Pride and Humility Enjoying the Bible

Table of Contents
Foreword (3) Pride (4) Humility (5) Rest (6) Disobedience (7-8) Submission (9-10) Spiritual War (11-12) Contentment (13-14) Spirituality (15) Persecution (16-17) Sicknesses and Diseases (18) Discipline (19-21) Conclusion (22) Note from Author (23)

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Foreword
I am a Christian beginning to realize that God is my loving Father in heaven as proven by the death of Jesus the Christ, His only Beloved Son. In the unfolding pages, all negative connotations have been made in reference to me. I do not speak for or of others. This is a result of personal experiences and observations. This is by no means a sermon of any sort nor does it serve to generalize the Christian experience. I am no Bible teacher or pastor. I am the beloved child of God getting to know (as a privilege) Him as a loving Father. If you have been blessed by this e-book, let all the glory and praise redound to my loving Father in heaven in Jesus Name. If you find anything amiss, let God judge my heart.

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Pride
God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. [Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6 , 1 Peter 5:5]. Gods grace is found in His wonderful plans for me. Those plans are concealed in the circumstances He has allowed in my life. Hence, when I stop trying to be a smart aleck by insisting on having things my way, but humbly allow those circumstances to fully unfold, I find that Gods favours have been in those same circumstances all the time. I dont try to interfere mid-way when all odds seem to be against me.

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Humility
Humility is to acknowledge that God knows far more and better what to do with my life. Acknowledge God in all my ways (i.e. my entire life) and let Him direct and make straight and plain my paths. [Proverbs 3:6]. Therein I find my rest. And rest finds grace. [Genesis 6:8].

Untitled Lee Kah Wor

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Rest
Rest is letting Gods wonderful plans unfold in accordance with His impeccable timing. I fret not over the reason for those things not happening according to my expectations. I just know that God is working all things (both good and bad) together for my good. [Romans 8:28]. By doing so, I can come to the place where I can say, What others meant for evil; God meant it for my good. [Genesis 50:20].

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Disobedience
It is logically simple. God is not an author of confusion. [1 Corinthians 14:33]. There is nothing fanciful or mysterious about it. I resort to spiritual hype when I dont accept Gods plans in my life. God says what is happening in my life right now is good for me. He says, This is good for you. But I say, No God! I dont want this. I think that is better for me. I want that!

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Then I fast, pray, read Bible and do all kinds of spiritual stuff in the hope that God will relent. God says, What I have planned for you to happen in My time is the best for you. [Jeremiah 29:11]. Period. But I insist. It cannot be! Are You sure or not? Didnt You promise to give me all things?!? I continue with my spiritualism only to find myself feeling frustrated and discouraged.

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Submission
When I submit to His Sovereign loving plans by letting circumstances take their God-chartered path, I find good things happening in and around me! Those things are so important to me. But I never realized just how important they are to me. Thank You Father God for showing me! At the same time, I come to realize that those other things which once seemed so good for me to have would actually do me more harm than good. In the day you eat of it, you shall surely die [Genesis 2:17]. My Father God will never give me things He knows will eventually harm me. [Matthew 7:11]. He gives me only good things. I find the meaning of Romans 8:32 here. I have expected the good things to be whatever I wanted. The things which look good to have in the natural may not be good for me. At least not at the time I wanted them. John 6:60, AMP, This is a hard and difficult and strange saying (an offensive and unbearable message). Who can stand to hear it? [Who can be expected to listen to such teaching?] John 6:61, AMP, But Jesus, knowing within Himself that His disciples were complaining and protesting and grumbling about it, said to them: Is this a stumbling block and an offense to you? [Does this upset and displease and shock and scandalize you?] John 6:66, AMP, After this, many of His disciples drew back (returned to their old associations) and no longer accompanied Him.

