Others.

 Php 2:3 … let each esteem other better than themselves. 

Esteeming… having a high regard, a high opinion, a high appreciation of.

Others… a person different than yourself. 

Better… superior in some way (than themselves).

IN the lowliness of OUR minds, we are to ESTEEM OTHERS BETTER THAN OURSELVES.

We live in a world where we are constantly measuring ourselves against each other. It happens all the time, and most of the time it is so automatic to our way of life we don't even recognize it for what it is.  Maybe throughout our lives we've used the measuring stick of self - compared to others so we can feel better or at least competent in ourselves. How do we stand up alongside of our peers? Equality is the base standard most try for, but there are others who long for superiority, and often determine to put others into an inferior situation so they can hold on to their supposed superiority. It's the way of the world we are living in. Having an elite class, upper class, middle, and lower, and so on. Yet, truthfully we ALL know that a lot of the upper (not all) but a lot of those deemed in the upper class of societies are in truth very far from being God's people. They've chosen the world and its riches over the esteeming of others better than themselves.  Can a rich person esteem others better than themselves? Yes, I believe they can, though I believe it's very difficult- near to impossible in most cases according to God's own word. 

Mat_19:24  And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God

The willingness from each of us - from the poorest - to the most materialistically rich, has to be willing to give up those tangible riches and the riches longed even as unrealized desires- if they are other than the treasures found in heaven alone.  God help us to this end!

We can be the poorest of the poor yet have our minds and hearts set on riches- the 'if only I were rich', the 'when I get rich', 'being rich would make me different' and so on. As long as we focus on the world's riches, whether truly rich in monetary means, or poor yet longing for riches, we are not seeking the things that are above, we are still caught up in this world's goods, the things of this world.

We need to esteem others BETTER than ourselves. We need to long for OTHERS to know the love of God in all His glory with spiritual eyes that see even more than we could possibly hope for! Others should be our FOCUS. OTHERS. OTHERS. OTHERS.  

GOD and OTHERS.

Col 3:1  If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 

Col 3:2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 

Col 3:3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 

Col 3:4  When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory

Our affections- and even the poorest of us can have our affections set on earthly treasures. Our affections must be on things above. Our affections must be on others above ourselves. Please, God, please Father, please help us to forget ourselves and focus on others as YOU would have us do so. Not with the longing to be them if we deem them better than us. Not grateful for not being them if we deem them not better off than us. But rather, Father God, help us to esteem them ALL better than ourselves in longing for all -rich and poor alike to be YOURS, even as we LONG to be YOURS! Give us YOUR HEART IN US, CHRIST IN US- TO LOVE OTHERS AS YOU LOVE US!

(Excerpt Ro. 12 E.J. Waggoner- 1800's)

"In Honor Preferring One Another."

Rom 12:10  Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another

This can be done only when one is able "in lowliness of mind" to esteem others better than himself. Phil. 2:3. 

Php 2:3  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 

And this can be done only when one knows his own worthlessness. The man who "knows the plague of his own heart" can not think that others are as bad as himself. "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus; who . . . made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant."

The Body.

 (Excerpt Ro. 11 E.J. Waggoner) 1800's)

The Body and Its Members. 

"There is one body" (Eph. 4:4), and that is the church, of which Christ is the head  (Eph. 1:22, 23; Col. 1:18). "We are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones." Eph. 5:30. There are many members in the body, "so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another."

As in the human body, so in the body of Christ, "all members have not the same office;" yet they are so joined together, and so mutually dependent, that none can boast over the others. "The eye can not say unto the hand, I have no need of thee; nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you." 1 Cor. 12:21. So it is in the true church of Christ; there are no divisions and no boastings, and no member seeks to occupy the place or perform the work of another. No member thinks himself independent of the others, and all have an equal care for one another.

Various Gifts. 

All members have not the same office, and all have not the same gifts. "There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. . . . And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. . . . For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of Spirits; to another divers kind of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues; but all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will." 1 Cor. 12:4-11.

"The Proportion of Faith." 

"Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith." As we have seen, there is but "one faith" (Eph.  4:5), and that is "the faith of Jesus." Although there are various gifts, there is but one power behind them all.  "All these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit." Therefore, to prophesy or to exercise any other of the gifts "according to the proportion" or measure of faith, is to do it "as of the ability which God giveth." 1 Peter 4:11.  "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."

More Choose Not to Believe.

Help- My Unbelief!

Lord, I believe- Help, thou, my unbelief.  Mark 9:24

What is this man saying to Jesus? He, like you and I, don't want anything to stand between us and Jesus. We believe, but even a sliver of unbelief scares us and we don't want even the smallest bit of unbelief in our lives. Satan is ever ready to fill us with doubt. Around every corner the devil will throw up roadblocks meant to veer us off the narrow way and onto his broad path. Doubt in our Savior is a Satan specialty that he doles out every opportunity he can. Is it any wonder the father of that demon possessed son cried out he believed, when Jesus asked if he believed, and then right on the heels of that pronouncement he added that the possibility of unbelief lurking within him, and he did NOT want that to keep Jesus from healing his son! He did not want the slightest weakness in himself to cause his son to suffer a moment longer. If his own failing cost his son his freedom from his tortured life, the father would not forgive himself. He BELIEVED, so what more was there to say? He told Jesus that he believed, there, that should have been it, it should have been enough, he didn't have to say more. I can exclaim I BELIEVE! And truly, I believe that I believe. Yet is it enough? I need for it to be more than enough, I need my Savior to know that if my weak belief, the believe that stems from the most imperfect of human beings is lacking at all, that He alone can make that belief all it needs to be. My belief needs HIS belief, all the glory, all the honor, all the praise is HIS! He is my CREATOR, I am but a creation of His! He is the Master of all that I am! I do believe! And forever, my Lord, help THOU my unbelief!

(Excerpt Ro. 11 E.J. Waggoner) 1800's)

Faith a Gift of God. 

That faith which God deals to man is indicated in Revelation 14:12: "Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." 

God does not give faith to the saints only, any more than he gives the commandments to them alone; but the saints keep the faith, and others do not. 

The faith which they keep is the faith of Jesus; therefore it is the faith of Jesus that is given to men.

Faith Given to Every Man. 

Every man is exhorted to think soberly, because God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. 

Many people have a notion that they are so constituted that it is impossible for them to believe.  

That is a grave error. 

Faith is just as easy, and just as natural, as breathing. It is the common inheritance of all men, and the one thing wherein all are equal. It is as natural for the child of the infidel to believe as it is for the child of the saint.

It is only when men build up a barrier of pride about themselves (Ps. 73:6) that they find it difficult to believe. 

Psa 73:6  Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain

And even then they ill believe; for when men disbelieve God, they believe Satan; when they disbelieve the truth, they greedily swallow the most egregious falsehoods.

We Are Weak But He Is Strong.

 Truly we are weak…but He is strong and this is something we should never forget. 

Be strong they tell us, as if that is a good thing. The trouble with that is we know, deep down we all know how very weak we are in the grand scheme of all things. We know our weaknesses as human beings, so even when we are calling ourselves strong we recognize those who are considered strong people can also be laid low in a single heartbeat.

When we witness what we consider strength in others and long to possess that same sort of fortitude, we have to remember we all are made up individually and as such what consists in our genetic make-up is nothing like what another has. Our strength as such may appear weaker by standards man has set up, but that might not be true at all. For what we are, we may be incredibly strong as such and still that doesn't matter, it is dangerous. Yes, dangerous for us to long for strength in ourselves outside of the strength that is Christ's and Christ's alone. Our strength needs to be found outside of ourselves and in another completely. Our fortitude must be another's we rely upon. We are weak and we fail countless times, but He never fails and is always strong.

We have to give ourselves over to the truth of our weakness and align ourselves through FAITH in Christ for strength. We must cry out how very weak we are and how in need of Christ's strength we will always be! Christ will see us through, we don't see ourselves through, if we think we do it's only an illusion that has been built up by mankind in accordance with the prince of this world, Satan. We are set up to believe we can be strong, so Satan's can lay us low when we fail- over and over again.

Christ is our stronghold, our fortress, our strong tower, our everything.

We are weak…but HE is strong!  Yes, Jesus loves me!  

