Proverbs 3:34 … Grace to the Humble (06/05/17)
“God opposes the proud and gives Grace to the humble.”
~ unknown (Proverbs 3:34)
First & foremost, it is important to remember that God – or at least the essence of the energy that many call God (at least as far as Jesus himself is concerned) – resides within each & every sentient being (see John 14:20-26), and that this is the only place where any judgment ever does or ever will take place (a Truth that reconciles the otherwise problematic juxtaposition of John 5:22 + John 8:15 + John 12:47-48) …
Second, note as well that Grace is not a gift given only to those who choose humility, but rather is a given (see John 1:1-8+16) – a consistently constant giving that only those choosing to be humble can recognize & appreciate (see Matthew 18:3-4 & Matthew 23:12 et al).
And so how does God “oppose the proud” – how does God humble those who exalt themselves? Well, He (or better stated – “It”) starts such a process with the inevitable destruction or loss of all to which those people cling (see Matthew 24:2 – “Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down”), which then inspires an entrenchment of all yearning therefor and thus the entrenchment of the suffering that comes therefrom (see Matthew 10:39, Matthew 16:24 et al) — a pain which then morphs into the abject loss of all ability for selfish sinners to Love & thereby know the Bliss that comes from enlivening The Way of Christ (see Matthew 19:11, John 13:15-17, Matthew 24:12-14 et al), and which then ends with the “wrath of God” that will indeed visit all those self-centered & superficial minds on their deathbeds (see Matthew 24:36-44, Matthew 25:1-13, Luke 21:34-3, & John 3:36 + John 14:12 et al).
And finally, how can we set such pure Humility in motion? How do we preclude the internal Father from ensuring that we reap the painful consequences of our arrogance & our greed? Simply enough, by actively and boldly and repeatedly “becoming again as a very young child” (the Greek “paidion” in Matthew 18:3-4, a word that means not “adolescent” or even “child” but rather means “very young child” – namely, the “infant” who appreciates the miracle of everything he see as though seeing it for the first time, and the “toddler” who cherishes everyone she encounters as though they were her long-lost Soulmates – se Strong’s #3813).
Amen … Let it be so.