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2 Timothy 4:3-4, AMP

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For the time is coming when [people] will not tolerate (endure) sound and wholesome instruction, but, having ears itching [for something pleasing and gratifying], they will gather to themselves one teacher after another to a considerable number, chosen to satisfy their own liking and to foster the errors they hold,
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And will turn aside from hearing the truth and wander off into myths and man-made fictions. Being mindful of God love for me preserves me from the adversary who operates through all sorts of manipulations. [2 Peter 3:16]. Now the serpent was more subtle and crafty than any living creature of the field which the Lord God had made. [Genesis 3:1]. The good things that God gives me provide immense satisfaction. The very same kind of satisfaction that I have been pursuing through the means I once thought could help me attain it. It is that kind of satisfaction that gives me contentment. [1 Timothy 6:6-12]. And contentment gives me peace. Not as the world gives does Jesus give to me. [John 14:27]. And that peace gives me rest. In rest I find more grace as I allow God the full right of way in my life. It starts with a baby step. Only then will I understand the good and perfect purposes He had for me from before the foundation of the world. [Romans 12:2]. It is by going through His wonderful plans; not around them (i.e. bail out). [Luke 22:42]. It entails waiting. But let patience do its thorough work. [James 1:4].

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Spiritual War
It is during this waiting window that the adversary launches his full-fledge attacks. The adversary stirs, Can it really be that God has said He loves you? [Genesis 3:1]. I say. Yes! The death of His only Beloved Son as Jesus the Man on the Cross is the conclusive proof! The devil goes on, Really? Look at what is happening in your life right now. You call that love? If He really loves you, you would not be in this mess! [Genesis 3:5]. You must do something about it, the devil adds. Then the Parable of the Sower comes to my mind. It is a test of my conviction. It is about how I perceive the integrity of God. Matthew 13:18-23 AMP
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Listen then to the [meaning of the] parable of the sower:

While anyone is hearing the Word of the kingdom and does not grasp and comprehend it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the roadside.
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As for what was sown on thin (rocky) soil, this is he who hears the Word and at once welcomes and accepts it with joy;
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Yet it has no real root in him, but is temporary (inconstant, lasts but a little while); and when affliction or trouble or persecution comes on account of the Word, at once he is caused to stumble [he is repelled and [j]begins to distrust and desert Him Whom he ought to trust and obey] and he falls away.
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As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the Word, but the cares of the world and the pleasure and delight and glamour and deceitfulness of riches choke and suffocate the Word, and it yields no fruit.
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As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the Word and grasps and comprehends it; he indeed bears fruit and yields in one case a hundred times as much as was sown, in another sixty times as much, and in another thirty.
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The wilderness temptations of my Lord Jesus Christ spring forth. Matthew 4:1-11 AMP
Then Jesus was led (guided) by the [Holy] Spirit into the wilderness (desert) to be tempted (tested and tried) by the devil.
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And He went without food for forty days and forty nights, and later He was hungry.
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And the tempter came and said to Him, If You are Gods Son, command these stones to be made [loaves of] bread.
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But He replied, It has been written, Man shall not live and be upheld and sustained by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
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Then the devil took Him into the holy city and placed Him on a turret (pinnacle, gable) of the temple sanctuary.
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And he said to Him, If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, He will give His angels charge over you, and they will bear you up on their hands, lest you strike your foot against a stone.
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Jesus said to him, On the other hand, it is written also, You shall not tempt, test thoroughly, or try exceedingly the Lord your God.
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Again, the devil took Him up on a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory (the splendor, magnificence, preeminence, and excellence) of them.
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And he said to Him, These things, all taken together, I will give You, if You will prostrate Yourself before me and do homage and worship me.
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Then Jesus said to him, Begone, Satan! For it has been written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him alone shall you serve.

The adverse circumstances highlighted by the adversary in bold, underscore and italics are at best circumstantial evidence. All that put together cannot stand against the infallible and concrete proof of Gods love for me; the death of His only Beloved Son as Jesus the Man on the Cross.

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Contentment
The Bible advocates contentment. 1 Timothy 6:6, AMP, [And it is, indeed, a source of immense profit, for] godliness accompanied with contentment (that contentment which is a sense of inward sufficiency) is great and abundant gain. The Apostle Paul learnt how to be contended. Philippians 4:11, AMP, Not that I am implying that I was in any personal want, for I have learned how to be content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am. Philippians 4:7, AMP, And Gods peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Rest and peace come from being contended with what God has given me at every station of every stage in my life. If my KPIs for contentment are the same as those of the world, then something is amiss. For my Lord Jesus said, You are in the world but not of the world. [John 15:19, AMP]. My Lord Jesus said in John 14:27 that He has given and bequeathed to me His peace. He gives not as the world gives. [John 14:27, AMP].

