FBC Morning Light – September 9, 2022

Proverbs 27:1-2 and the Call to Humility

Well, a good Friday morning to you. Here we are approaching another weekend, looking forward to the Lord's Day this coming Sunday. By the way, we're making a little alteration in our schedule beginning this Sunday.

The morning service and the Sunday school hour and so forth are staying the same, no difference there. 930, we're studying the book of Isaiah in the adult Sunday school class. It's a really encouraging blessing of a book.

Then 2 Peter as well in the morning service. In the evening, we're having regular service at 6 o 'clock, our evening service, but concurrent with the evening service, we're beginning this Sunday to have a children's club.

We have had that club on Wednesday nights, but we're moving it to Sunday night at 6 o 'clock. It's an hour earlier than the Wednesday night program, so kids will get home an hour earlier and it works out better for a school night and so forth.

That change this Sunday night, that kids club is for boys and girls age 4 through 6th grade and I encourage you to have your kids come. That would be a great time for them. While they're doing that, you can attend the service and hear something from God's word from the gospel of Mark.

The Uncertainty of Tomorrow

Well, today there are two verses in the book of Proverbs that are on the reading schedule. I don't often comment on these, but I wanted to today. The first two verses of Proverbs 27. The first verse is really poignant.

It gets us to stop and think about just the reality of life. Because the verse says, don't boast about tomorrow for you do not know what a day may bring forth. Isn't that true? We go through our days expecting that we're going to have tomorrows.

And we plan on them and we live as if it's certain that we will have tomorrow. And we can plan far out in advance, can't we? Sometimes we schedule things six, eight months down the road. Very confident that we're going to engage in those things.

But really this verse is telling us we can't boast about that. We can't say for sure we're going to. Because we don't know what a day may bring forth. I remember several years ago now, a friend of mine from another church setting was, I think he was late fifties, a relatively young man, right?

One morning he was just working on his treadmill like he did every other morning. Just doing his running on his treadmill and had a massive heart attack and died. Just like that. So when he got up that morning, he had his day planned out before him.

I'm sure he probably had his week planned out for him to some degree and had plans for the days in the future yet ahead. But that was his last day on earth. We just don't know. That's a sobering thought.

But it's one that we need to live in the light of, isn't it? That this is the day that we have to serve the Lord. And so let's do so with all of our might. The second verse says, let another man praise you and not your own mouth, a stranger and not your own lips.

The Sin of Self-Promotion

We live in a day of self-aggrandizement, right? Everybody's got to toot their own horn and take their own pictures and video selfies and all the rest of that kind of stuff. Self-promotion. Self-promotion.

And the counsel from the Proverbs is, don't do that. Don't praise yourself. Let somebody else praise you if you're going to be praised. And instead, in your case, develop the spirit of humility. Praise other people.

When people have done good things that are worthwhile of praise and gratitude and congratulations and so forth, be generous with that praise of others. Let others be generous with praise of you. Don't praise yourself.

And again, we see too many examples of the kind of self-promotion and I'm the greatest kind of thing. Honestly, I don't watch too much football anymore. I used to really enjoy it, but I really don't watch much of it, especially professional football.

One of the things that really just, it just grates on me is the celebration of one's accomplishment on the field. I see these guys who, you know, they make a tackle and they get up and they beat their chest like, oh, look, I'm the greatest.

Look what I've done. All they did was make a tackle. That's their job. Or, you know, the guy gets a good run and so he, you know, taunts the other player, you know, like, hey, look what I did. Look what I got, but beat your tackle or whatever, or runs for a touchdown and I made the touchdown.

Nee, nee, nee, nee, nee. And it's all about me. I love to see players who do incredibly gifted things on the field or on the basketball court and they just do it. They, you know, they score the touchdown, drop the ball and go on, you know, or they run, they get a great run and, you know, get a first down or more and drop the ball and get back in the huddle and go on or make a tackle and get up and get back to the line of scrimmage for the next play.

Humble guys. I love to see good, good gifted players who don't tout their giftedness. They let others praise them. This is the, this is the spirit. May we have that kind of humility. So these two things, don't boast about tomorrow and don't boast about yourself.

Prayer for Humble Living

All right. So well, let's have a brief word of prayer and then get on with the day Friday and look forward to the weekend ahead. Father, I thank you for these encouragements from your word today about not being boastful.

May we not boast about the days ahead because we don't know that we're going to have them. And may we not boast about ourselves, praising ourselves. Let's be praising of others. And if we're going to receive praise, may others give it.

So Lord, encourage us with these things today, we pray in Jesus name, Amen. All right. Well, have a good rest of your Friday. And if you can make it to the Lord's house in Sterling at Faith Baptist, we'd be glad to have you.

Glad to see you. A good day.