiv, DMin.

discipleship, Finding Answers to Stuff Churches Don't Discuss, Uncategorized

Airtight Alibi

Leave a comment

Traveling back to North Dakota after attending a Lute Society of America seminar decades ago, I encountered a young lady carrying healing tuning forks and crystals. I asked, “Why do you believe in this stuff?” Her response was, “I dunno—it just seems right.” God-fearing Christ-followers have a different approach and airtight alibi: we know what and in whom we believe and why.

Many things lend credibility to what we know to be true, from eyewitness accounts and personal experiences to fulfilled prophecies. They help us to have a defense for the “hope that is within us,” according to the apostle Peter, who shared his knowledge and experiences-fueled alibi with excellent results.

During the first Pentecost after Jesus’ ascension, God’s Spirit enabled the apostles to preach the Gospel in their languages. Peter taught about “Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst,” who “God raised … up again.” Peter’s preaching touched the hearts of the listeners who believed and asked, “Brethren, what shall we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent …” (Acts 2:22-24, 32-33, and 37-38). The apostle Paul was also a rockstar with an airtight alibi.

Besides the thousands he shared his Christian alibi with, Paul mentored Timothy, a young Greek. In 2 Timothy 1:8-12, Paul reminds him that Jesus has “abolished death and brought life and immortality to light.” Paul is so sure of all Jesus has enabled that he writes, “for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him.” Paul’s alibi in Athens is the stuff of legend!

On trial for preaching a foreign God, Paul connected with his accusers and others by acknowledging their religious nature and mapping their ‘unknown god’ to the one true God. Read Acts 17:19-31, and you’ll find this golden nugget: “God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

Here’s a final arrow for your airtight alibi quiver: an unbreakable chain of custody and eyewitness accounts. Church father Irenaeus was a disciple of Polycarp, who was a disciple of the apostle John, who was a disciple of Jesus. And Jesus fulfilled hundreds of ancient prophecies, was killed, resurrected, and then appeared to hundreds of people, including the apostles (1 Corinthians 15:6-8).

Summary. We who believe in and follow Jesus have plenty to develop an airtight alibi. Having and living by one is essential to a healthy marriage-like relationship with God and effective evangelism, proving He is King, the only rightful one. No King but YHVH seems like a great topic, so let’s go there next time! Meanwhile, learn well, behave well, and live.

God’s blessings and peace,

Dr. Ron Braley, MDiv, DMin.

discipleship, Finding Answers to Stuff Churches Don't Discuss, Uncategorized

Relatively Speaking

Leave a comment

I’ve heard visiting relatives are like dead fish: both stink by the third day! Whether that’s true depends on the relatives, I suppose. But one thing’s for sure: relationships are meant to be mutually beneficial and very little happens without them. Besides familial, friendship, and commercial advantages, relationships become the backbone for things like discipleship, charity, correction, and conflict resolution.

Discipleship. This only works when trusting, intimate relationships provide a conduit for learning and spiritual growth. Jesus utilized existing relationships and built upon them with friends such as James, John, Peter, Andrew, and Philip. He also grew new, trusting discipleship-focused relationships through existing connections: Nathanael, by way of Philip, is a great example. What else? Imitation!

Discipleship demands relationship-enabled imitation. Jesus “did what He saw the Father do, spoke what He heard the Father speak.” Paul imitated Jesus, and the Thessalonians imitated Paul. Then others imitated those folks. Do the math: disciples around Thessalonica, therefore, imitated the Father. Besides discipleship, relationships enable love and spiritual growth.

Charity and spiritual formation. God told Israel, and Jesus reiterated in Matthew 22:35-40, that we must honor Him with everything and love people. King Solomon explained in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 that “two are better than one” for prosperity, comfort, and safety. Effective relationships permit spiritual encouragement and equipping as we exhibit patience (1 Thessalonians 5:11; Colossians 3:12-13). Similarly, close relationships allow us to do this: “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:2-3) When that doesn’t work, we must resolve relational conflicts and reconcile.

Spiritual correction and conflict resolution. The apostle Peter wrote that “love covers a multitude of sins” as we seek to restore relationships (1 Peter 4:8; Galatians 6:1-2). They can be reconciled and healed through tender-heartedness and forgiveness (Ephesians 4:32). We also use relationships to beat each other back into shape (spiritually speaking) as you’ll find in Proverbs 27:17. There’s a more sobering, and life-saving aspect to this, though.

Christians often say, “Who am I to judge?” but don’t buy into it! Jesus explained in Matthew 18:15-20 that our responsibility is lovingly calling out anti-Godly behavior. His half-brother James doesn’t mix words when he wrote that we must try to turn our Christian brothers and sisters from the ‘way of death’ (James 5:19-20). Need more? Check out 1 Corinthians chapter five and 2 Thessalonians 3:11-15 for examples of needing to judge (I like ‘assess’ better!) God-fearing, Christ-followers to stay on the Way of Life (sexual immorality and slackers, in these Corinthian and Thessalonian cases). But, spiritual correction requires deep, authentic and trusting relationships to work.

