Mon.’s Devo - True Humility

Read: Joshua 13:1-14:15; Luke 18:1-17; Psalm 85:1-13; Proverbs 13:7-8
Joshua was getting old and there were still areas that they had not taken over from the Philistines and the Geshurites. They were the spirits of of self-pity and pride. They were to drive them out. But God told them he would drive out the Sidionites which were the hunters.
God had preserved Joshua’s strength through the wandering through the wilderness those forty years. He was forty years old when he spied out the land and now was eighty-five. He was still as strong as he was at forty and still able to be a warrior. Obedience preserves our strength and gives quality to our lives. It keeps us young.
Joshua was so fit, he asked for the hardest land to take - the mountains where the Anakims lived. The Anakims were the giants and their cities were great and fortified. Joshua was not afraid because he knew God was with him. Caleb was given Hebron which was the city of the four giants. To whom much is given; much is required. Joshua and Caleb had proved themselves faithful and fearless so they were given the harder assignments. God knew they would win because they trusted in Him.
God never sets us up for defeat, but for success. He knows what we have faith for and he pushes us beyond our natural ability so we will reach out in faith. Nothing is impossible with the Lord.
In Luke we read about humility. Sometimes humility looks like never giving up. The widow wouldn’t stop asking because she knew that the judge had the power to change her situation. She didn’t care about her reputation and how much she had to humble herself to ask. She asked until she got what she needed. Other times, humility looks like the publican. He knew his sin and understood God’s holiness. The Pharisee compared himself to everyone else instead of comparing himself to God. We can always find someone else who is a greater sinner than us to make us feel justified, but they are not our standard. God is the standard and he is sinless and holy.
Lord, help us to live in true humility and gratefulness.