The Gateway To Grace

# 211 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 15:16,17 Then Samuel said to Saul, "Be quiet! And I will tell you what the LORD said to me last night." And he said to him, "Speak on." 17 So Samuel said, "When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the LORD anoint you king over Israel? (1 Sam 15:16,17) Samuel, the mouthpiece of God, tells Saul to put a sock in it. If you recall, Saul was already pouring out all sorts of excuses for not obeying the command of the Lord to wipe out the Amalekites. He immediately follows that up with one of the greatest spiritual truths in all of Scripture. In fact, it is a common thread throughout all of Scripture. It is the concept of kingdom advancement by humility. “When you were little in your own eyes,” God advanced you Saul! It is the same for you and I. This is vital, to the follower of Christ, and it is also a constant struggle because our flesh is always interested in self-advancement. Remember when Jesus told the story of the publican and the Pharisee in prayer? The Pharisee stood before God and rattled off all the wonderful things he did for God. It kind of made you wonder how God could function without him. Then the publican looked down on the ground and beat his breast and asked, “God be merciful to me, a sinner.” Then Jesus speaking of the publican said, "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." (Lu 18:14) And in Job 22:29, we read, “When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person. “ Remember, "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." (Jam 4:6) Humility is the gateway to God's grace, and without God's grace (divine influence on our heart,) we cannot enter His kingdom nor advance in it. Desire humility. Recognize the fact that you and I are sinners in need of God's grace.

One Reason For Praying With Closed Eyes

# 473 - Today's Living Word comes from from: Mr 7:24b-25, “ And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden. For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.

The word was out. News of the Gentle Healer had reached the ears of this desperate Gentile woman whose daughter was possessed by a demon. Let us note her approach to Jesus and see what we can learn.

First of all, she fell at His feet. The idea is that she gently prostrated herself in homage to Him for the purpose of asking for a favor. This falling at the feet of Jesus is simply a physical manifestation of what was going on in this woman's heart. It is a sign of humility.

Scripture tells us that God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. There is an interesting passage in Job concerning humility before the Lord, Job 22:29 says, “When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person. {the word humble here means “him that hath low eyes.”}

One of the reasons we pray with lowered eyelids is to demonstrate humility before the Lord. We can also show this through kneeling or praying on our face as this woman did.

Is it necessary to do these things in order to be heard? Of course not, but all three help us embrace the humility that God desires in our hearts.

I'm Duane Matz and that's Today's Living Word.