HUMILITY 5 - Those who serve others are very important to God.

Humility 5 - English file

Demut 5 - German file

Devotional Thoughts about Matthew 20:20-28 and Mark 10:35-45

In both Matthew and Mark, this story comes right after another prediction of Jesus’ arrest, trial, death and resurrection. As other passages show (see Matthew 16:21,22 for instance), the disciples were allergic to this topic, and this time two of them changed the subject drastically.

Considering the accounts of this event in Matthew and Mark together, it’s hard to tell just who proposed going to Jesus with the request that James and John be given the top spots in Jesus’ kingdom. Was it their idea or their mom's? As it seemed to be very important to them all, perhaps they did it together.

As the disciples had repeatedly argued about where each ranked in the group, maybe the Zebedees thought the matter ought to be settled right away and in their own favor. Of course the others took offence to this.

Jesus told them to ditch the prevalent hierarchical thinking and to serve —even and especially those in leading roles. His whole mission was to serve.

Lord, please help me choose to serve others because I love You.

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HUMILITY 4 - Don't be too proud to accept God's salvation.

Humility 4 - English file

Demut 4 - German file

Devotional Thoughts about 2 Kings 5:1-16

Kings and generals often take themselves very seriously. Although Naaman had the misfortune of an incurable disease, his past military successes had made him important enough that his king was ready to lend his influence when a possible cure was rumored.

So the Syrian king coolly proposed in a letter that his counterpart in a land across an unfriendly border should heal his top warrior of leprosy! Of course Israel’s king panicked at this expectation.

Naaman’s VIP status suffered a big blow when he arrived at Elisha’s house. The prophet didn’t even come out to greet him but sent instructions by a messenger instead. Maybe that made Namaan stubborn, for he drew the line at bathing in the Jordan. Amazingly, his servants braved his wrath to persuade him to do the simple thing called for.

After the miracle of his healing, Naaman confessed that the God of Israel was the only one in the whole earth. He returned home to worship Him there, thus making God known outside the borders of Israel.

Lord, don’t let my pride get in the way of my trusting and following You.

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HUMILITY 3 - Don’t fool yourself by thinking you’re better than others!

Humility 3 - English files

Demut 3 - German files

Devotional Thoughts about Luke 18:9-14

It’s easy to make fun of the Pharisees, who often seem to be ridiculously pompous and shallow as described in the Bible. But that distracts us from looking inside at the condition of our own hearts.

We may think about it and come to trust our own self-assessment, but the sin nature in each of us easily skews our perception, making us tolerate things in ourselves that we hate in others.

But God knows the objective reality. Through His powerful Word, He brings truth into focus that we would never have grasped on our own. And He’s the one to whom we’re responsible (see Hebrews 4:12,13).

What about the other man in the story? The tax collector probably also had a few admirable traits such as kindness or diligence that he could have mentioned to pad his prayer. But no, he got right to the point and confessed his biggest problem: sin, and his great need for mercy.

Lord, please help me remember that I’m no better than anyone else, no matter what they may have done. Like the publican, I’m a sinner who needs Your mercy.

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HUMILITY 2 - John the Baptist Draws Attention to Jesus.

Humility 2 - English file

Demut 2 - German file

Devotional Thoughts about Matthew 3,1-17 and John 3:22-20

John the Baptist must have been an unforgettable character. A non-conformist in dress, diet and message, he seemed to have no qualms about speaking the unpopular truth and calling people out for their sins.

His eccentricities seemed to be a drawing card motivating people to leave their comfortable lives in the cities and show up for his sermons out in the wilderness. Despite having all the ingredients to whip up into a personality cult, John flatly refused.

He insisted that he was not the Christ and was unworthy to baptize Him or even to serve Him. He knew his own influence would soon fade and was glad to point people to Jesus.

And sure enough, having done his job of calling for repentance and preparing the way for Jesus, John soon landed in prison for telling Herod the truth and was later executed in the course of palace intrigue.

Lord, please help me to serve You without succumbing to the temptation to serve myself in the process.

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HUMILITY 1 - Pride leads to humiliation.

Humility 1 - English files

Demut 1 - German files

Devotional Thoughts about Daniel Chapter 4

Nebuchadnezzar is quite a prominent figure in world history as well as in Bible history. His famous victory over Egypt at the Battle of Carchemish put the Mediterranean coastal area, including Israel and Judah, into Chaldean control.

His true passion, however, seemed to be building. The Hanging Gardens were for his queen, who missed the mountains of her homeland. They were so spectacular that the Greeks ranked them among their Wonders of the World. Of course he was proud of them.

Although Nebuchadnezzar had already experienced God’s power through the events of the first few chapters of Daniel, he still clung tightly to his own prominence. When God warned the king about his pride, Daniel begged him to repent, but he ignored it and endured the consequences.

Some of the most candid praise of God in the Old Testament comes from Gentiles observing God’s working in the world. Read Nebuchadnezzar's account of what he learned about God (English: Daniel 4:1-3, Deutsch: Daniel 3,31-33).

Pride is tempting for us all—not just for world leaders. Lord, help me to focus on Your greatness and never stop telling people about You.

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