Get Humble and Stay Humble

James 4:9-12 (ESV) 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. 11 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

Vs 9: Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.

Mourn? Laughter turned to mourning? 

Hebrews 11:24-25 (ESV) 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. (KJV for a season)

Matthew 5:4 (ESV) 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

• When humbled and submitting to God, we will see ourselves more clearly which results in conviction AND for those who LOVE God, it will produce a Godly sorrow leading to repentance. 

2 Corinthians 7:8-10 (ESV) 8 For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. 9 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. 10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

Vs 10: Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

1 Peter 5:5-7 (ESV) 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

• God will exalt us in due time if we resist the urge to force outcomes, seek glory, or demand recognition.

Vs 11: Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.

Exodus 20:16 (ESV) 16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

1 Corinthians 5:9-13 (ESV) 9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

Vs 12: There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

We don’t get to make up our own laws and then hold others to that standard. 

• Legalism of any type breeds arrogance and self righteousness. 

James 4:13-17 (ESV) 13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

This is the result of humble submission before God…. We make plans BUT always leave the true planning to God/Holy Spirit. 

Acts 16:6-10 (ESV) 6 And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. 8 So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Are you open to God’s leading of your life? Are you willing to suppress your desires to fulfill His?