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And again in Romans 12:2, AMP, Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]. I can prove or experience the good, acceptable and perfect purpose of God for me only when I allow His plans to fully unfold according to His impeccable timing! Stop throwing tantrums to get Him to relent. Is this a hard and difficult message that is too great for me to bear? [John 6:60, AMP]. John 6:66, AMP, After this, many of His disciples drew back (returned to their old associations) and no longer accompanied Him. Will I fall away when I know that Jesus is not the talisman or ATM? 1 Timothy 4:1, AMP, But the [Holy] Spirit distinctly and expressly declares that in latter times some will turn away from the faith, giving attention to deluding and seducing spirits and doctrines that demons teach. You mean He is not my meal ticket for life? Gosh! 1 Timothy 6:5, AMP, And protracted wrangling and wearing discussion and perpetual friction among men who are corrupted in mind and bereft of the truth, who imagine that godliness or righteousness is a source of profit [a moneymaking business, a means of livelihood]. From such withdraw.

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Spirituality
If I am motivated to do all the spiritual stuff to get God to give me what I think is good for me to have, then I am just kicking against the goads. It will eventually lead me to fall away or be exploited. But if I allow Him to do what He alone knows is best for me, then my trust in Him can only grow as I allow His loving purposes to shine forth in His appointed time.

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Persecution
Will there be mocking and ridicules, even to the point of being ostracised? I can bet my last dollar on it. For Gods wisdom is foolishness to the world. [1 Corinthians 1:18]. And the worlds wisdom is foolishness to God: 1 Corinthians 3:19-23
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For this worlds wisdom is foolishness (absurdity and stupidity) with God, for it is written, He lays hold of the wise in their [own] craftiness;
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And again, The Lord knows the thoughts and reasonings of the [humanly] wise and recognizes how futile they are.
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So let no one exult proudly concerning men [boasting of having this or that man as a leader], for all things are yours,
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Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas (Peter), or the universe or life or death, or the immediate and threatening present or the [subsequent and uncertain] futureall are yours,
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And you are Christs, and Christ is Gods.

Gods blessings come with irritation and duress. [Mark 10:2930]. But they add no sorrows. [Proverbs 10:22]. The irritation and duress come from the opinion of others who do not approve of what is being said and done. This is because those things are not in line with they think and feel should be the case. It is the stand they adopted. I respect that. The add no sorrows arises from the quiet assurance that God has my back covered. When I persevere and experience for myself the goodness of God in my life, the joy is unspeakable.

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So which is of material importance? It is a no brainer. God promised that even if my father and mother should desert me, He shall never forsake me. [Psalm 27:10, Hebrews 13:5]. Hebrews 13:5 is so good that I must list it here: Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] So why should I be bothered about having the approval of others? It insulates me against manipulations of all sorts. It is Gods plans for my life! God made everyone unique. So His plans for every individual are correspondingly unique. To expect uniformity in His plans for everyone is not even logical, let alone biblical. Furthermore, Who shall bring any charge against Gods elect [when it is] God Who justifies [that is, Who puts us in right relation to Himself? Who shall come forward and accuse or impeach those whom God has chosen? Will God, Who acquits us?] [Romans 8:33].

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Sicknesses and Diseases

Does God fulfil His plans through sicknesses, diseases and infirmities? From personal experience, yes. But those things shall pass away. Once, Jesus was asked: John 9:1-7 As He passed along, He noticed a man blind from his birth.
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His disciples asked Him, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?
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Jesus answered, It was not that this man or his parents sinned, but he was born blind in order that the workings of God should be manifested (displayed and illustrated) in him.
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We must work the works of Him Who sent Me and be busy with His business while it is daylight; night is coming on, when no man can work.
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As long as I am in the world, I am the worlds Light.

