Dr Greg Bahnsen - Proverbs: Proverbs 3:34 (Grace For The Humble) (Part 12)

The last few Lord's days we've been looking at the end of Proverbs chapter 3. The paragraph beginning in verse 27 to the end of the chapter has yielded us an exhortation having to do with being good neighbors and how we should relate to other individuals in a Christlike fashion as well, we have seen that the proper kind of heroes and role models should be set before our eyes because of what this passage teaches. There is one more important message, a specific text here in verse 34 that we need to focus on this morning, but I'd like to read to bring up the whole context for you again from the 27th verse to the end of the chapter. So here now God's word at Proverbs 3, beginning in verse 27. Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thy hand to do it, say not unto thy neighbour, go and come again, and tomorrow I will give. When thou hast it by thee, devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee. Strive not with a man without cause if he have done thee no harm. Envy thou not the man of violence, and choose none of his. For the perverse is an abomination to Jehovah, but his friendship is with the upright. The curse of Jehovah is in the house of the wicked, but he blesseth the habitation of the righteous. Surely he scoffeth at the scoffers, but he giveth grace unto the lowly. The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the promotion of fools, and thus far the reading of God's word. Our specific text this morning, as I said, is verse 34, which in my translation reads, surely he scoffeth at the scoffers, and he giveth grace unto the lowly. There are many ways in which that could be rendered from the Hebrew. It would be interesting if we were to all take turns reading our different translations. The same idea will be found there, but expressed in different words. The value of looking at different translations might be mentioned just at this point, because oftentimes the concept that we have in the Hebrew or the Greek, any other language it could be as well, doesn't come across in just one narrow or specific way of putting it in the English language. Surely he scoffeth at the scoffers. This is the many ways in which this can be put. Charles Bridges was one of the leaders of the Evangelical Party in England during the first half of the 19th century. And if you know anything of Victorian history or the history of England, you know what a. A crucial theological and spiritual force for good the Evangelical Party was at that time. And Bridges was one of the leaders in that party and a person who wrote a commentary on the book of Proverbs. And at this point he writes, on no point in the mind of God is the mind of God more fully declared than against pride. I started to think about this and I started to research it and to do a little textual analysis and carrying out the concept of pride and all the other words that are used for it, the haughty, those who are lifted up, the high minded, so forth, and the contrasting virtue of humility and being bent low. And as I started to study it, it began to be very apparent to me that there was no way that I think any orator, no way that this particular preacher could bring all of that biblical material to bear in one short morning message. It just is not possible. Bridges is right. The mind of God is so fully revealed on this question of pride that it's amazing that any Christian, any student of scripture, should still be struggling with that problem. That is to say, we should certainly know up here what God has to say about that. And that's what I'd like to explore briefly this morning with you, how God scoffs at scoffers and gives grace to the lowly. In the first part of verse 34, we read that God scorns the proud. Paul exhorts us in Galatians, the sixth chapter, that we not be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. It's just at a point like this that we are inclined to think we can get away with something. That God somehow doesn't catch on that he's missing it here. And Paul says, don't be deceived. Don't be so foolish as to think God will be mocked by your behavior. What you sow, you shall reap accordingly. Those who sow a life of pride and scorning, the Bible says, will reap to themselves the scorning of God. I don't have the words to tell you what this means. I mean to really communicate it emotionally, fully, internally, to your hearts. What it means to have the Almighty scorn you, hate you, despise you, resist you, and set himself against you. Live a life of pride. And the Bible says God scorns you. The Greek word that is used for scorners, as I just told you, means one who appears above others, one who sets himself above others. Scorners. Here are the proud, the conceited, the overbearing, the high minded, the self satisfied, the uncorrectable, the critical. Proverbs 21:24 says, Proud, haughty, scoffer are his names who acts with insolent pride. Even the book of Proverbs recognizes how you can put this many ways. It's haughtiness, it's an uncorrectable spirit. It's a critical spirit, it's an insolent spirit, it's a proud spirit. You can put it a lot of ways, but that's what God detests. You know, arrogance was as distasteful in ancient Israel as it is in our own society today. And the Bible tells us that God hates it just as much as anybody else. In fact, he hates it more purely and he hates it more intensely just because he can see through people to their very hearts. We might be inclined sometimes to let a proud person get away with their pride because we don't see their hearts, we only see their outward performance. We might say, well, they do have reason to be proud. I guess you can say what you want, I'm not going to get in the ring with you. You have to respect you've got some kind of ability there. We let that sort of thing go. We will not go unpunished. Proverbs 8:13. Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverted mouth do I hate. Isn't that the kind of language we're used to hearing? God hates someone. Someone is an abomination to God. That Hebrew word to vah so strong, detestable in the sight of God. God says, those who have an uplifted heart, I hate. They are abominable to me. And you know this is true. Look at Bible history. Who would not let God's people go, who, though he had been humbled and brought down by the plagues of God, even then wanted to refuse to honor the God of the Hebrews, saying that he himself was a God and the Hebrews would continue to worship him. And Pharaoh lost his firstborn son, and all the firstborn sons of the ungodly in Egypt were lost in one night. In a momentary time of agony he lets the Hebrews go. But even then he hardens his heart more against God, pursues them. And God destroyed Pharaoh in the Red Sea. Think of Sennacherib, proud Sennacherib, the Babylonian general who said that he would eat up Babylon, he would eat up Jerusalem, he would bring it low. And in the night before he attacked it, as Isaiah the prophet said, God killed 165,000 of his men. In the morning they awoke and found half their camp dead, and he flew back to his home only to have his sons kill him there. Yes, raise yourself up, oppose yourself to the Almighty, and he will break you. That's the message of Scripture he brings. Lo, the mighty. He scoffs at the scoffers. He hates the proud call to mind the second Psalm what is God's attitude toward those who take counsel against the Lord's anointed? Those who would cast off the cords of the Lord from them we read, he who sits in the heavens will laugh the Lord will have them in derision. David took note of the arrogance of his enemies in the 59th Psalm, saying, deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloodthirsty men. They howl like a dog and go round about the city. Behold, they belch out with their mouth, swords are in their lips, and for who they say doth hear, but thou, O Jehovah, wilt laugh at them Thou wilt have all the nations in derision. The Greek word that is used to translate the Hebrew for scorn. Here we find that Greek word in James 4 and 1 Peter 5, where this passage is quoted, is literally to set oneself against, to oppose and resist. The Bible's theme from COVID to cover is very simply that when a man lifts up his heart, heaven becomes brass against him. God sets himself against such a person. God gives no grace to those who exalt themselves. This opposition of God to the haughty and to the proud is explained in various ways in the Bible, and I think again, a study of the various ways in which God expresses His disdain tells us something. That word disdain is used in Psalm 1001. 5. Turn in your Bibles to see what the psalmist says about the proud. Psalm 101:5 Whoso privily slandereth his neighbor him Will I destroy him that hath a high look and a proud heart? Will I not allow? I will not accept Psalm 138:6. For though Jehovah is high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly but the haughty he knoweth from afar. God keeps at a distance all those who raise themselves up. In Luke 1:51, the beautiful song of the mother of our Lord Mary, she too speaks of God's attitude toward those who lift themselves up, and this language is employed. He hath shown strength with his arm he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their heart. And then Matthew 23:12, another way in which this is put Matthew 23:12 tells us one of the common aphorisms of our Lord Whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled, and whosoever shall humble himself shall be exalted. And so what does it mean that God sets himself against the proud? It means he disdains them, he knows them afar, he keeps them distant he scatters them he brings them low and humbles them. Proverbs 3:34 tells us in the second half of the verse, however, about an ironic reversal. Humility, on the other hand, brings exaltation, but he giveth grace unto the lowly. It's a persistent theme of the wisdom that is taught in the book of Proverbs that humility precedes honor. Would you be one who would have honor, be honored, be accounted high in the sight of God? You cannot pursue it directly. To pursue honor is to lose, cannot be gained. If you want honor itself, humility precedes it. Proverbs 15:33 the fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom, and before honor comes humility. Proverbs 18:12 before destruction, the heart of a man is haughty, but humility goes before honor. Proverbs 22:4 the reward of humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, honor, and life. Proverbs 29:23Aman's pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor. When it gets repeated so often in virtually the same words. Obviously it's a crucial point for human nature, how we are to stand and