Sunday, November 28, 2010

classic Saturday

Jeremy Taylor (1613-1667), in his Rule and Exercises of Holy Living, writes of nineteen rules that help a person battle pride and "exercise the grace of humility". All of his rules to develop humility stem from the first rule: to remember our unworthiness.

"First, do not think better of yourself because of any outward circumstance that happens to you. Although you may-because of the gifts that have been bestowed upon you- be better at something than someone else (as one horse runs faster than another), know that it is for the benefit of others, not for yourself. Remember that you are merely human and that you have nothing in yourself that merits worth except your right choices.

Second, humility does not consist in criticizing yourself, or wearing ragged clothes, or walking around submissively wherever you go. Humility consists in a realistic opinion of yourself, namely, that you are an unworthy person. Believe this about yourself with the same certainty you believe that you are hungry when you have gone without food."

Finally, "confess your sins often to God and don't think of them as scattered offenses in the course of a long life; a burst of anger here, an act of impatience there. Instead, unite them into one continuous representation of your life. Remember that a person may seem rather good if his faults are scattered over large distances throughout his lifetime; but if his errors and follies are placed next to one another, he will appear to be a vicious and miserable person. Hopefully this exercise, when really applied to your soul, will be useful to you for increasing the grace of humility."

Consider this exercise of confession with God this week. Just as several of us recently wrote out a thankful list, consider writing out a confession list. This will surely increase the recognition of our need for a Rescuer and our gratitude for God's grace through Christ.

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