When He had said this, He spat on the ground and made clay (mud) with His saliva, and He spread it [as ointment] on the mans eyes.
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And He said to him, Go, wash in the Pool of Siloamwhich means Sent. So he went and washed, and came back seeing. What do you yourself say to that? [Mark 8:29].

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Discipline
My loving Father God disciplines me by not giving me what I want because He knows better that those things that I want will do me harm. He is training me to accept that truth. God loves, not spoils. He is bringing me up as His beloved child, not spoilt brat! To be disciplined by God is to learn to surrender my wilfulness (i.e. insisting on having what I think is good for me to have whenever I want). I recall Eve thinking to herself that the forbidden tree was desirable to make her wise [Genesis 3:6]. The Fall was preceded by what Eve thought was good for her and Adam to have! Sin was not yet present [Romans 5:12,19]. It was wilfulness! What I think is better than what God thinks. Think about that! Repentance! The Apostle Paul surrendered his wilfulness as evident from the thorn in his flesh. He was given a thorn in his flesh. He pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from him [2 Corinthians 12:8, NKJV]. There are many schools of thoughts on his thorn of flesh. To me, what it was is not as important as the purpose for which my Lord Jesus had given it to him. The Apostle Paul realized the purpose it served in his life, And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. [2 Corinthians 12:7, NKJV].

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He humbly accepted Gods arrangements in his life. This is the punch line! And what did my Lord Jesus tell Paul, And He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. [2 Corinthians 12:9, NKJV]. From these few passage of scriptures, I finally understood what is meant by God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. [James 4:6, Proverbs 3:34, NKJV]. I am proud when I: 1. Insist that God must give me what I want, when I want, 2. Foolishly think I can hold God ransom by repeating His promises like a broken record without accepting His Sovereign plans in my life. I am humble when I accept what He has given me in my life after several unanswered prayers. Even the Apostle Paul prayed three times against his thorn. I am reminded of Gods wonderful promises as testimonies of His integrity. These testimonies help me to stand my ground when allowing His plans to come to fruition. [Ephesians 6:13]. I believe I am missing the mark when I imagine I can hold Him ransom to give in to what I think is good for me. Galatians 6:7, AMP, Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked by mere pretensions or professions, or by His precepts being set aside.) [He inevitably deludes himself who attempts to delude God.] For whatever a man sows, that and that only is what he will reap.
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Matthew 11:15, AMP, He who has ears to hear, let him be listening and let him consider and perceive and comprehend by hearing. Faith comes from hearing the integrity of God so that I can trust Him enough to manage my life for me. [Romans 10:17]. God sent His only Beloved Son to die as Jesus the Man on the Cross to prove to me that He can be trusted. [Romans 5:8]. I can trust Him because He loved me that much!

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Conclusion
Only my loving Father God knows what is truly best for me. When life is at my call, I walk really small. But when my life is at Gods call, I stand mighty tall.
Untitled Lee Kah Wor

And that motivates me to want to know God more as my loving Father. As I get to know Him better, I know myself better. [2 Corinthians 3:18]. For I was made in His image. [Genesis 11:26].

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Note from Author

Anyone can interpret the scriptures in favour of an adopted stand [2 Peter 3:16]. I find that the only constant in the Bible is Gods love for me. I find the love of God is beyond any doubt the crimson thread running through the Bible from cover to cover. Therefore, I have chosen to read and interpret the Bible in the greater context of His love for me. This is my personal conviction. This is how I enjoy my Bible. This is my stand. When the Lord returns, He will weigh my stand according to my heart [1 Samuel 16:7]. I am the beloved child of God that Jesus the Christ has made me to be [2 Corinthians 5:21] in the process of getting to know Gods love for me. If you have been blessed by this literature, let all the glory and praise redound to our loving Father God. If there is anything you find amiss, let God judge my heart. If you would like to support the declaration of Gods great love, you can do so HERE. This has been brought to you by Enjoying the Bible. 1 Timothy 4:13, AMP, Till I come, devote yourself to [public and private] reading, to exhortation (preaching and personal appeals), and to teaching and instilling doctrine.

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Father God, You are good!

Pride and Humility Enjoying the Bible

John 16:27, AMP, For the Father Himself [tenderly] loves you because you have loved Me and have believed that I came out from the Father.
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