live before God, to learn that you cannot be honored if you aren't humble. In parallel to this proverb that we're studying this morning, Scripture elsewhere teaches that God's favor rests only upon the contrite and upon the humble. We find this in Isaiah 57, verse 15, where the prophet says, for thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is holy, I dwell in the high and holy place with him also, that is, of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite. Later Isaiah writes in chapter 66, but to this man will I Jehovah look even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and that trembleth at my word. You see the way this is dramatically portrayed, the high and lofty one, the one who inhabits eternity, the one who is transcendent in holiness and beyond us. He says, I yet dwell with the one who is contrite and low, the one who humbles himself I bring up, I dwell with him. The one who sinks the lowest in terms of his own self congratulation or pride stands closest to the greatest exaltation. That's quite an irony. Well, you won't find that in the Greek philosophers. Absolutely not. They praise the large souled man, literally the Greek, the man who's puffed up, the man who has something to set forth. You won't find that in even modern society in its approach to getting ahead in life and being successful. Humble yourself. Learn not to speak of yourself. Don't be oriented toward yourself. Make yourself low. Of course not. We love the guy who stands up there like Cassius Clay and says, it ain't bragging because I can do it. We love the person who gets ahead, draws attention to himself, the aggressive person, the one who has the limelight. The Bible says God doesn't dwell with such a person. The irony is that to dwell with God and to be honored by God, one must be humble and broken and abased. You must bring yourself down in your own eyes if God would ever lift you up in His. You must sacrifice self esteem in order to become esteemed by God. For though Jehovah is high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly, but the haughty, he knoweth from afar. So important is this theme in Proverbs, as I told you, it is quoted verbatim in the New Testament not once, but twice. Turning your Bibles to James the fourth chapter, verse six, James is in the midst of indicting his readers for their lack of self control, their divisions, their acquisitive, greedy, selfish attitudes. The humble, therefore, unto God, and resist the devil, he will flee you. First. Peter, 5. 5 Peter, in giving a series of exhortations to those in the church, says, likewise, you, younger, be subject unto the elder. Yes, all of you, gird yourselves, clothe yourselves with humility to serve one another. Why? For God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. We saw this in Luke, chapter one, Mary's Magnificat. We see it in the teaching of Jesus where he says, whoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled, but whoever shall humble himself shall be exalted. When you stop and think about it, the very first aphorism preached by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount is to the same effect. What could be more wonderful? What could be a greater inheritance than to be a part of the kingdom of God? Where can you find more lasting wealth, greater riches than in the kingdom of God? But Jesus said, blessed are the poor in spirit, for Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The greatest riches await those who are first inwardly poor. And so there's this great reversal, this irony in the Bible. Want to be brought up, make yourself low. Want to be rich, make yourself out, honor yourself. You know, it's more than just finding it in so many places in the Bible. As I told you now, this morning, when you stop and think about it. This is a central theme of Scripture. In Luke, the 24th chapter, we read of two followers of Jesus, who after his crucifixion, must precede exaltation, suffering, then glory brought low in order to be brought high. Jesus says, don't you understand the Scriptures? If you've read the Old Testament, you'd know this. You'd say, of course, this is what we should have expected. It's one of the central themes of God's Word. And it's the great lesson that Paul found in Philippians 2, verses 3 to 11. I want to read that entire passage because it is just so important. Humiliation, then exaltation. Philippians 2, beginning at verse 3. Holy mind of Christ, because he, through faction or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind, each counting other better than himself, not looking. Each of you to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others, have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, counted, not being on an equality with God, a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death. Yes, the death of the cross. Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name that is above every name, that in the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of things in heaven, and things on earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. One of the longest Christological passages in the New Testament, crucial for our theology, understanding the nature of Christ. But it's an ethical exhortation. Paul says, have this mind in you that was in Christ. And now let me tell you what Christ was all about. He humbled himself, he brought himself low. He was equal with God, but emptied himself and died a criminal's death. Have that mind in you, and then you'll serve each other. Then there won't be these factions in the Philippian Church. Then you'll start showing forth the true Spirit of Christ. Humble yourselves, because that is the necessary step. To exaltation. God highly exalted Christ because He first suffered and humbled himself. And so do we understand Proverbs 3:34. God hates those who lift themselves up. God sets himself firmly against anyone who would exalt himself, be proud. And yet, ironically, those who bring themselves low will be made high in the estimation of God. God will exalt the humble and give grace to them. We better ask ourselves then how important a theme this is in the Bible. Having seen that, we better ask ourselves what is true humility? There's so much for us to learn. I think of so many, your preacher too, in this room, who need to learn true humility. Humility I'm going to tell you two things about humility. I can't give the whole discourse from Scripture on it, but two crucial things you need to know. First, humility is the way of acceptance with God. And secondly, humility is the way of life before God. First, the way of acceptance with God. The statement that was used by our Lord Jesus Christ, whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled, but whosoever shall humble himself shall be exalted, was a regular and a repeated part of his teaching. It's found in at least three different settings, applied to three different subjects in the recorded preaching ministry of Jesus. I want to suggest to you that he probably often stated that the fact that it appears three different times in three different settings says that he made large application of it. And I want us to examine each one of those settings. First of all, Jesus says this in Matthew 23:12. What is the setting in Matthew 23? Well, if you're a student of the New Testament, that stands out. That is the most excoriating chapter in all of the Lord's ministry. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees. And he brings them low. And in the midst of this and the excoriation of the scribes and Pharisees who made an outward show of religiosity, who liked to show people they were religious people, they were respectable, decent people who loved the chief seats in the synagogues, Jesus says, and everyone who will exalt himself shall be humbled, and everyone who will humble himself shall be exalted. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees. We have any scribes and Pharisees in our congregation? You say, well, of course not. The word Pharisee has such terrible, ugly connotations in our day that no one would claim to be a Pharisee. So I Don't expect anybody here to say, yeah, I'm a Pharisee. That's me. So let me say it for you. I think we have a congregation full of Pharisees. All of us are going to struggle with that attitude that says, well, I mean, I'm right with God. Others aren't. There's something about me that's pretty acceptable. I'm pretty decent. I think about people who have told me that before they became Christians, they thought that God must be certainly happy with their lives, if not overjoyed, because they're better than others. They live a fairly decent life. God's not going to be hard on them. Pharisees, the Pharisees have that bad reputation only because Jesus said what he did. And we like Jesus, and so we assume his attitude toward them. In Jesus day, what Jesus was saying was absolutely abhorrent and socially unacceptable. Because the Pharisees were the religious leaders and they were looked up to. And people said, if I could just be a Pharisee, if I could be as pure as them, if I could only know as much as them. And Jesus says, you hypocrites, you love your chief seats at church. You love to have people see you and think that you're fine. And your exalting of yourself will bring you very low. Jesus uses this aphorism in Luke 14, verse 11, when he tells the parable of the wedding banquet. And he says, at such places men love to take the chief seats of honor. And Jesus there gives what might appear at first to be kind of social etiquette. He says, when you come to the banquet, don't sit yourself up there at the head table. Sit yourself way back in the corner, make yourself low. And then when the host comes, he will call you forward and say, oh, no, no, we want you down here at the head table. Well, I mean, there may be something to that kind of etiquette, but Jesus was not preaching social etiquette. You better know that. Because Jesus concludes by saying, and everyone who will humble himself will be exalted. But those who exalt themselves will be brought low. It's in the midst of teaching about the way of entrance into the kingdom of God. And then thirdly, a very touching passage In Luke, the 18th chapter, which I want to read for you, beginning at verse nine, the story of the despised publican and the Pharisee who went into the temple to pray, and the contrast that was seen between them, Luke 18:9. And he spake also this parable unto certain who trusted in themselves, that they were righteous and set others at naught. Two men went up into the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee, the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself. God, I thank thee