Summary. Deep, trusting relationships are necessary for things like discipleship, charity, correction, and conflict resolution. One way to put them to work is by presenting the good news of God’s Kingdom to the yet-to-be-churched; an airtight alibi is essential. Let’s hang out there next!

God’s blessings and peace,

Dr. Ron Braley, MDiv, DMin.

discipleship, Finding Answers to Stuff Churches Don't Discuss, Uncategorized

A Leap of Faith!

Leave a comment

Jesus encouraged us by saying that faith can move mountains. Fine. But what is faith, and how do we get and keep it? You’ll find that it is the outcome of experience turned into action. Let’s explore this by first defining faith.

Faith defined. Faith, confidence, belief, and assurance are synonymous and provide the foundation and motivation for all else in a Christian’s journey: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”(Hebrews 11:1)

Faith’s sources. Faith in all things related to God is born and nurtured, never meant to be blind. Even Jesus fostered great confidence about God’s Kingdom and power through Spirit-fueled miracles and fulfilling ancient promises. Our faith comes through learning about these things: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). A primary source is the Scriptures that “were inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

Faith also develops by witnessing God’s work in people’s lives through testimonies and our own experiences as we activate what we’ve learned. Of course, the common experiential source is God’s Spirit, who works through us on God’s behalf, illuminates His words and ways, and nudges us to stay on the Way of Life (e.g., John 16:13). The vehicle for all of this is discipleship.

Creating a foundation through discipleship is of utmost importance in developing (and keeping!) faith. Besides charity, it is supposed to be the church’s focus. Every function within it must support discipleship, or the church becomes just a collection of nickels and noses fueling religious business: a whitewashed tomb. Discipleship demands walking with people in their daily rhythms of life as Jesus did. And, as He also did, it involves training, observing, correcting, and sending. Discipleship is the soil that produces good spiritual fruit (Matthew 13:3-8 & 18-23). It’s the stuff of obedience, imitation, and replication that ensures faith is, and faith does.

Faith is as faith does! We love claiming that we are ‘saved by faith alone’ as if actionless belief in Jesus alone magically keeps us from God’s judgment. As Paul Harvey often quipped, “Now for the rest of the story!” Faith in God through Jesus MUST lead to charity (Godly love): “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. …” (James 1:22-25) “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. … But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?” (James 2:17-20)

Summary. Faith is confidence in what God has done and is doing. It is built through experiences born of discipleship and the Spirit, and it must produce. Relationships are the backbone of discipleship, so let’s go there next time. Meanwhile, believe, grow spiritually, and get to work!

God’s blessings and peace,

Dr. Ron Braley, MDiv, DMin.

discipleship, Finding Answers to Stuff Churches Don't Discuss, Uncategorized

Humility … Jesus-style!

1 Comment

The gentle will be blessed with inheriting the earth; the merciful receive mercy; the peacemaker is called a son of God (Matthew 5:5-9). These states of being require humility—lowering one’s self-importance to a place where they disappear and the ultimate good of others and obedience to God become dominant. This is desirable because God loves the humble and opposes the proud (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5). Our cancerous self-centeredness and citizenship in the ‘most individualistic nation in the world’ make humility nearly impossible, and we don’t see the behavior modeled often. So, I thought I’d help. After all, who wants to be opposed by God?!? What is humility? What isn’t?

False humility. To respond after condemnation with, “I mess up too …” without stating any sins (certainly not the BIG ones!) is one example. It can come as “humble bragging” or self-righteous prayers. Sometimes, false humility downplays abilities in the shadow of an underlying superior attitude. Humility is, and does, none of these prideful things, though!

Humble is as humble does. Solomon, purportedly the wisest human ever, wrote in Proverbs 11:2, “When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the humble is wisdom.” So, wisdom and humility can go hand in hand. The humble walk by God’s Spirit and are gentle, self-controlled, and kind in their childlike unconditional love and lack of self-inflation. Their reward? They will be exalted and elevated to significant positions in God’s Kingdom (Matthew 18:4; Luke 18:14).

And this is what humble does. The humble turn the other cheek and understand that just because something could be said doesn’t mean it should. They don’t brag, and their concern, prayers, and humility are sincere. Here are a few biblical examples of humility:

  • Jesus, although fretting about the incredible pain and suffering about to take place, and after asking God to take it from Him, obediently accepted His fate (Luke 22:42).
  • Jesus “humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8-9). His reward? Exaltation and promotion!
  • “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12).
  • We place the well-being and ultimate good of others above our own: “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3).
  • We patiently bear with others in the pursuit of peace, “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2).
  • Finally, the prophet Micah teaches us that God requires us to “do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with Him” (Micah 6:8).

Summary. God loves the humble and peacemaker while opposing the proud, arrogant, fake, violent, or unloving. Which are you? Next time, we’ll step out in faith. Meanwhile, love justice and mercy, and walk humbly with God authentically.

God’s blessings and peace,

Dr. Ron Braley, MDiv, DMin.