(Excerpt Ro. 11 E.J. Waggoner) 1800's)

Faith and Humility. 

Pride is the enemy of faith. 

The two can not live together. 

A man can think soberly and humbly only as the result of the faith that God gives. 

"Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him;  but the just shall live by his faith." Hab. 2:4. 

The man who has confidence in his own strength and wisdom, will not depend upon another. Trust in the wisdom and power of God comes only when we recognize and acknowledge our own weakness and ignorance.

Not A Friend of the World

 

Is this true…

Jas 4:4 … know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

… and this, is it true too?

1Jn 2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 

1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 

1Jn 2:17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. 

This is true…

Col 3:1  If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 

Col 3:2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 

Col 3:3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 

Col 3:4  When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. 

Col 3:5  Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 

Col 3:6  For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 

Col 3:7  In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. 

Col 3:8  But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 

Col 3:9  Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 

Col 3:10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 

Col 3:11  Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. 

Col 3:12  Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 

Col 3:13  Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 

Col 3:14  And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 

Col 3:15  And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. 

Col 3:16  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 

Col 3:17  And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. 

(Excerpt Ro. 11 E.J. Waggoner) 1800's)

True Nonconformity.

In England, religious people have often been divided into two classes: Churchmen and Nonconformists. Now every true Christian is a non-conformist, but not in the sense that the word is ordinarily used. 

"Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your minds." 

When those who call themselves Nonconformists adopt worldly methods, and engage in worldly schemes, then they dishonor the name. "The friendship of the world is enmity with God."

How to Think of Self. 

The exhortation to every man is not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think.  How highly ought one to think of himself? 

"Put them in fear, O Lord; that the nations may know themselves to be but men." Ps. 9:20. 

"Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help." Ps. 146:3. 

"Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?" Isa. 2:22. 

"Verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity." Ps. 39:5. 

"The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God."  1Co_3:19 

"The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain."1Co_3:20 

"What is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." James 4:14. 

We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." Isa. 64:6. 

"In lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves." Phil. 2:3.

Kept From Evil - All We Need.

Jesus prayed- Joh 17:15  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

We need to be kept from evil. Did you read that? Jesus asked the Father to keep us from the evil in this world. 

All we need truly will be supplied by the Father. I not talking about things we call our needs, but all we truly need. Our true need is to belong to God, to have Christ in us our hope, to be blessed with the holy Comforter. Our true need is God because God alone offers us eternity, and eternity with God should be our true need beyond any need we think we have here and now.

To be kept from evil by God is to insure our eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Please, Father keep me from evil through Your power!

*******

The closing verses of the eleventh chapter set forth the infinite, unsearchable power and wisdom of God. Nobody can add anything to him. No one can put God under obligations to him. No one can give him something for which he should receive something in return. "For of him, and through him, and to him are all things." "He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things." "In him we live, and move, and have our being."  Acts 17:25, 28.

Act 17:25  Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

Act 17:28  For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring

This being so, it is but reasonable that all should yield their bodies to him, for him to control. He alone has the wisdom and the power to do it properly.

The word "reasonable" is, literally, "logical." The logical result of acknowledging God's power and wisdom and love, is to submit to him. He who does not yield to God, virtually denies his existence.

Exhorting and Comforting. 

It is interesting to know that the Greek word rendered "beseech" is from the same root as "the Comforter," applied to the Holy Spirit. 

It is the word used in Matthew 5:4, "Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted." It occurs also in 1 Thessalonians 4:18, "Comfort one another with these words."

The following passage contains the word several times, as indicated: "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ." 2 Cor. 1:3-5. 

 The fact that the Greek word for "exhort," or "beseech," is identical with that for "comfort," may give a new force to the exhortations of the Spirit of God.

There is comfort in the thought that God is all-powerful. Therefore there is comfort in all his exhortations and commandments, since he does not expect us to act in our own strength, but in his. When he utters a command, it is but the statement of what he will do in and for us, if we yield to his power.1 When he reproves, he is simply showing to us our need, which he can abundantly supply. The Spirit convicts of sin, but is always the Comforter.

(Excerpt Ro. 11 E.J. Waggoner)