I talked to Quanah on Saturday and he tolded me to also turn to St. Michael the Archangel. His greatest weapon against evil wasn't the sword but his humility. Here's the well-known short verson of the prayer:
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the malice and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen. It is the longer prayer to St. Michael that I have to study. I suspect that it is there that I will find the references to humility.
"Many people have the wrong idea about God, the Bible and humility, or being humble. They think being humble means groveling in front of others or thinking we're no good and others are good. That’s not the Bible's picture. God says when you are humble, you are free from pride and arrogance. You know that in your flesh you are inadequate, yet you also know who you are in Christ. You don't need to defend yourself when you understand the Bible's picture of humility, for you know who you are in Christ. You are able to be a peacemaker without needing to fight for your rights. You are able to walk humbly in the power of God’s Holy Spirit, not your own personal power. Godly humility is being comfortable with who you are in the Lord and therefore putting others first. The meaning of humility in the Bible is one of loving others, not being a wimp!"
Understanding the Meaning of Humility in the Bible
Doug Britton, 2008
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves (Philippians 2:3).
I still have a lot of work to do on myself and oh how I wish I could become a successful peacemaker between people and rise above the clutter of my own feelings right away.
2 comments:
HUMILITY:
"Not thinking less of myself, but thinking of myself less."
Non-biblical definition--grin!
It certainly is not one of those 'sudden' virtues where I say one day, "I've GOT it!" That is why in AA we call it "...PRACTICE humility. How vain of me to be telling you these things...when you know so much more of them than I.
Truly, I love coming here--to your blog. It feels so, ummmm...comfortable!
Thank you very much for your faithful visits, Steve. I am always very warmed by your comments, and, humbled. I suppose we both know a lot about something and much of what I know I dig for with keywords on Google. That usually points me in the right directions when I'm looking for insight. Of course, sometimes I get lucky and the Bible opens to the right page and my finger drops onto precisely the right verse. did that early in July on my other blog. Matthew popped up with just what I needed. I'm always surprised when that happens but it sure is a clear sign that God is listening.
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