that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week. I give tithes of all that I get. But the publican, standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his eyes into heaven, but smote his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. I say unto you. This man went down to his house justified rather than the other. For every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled, but he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. Jesus spoke this to those who trusted in themselves that they were acceptable before God. They were righteous men who did not evaluate themselves on God's terms, men who did not understand the holiness of God, who did not understand the perfection of God, who did not understand the high and holy demands of God's law. Many pride themselves that they were decent people, acceptable religious people. And Jesus says the only prayer, the only prayer that God hears begins, be merciful. I'm a sinner. Why should you listen to me, God? Every prayer must have that spirit about it. God, why would you listen to me? Foul as I am, as sinful and as disobedient as I am, as inconsistent in my devotion as I am, as falling so short of your standards of perfection, why should you listen to me, God? Be merciful to me, a sinner. Those who cannot pray just that simply and do not think that they need the grace of God will obviously not be extended the grace of God. You see, though it is ironic, those who humble themselves are brought high in the sight of God. It makes a lot of sense too. God extends grace to those who recognize their need for it, and he withholds it from those who don't confess it. Divine mercies for those who freely and fully confess that God's mercy is their one and only hope. Grace is freely available to anyone who says, it's only by grace that I'll be saved. And so true humility is the way of acceptance with God. Not comparing ourselves to others, not comparing ourselves to the general run of mankind or our neighbors, but comparing ourselves to the holiness of God and saying, oh, God, how can he listen to me, accept me only in mercy, only by grace. Secondly, this morning I want to tell you that true humility is not just the way of acceptance with God. It's the way of life before God. Those who have been brought low and have experienced the grace of God don't then just get up and say, boy, am I wonderful and lead arrogant, unteachable, self centered, wretched lives. Those who have been brought low and are truly humble lead humble lives before God. What is humility? As I said, it's a lowly spirit that operates upon a deep conviction of one's guilt. And here's the part you're not going to like. One's utter nothingness itself. Abasement. It's saying, God, I'm empty. I'm nothing. I want to know how people who think of themselves as nothing in the sight of God can ever get snippy with one another. How can people who consider themselves nothing in the sight of God be selfish? How can people who consider themselves nothing in the sight of God be uncorrectable? Those who are self abased are going to lead a different kind of life than those who are like the Pharisees. Humility is not an occasional or temporary feeling. It's a habit of mind. Peter said, clothe yourselves with humility. It's not just a passing costume worn by an actor either. The word actor is hypocrite in the Greek. It's not something with which one might become smug. Amazing, isn't it, that we could become proud of our humility. No, humility is from the heart. It's something that we are enclosed in. It's something that characterizes our life, the habitually three features about humility of the many that we might mention. First, humility does not draw attention to one's own virtues. Here are the Proverbs. Proverbs 25, 27. It's not good to eat much honey. Nor is it glory to search out one's own glory. Proverbs 27:2. Let another praise you and not your own mouth, a stranger, and not your own lips. The book of Proverbs says, if you truly have been brought low before God, if you are humble, you don't draw attention to yourself. Our hearts are so desperately wicked, though so corrupt, we say, oh, that's true. I wouldn't want to stand up and say, hey everybody, you know what I did? Well, I'm really great. We find other ways to do it. We find wormy weasley little ways to get other people to say it for us. Maybe we want our parents to praise us. Maybe we want to prime the pump and suggest to somebody else that they praise us. Maybe we want to stand out and be recognized because we're not willing to go along with others. Maybe we're of a contrary spirit. We've always got to oppose everybody else's idea. We've always got to have something to say. We have a better way of putting it than somebody else put it. We have a lot of tail, terrible ways in which that pride gets down in our hearts. The book of Proverbs tells us humility doesn't draw attention to oneself. Secondly, those who are not humble, I.e. the scoffers, the proud, do not receive correction. Proverbs 9. He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself. He who reproves a wicked man gets insults for himself. Do not reprove a scoffer, lest he hate you. Reprove a wise man and he will love you. Proverbs 15:12. A scoffer does not love those who reprove him. He will not go to the wise. Second thing we need to hear, congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ, is