Different Things God is teaching Me

His Love Forgotten

~HIS LOVE FORGOTTEN~          (From peace to pride; from compassion to self-confidence; from humility to haughtiness; self-glory in the Presence of God's Glory)

Just because we were saved from the bondage and doom of sin, does not mean we have left behind all temptation behind us. In fact, temptation has followed after us like a unclean lover or sexual predator who is unwilling to let us live in peace; content with the Divine Lover who redeemed us from sin's clutches.
Probably one of the most virulent sins to exist in the church today is the sin of self-righteousness. As one pastor I heard preach, say, "Unrighteousness is obvious but self-righteousness is much harder to detect." Self-righteousness is still unrighteousness for our righteousness is to be credited to God and not ourselves.

"But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags..." ~Isaiah 64:6
"Do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for in Your sight no one living is righteous." ~Psalm 143:2
"...This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me, says the Lord." ~Isaiah 54:17

We are to realize that, even when saved and redeemed, we are merely empty (conscious, yet nonetheless empty) vessels in which God pours into us His love and dwells within us His Spirit, His righteousness.
We must be aware (beware) that we are not twisting the worship of God into a worship of ourselves. With whatever platform great or small that God gives you, whether it's soap-making or song-making, you must "keep your heart with all diligence for out of it spring the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23) and make sure you are in the business and instinct of magnifying God's glory and not your own. Even in our prayers to God, we must regularly, passionately, and openly ask God to reveal and make sure we have no underlying or ulterior motives with the things we pray for. (Psalm 139:23-24) For example, I can ask God to give me strength to serve others or love others better. Of course this is a good thing to ask God for! But if my underlying intent (hope) for that prayer is so that I can be lifted up, spotlighted, recognized and renowned, than I have become self-deceived because I'm not really concerned about God being magnified, but rather my self. (And I have self-deceived myself so many times!)
We should be seeking His glory to be magnified and not our own. As John the Baptist said, "He must increase but I must decrease" (John 3:30) and King David also, "Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let such as love Your salvation say continually, "The Lord be magnified!" (Psalm 40:16, 70:4)

It is easy for the redeemed sinner (Christian) to become a spiritual narcissist towards God and towards his fellow sinners. He forgets that whatever spiritual wisdom, strength, preservation, endurance, grace, beauty...it is all of the Lord. "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord of hosts." (Zechariah 4:6)

"For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?" ~1 Corinthians 4:7

This sin of self-righteousness is actually nothing unique to God's church (though it is often prevalent there)! This sin was first committed by Satan, and shortly after, God's Old Covenant church founded in the people of Israel soon followed in his footsteps. God, through the prophet Ezekiel, says of Satan:

"You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty...the anointed cherub who covers; I established you...Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor..." (Ezekiel 27:11, 14 & 17)

And also, of Israel:

"When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine," says the Lord God. ...I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk. I adorned you with ornaments, but bracelets on your wrists, and a chain on your neck. And I put a jewel in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth...You were exceedingly beautiful, and succeeded to royalty...but You trusted in your own beauty, played the harlot because of your fame, and poured out your harlotry on everyone passing by who would have it." (Ezekiel 16:8, 11-13 & 15)

Satan, Israel, up to our day today. There is nothing new under the sun. So, in closing, what is the answer, the solution to keep us from deceiving ourselves and stumbling down the same path that brought Satan and Israel low? This is the answer:

"Worship God in the spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." (Philippians 3:3)

Remember from the previous article? Loving God above all else requires a daily cross; cultivating the heart and seeking Him. This does not happen in a once-and-for-all-time event. It is a daily dying to ourselves. Let us all be in the business of seeking God's glory and not worrying about our own fame or renown for He has already promised to lift us up. Embrace God's glory and your own humility. Here's a tip: At the end of every prayer, as you end with "In Jesus Name" along with that (or in substitution to that, say):

"I ask all these things to Your glory and to my humility, Amen."