Lifted By Grace
Saturday’s Verse:
From James 4:10 ESV
"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you."
Over the past several months, I’ve collected “biblical memes” from X (the former Twitter). My collection is rather large right now, so I thought I would share. Over the coming days, I’ll present these memes.
In a culture that values self-promotion and loud, proud confidence, James tells us to do the opposite. We must humble ourselves—not before others, not before institutions, but before the Lord. This is not false modesty or self-flagellation. It is an honest standing before God, facing both who we are and who He is.
Biblical humility is not weakness; it is truth. It is standing in the reality that we have nothing within ourselves that qualifies us for God’s favor… and yet, by grace, we are welcomed to His table. This is especially clear through a Lutheran lens: We are both sinners and saints. We confess our sin, not to drown in guilt but to be reminded that mercy is there to meet us every time. And here’s the promise: He will exalt you. Not because you earned it. Not because you’re on top of some spiritual totem pole. But because Christ left the perfection of heaven to stoop into our dirt, to take our sin, and to rise again, lifting us up with Him.
When we stop trying to lift ourselves up, God will lift us.
Prayers
A Prayer for Today:
Lord, teach me to let go of my pride and my need to prove myself. Help me to trust your grace more than my performance. Keep me grounded in the truth of who I am—and more importantly, in the truth of who You are. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
The photo above was licensed through Unsplash+