And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
—Matthew 32:12, 1 Peter 5:6-7
Humility is something we do willingly and gladly. When we are humbled by others, we end up in humiliation. The only way “up” in God’s kingdom is “down.” Before honor is humility (Proverbs 15:33, 8:12). When we humble ourselves, God will exalt us. It takes humility to accept God exalting us. There is also an appropriate time for God to exalt us. We need to patiently wait for His timing (Galatians 6:9, James 1:4).
More of God’s grace is received in humility (James 4:6), and the spiritual understanding of His grace in our lives is received in humility. When we are humble, we are teachable. And when we are teachable, we are open to the Holy Spirit’s revelation of the Word. As we grow in spiritual understanding, we realize the things God promises are already provided in His spiritual realm. We don’t have to achieve them. We stop trying to prove we are worthy of them. The battles are already won in Christ. The Holy Spirit produces the fruit of patience, and we wait patiently for His “due” time.
Pride exalts us instead of exalting God. When we try to prove ourselves without allowing Him to guide and empower us, we are grudgingly forced to be humble. Instead of willingly humbling ourselves, we end up in disgrace and shame. But when we gladly humble ourselves and exalt God—when we surrender to His grace in our lives and allow Him to lead us, He exalts us in His time.
Selfishness is more easily defeated as God’s truth becomes more abundant in your life. Pride’s power to control your emotions and feelings becomes less. As you surrender to Him, you receive more grace. When your life is yielded to His truth, what you spiritually see, hear, and understand isn't naturally discerned. You have His spiritual understanding of things in your life that make no sense to your emotions. When you believe who He is in you, you enter into the revelation of His grace. You know He has won what you can’t. You know there is nothing more for you to gain that He hasn’t already gained. You rest in His peace. He is enough. There is nothing but God and what He has declared is true.
When you cast your cares upon Him, you lay everything down. He takes care of all the questions. He takes care of all the concerns and problems. When you humble yourself under His hand, what others think of you becomes less because He is more. Under His mighty Hand, you become an instrument to use as He wills.
His power is greatest when revealed in humbleness of heart. Humble yourself before Him with nothing to prove and nothing but to live who He is. Let the truth of the Word teach who He is in you. Receive spiritual understanding in the wisdom and knowledge of Him. Experience His Spirit—alive in you—setting you free from all that your natural mind has declared as true. Discover that your greatest purpose is His to direct and His to own. You are ready for His overflowing abundance when you lay down all that has claimed your allegiance—all you believe He has imparted—all your natural mind has perceived as truth—and allow Jesus to wash your feet.
Stripped of all that stands in the way of His Life in you, you are unhindered by need, perception, or anything. As He was humbled for you, you humble yourself in Him. He, who became less for you, now has become everything in you. He is in you, and you are in Him. He is your exaltation. He is your victory. You are exalted in His presence. You receive more grace than ever imagined.
© 2024 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2024/04/the-exaltation-of-grace.html
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