Sunday, November 2, 2008

Learn Humbly

This morning I spoke about suffering and humility. You can listen here. The following are my notes:

A fact of life: Pain happens and innocence is lost

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. –John 16:33

Sometimes what the Bible doesn’t say is just as important as what the says:


Not “IF you have trials and sorrows”
Not “You will have trials and sorrows”
It says “You will have many trials and sorrows”

Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. –Romans 12:12

Another fact of life: Security is not found in the world

While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. -1 Thessalonians 5:3


You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that will come upon the earth, for the Lord is your security. -Proverbs 3:25-26

Another fact of life: Pain and misery are not the same thing

Pain is inevitable, but misery is optional. We cannot avoid pain, but we can avoid joy. –Tim Hansel

Be Humble

Pride is concerned with who is right. Humility is concerned with what is right. –Henry Cloud

Humility is not having a need to be more than you really are.

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. -2 Corinthians 12:7-10


Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others too. –Philippians 2:3-4

Six Steps to humility

  1. Say you are sorry to your children, spouse, coworkers, customers, and other people in your life when you fail them.
  2. Get rid of any and all defensiveness when it occurs in you. What you are defending—the need to be more than you are—is not worth keeping.
  3. Embrace a spirit of gratitude for everything you have and any good treatment you get.
  4. When someone is hurt by you, listen. Try to understand what he or she is feeling and learn how you can make things better.
  5. Embrace your imperfections and the imperfections of others.
  6. Use failure as a teacher and a friend.

Innocence Lost. Grace Restored.

When hardship, negativity, or adversity comes into our life we can and should do one of two things:

1. We either fix the problem
2. We figure out the problem can’t be fixed and let it go.

If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain. –Maya Angelou

How does one become a butterfly? You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar. –Trina Paulus

God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord. –Romans 5:20-21

Training Update:

I jogged to the Millard West track late in the evening. I hadn't done anything hard for a few days. It was warm and dark, but my legs were rested and I ran well.

2 mile warm-up

1K - 3:52 (6:16 / mile) - 600 meters jogging

2K - 7:40 (6:06 / mile) - 600 meters jogging

3K - 11:27 (6:05 / mile) - 800 meters jogging

4K - 15:19 (6:06 / mile)- 1000 meters jogging

5K - 18:58 (6:06 / mile)

2 miles cool-down

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