that if we are truly humble and consider ourselves nothing, it will not be a problem when we are called upon by other Christians, by the session, by people outside the church to acknowledge that we haven't perfectly followed the Lord Jesus Christ and that we need to be exhorted to more faithful service in his kingdom. That's one of the hardest things in the world to do. But what does it say about us when we're unwilling to receive correction? The Bible says it shows that we are really proud. And you know what happens so often? I've seen this in my life. I've seen this in my ministry. I know you all have as well. You can make the best, humble, pleasant, loving, charitable effort to go to someone and say, look friend, this isn't the way you should have done that. And then you find out two weeks, two months, two years later of how that person has bad mouthed you to everyone else. He or she had the opportunity to say something about it. Can you imagine what he said to me? Proverbs puts it right there. Reprove a scoffer, he'll hate you. You'll get a blotch is what you'll get. If you reprove a scoffer, reprove a wise man, what will he do? He'll say I love you. Thank you, I needed that. Because I know that you and me together are wishing to follow the Lord Jesus Christ in purity, consistency, utter, faithful devotion. And if I've fallen short and you've come to help me, you must love me too. Of course we can criticize one another as a way of doing what? Saying, hey, I'm better than you. Look what you did wrong. I don't do that, so why don't you be like me? Obviously that spirit is not one of humility. But when you do go and try to help another person and you get a blotch for it, you can be sure you're not talking to a wise person. You're not talking to a person who has humbled himself in the sight of God. Thirdly, humility prefers others and shows patient love. We are not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought, Paul says in Romans 12, but rather prefer others above ourselves. Are you humble? Ask yourself this. When you have a choice between helping someone else and pursuing your own pleasures, which do you do? When you have a choice between seeing someone else get ahead, be praised or be acknowledged, and yourself, which do you do? Scripture's command is that nothing be done through strife and vainglory, but with humility we should esteem others better than ourselves. Philippians 2:3 that's the beginning of the Christological have this mind in you that was in Christ Jesus, not with strife, not with vainglory, not with challenging one another, but serving one another or Ephesians 4:2 with all lowliness we should forbear one another in love. Are we a loving people? Are we a forbearing people? Are we quick to challenge each other? Are we quick to dispute with one another? We quick to compare ourselves to one another? Are we a tolerant and loving and other directed people? Or are we self centered, defensive and proud? The greatest example of humility I can imagine, and the one that breaks my heart every time I think think about it seriously. It was found in the upper room when Jesus, before he was going to the cross to die for the sins of the men that were in that room and ours took a servant's apron and a dish and went around and washed their feet. You know who this was bowed low to the ground to the smelly feet of these sinful individuals. It was Lord of Glory. It was God the Son, who from all eternity had all glory with the Father. And he bowed so low that he washed filthy feet. And then he said, if I your master, have become your servant, I've given you an example of how you should treat one another. Are you right with God this morning? Here's an easy way to ask and to find the answer. You willing to wash feet? You might like to wash the feet of those that you respect, those you look up to. Are you willing to wash the feet of those that you consider Less than you, like Jesus did. There was a time in my Christian life when I thought that the gifts of God were kind of like on shelves. And the more you grew, the taller you got as a Christian, the more of these gifts you could then reach to. I'm convinced from the heart this morning it's the other way around. The gifts of God are for those not who can reach high, but for those who can stoop very low. Let's pray. Lord, be merciful to us because we're so sinful. By your spirit, fill us with the graces of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. That we might have his mind, his outlook, his demeanor. That we are willing to become humble, that you would eventually exalt us. Indeed. Father, give us today an attitude that is correctable, that is oriented toward others, that is patient and loving. An attitude that is willing to wash the feet of sinners. We thank you that you've washed ours indeed, you've washed us all over. You've cleansed us from the pollutions of sin. And we know this is only because we are low. Lord, we ask that you would keep us in that proper framework. That we would see ourselves as we saw ourselves on the day of our conversion. As nothing. As people who could only reach for the mercy of God as their only hope. Let us live that way today and throughout our lives, confident that you will not scorn us if we are willing to scorn ourselves. That you will rather receive us as your children. For we pray in Jesus name, Amen.