Worship 101: Humility & Pliability

MONDAY

A necessary factor to be able to serve in the Kingdom of God and grow to know the love of our Lord is possessing a moldable heart. The heart of a disciple of Jesus is one that is pliable. Look this word up in a good dictionary and write down the definition. It will be helpful to look back upon the definition of pliability as we continue throughout the week. Read Jeremiah 18:2-6. What do you think was the reason the Lord sent Jeremiah to the potter’s house? How is it that we, like Israel, can be like clay in the Lord’s hand? The desire to have a moldable heart comes from knowing that you are a sinner and in need of correction (Ezekiel 7:20)! When you heed correction is when you allow the Lord to mold you for His purposes. Write Ephesians 2:10 on an index card and memorize it. Realize that you are God’s vessel, His workmanship! Created to do and to walk in the ways of the Lord. Be like soft clay in His hands!

TUESDAY

The hardest thing to do when working on having a moldable heart is learning to accept correction. When someone tries to correct you, how do you respond? Do you show your annoyance at once (Prov. 12:16)? Do you turn away from discipline, or do you seek it (Prov. 15:5)? Read Psalm 141:5. Doesn’t this make a good memory verse? This is the attitude of a disciple, one who seeks after the Lord’s own heart. Maybe you should begin to seek good rebukes rather than empty praises! Write Psalm 139:23-24 on an index card and memorize it. Remember, don’t be angry at the one who corrects you, be angry at your sin! During your discipleship meeting this week, tell your discipler how much you want to get rid of the sin that is holding you back, or that you’re holding back, from the Lord. Be bold and let your brother/sister help you!

WEDNESDAY

Even our Lord had to be tested and perfected! What do you think His attitude was throughout all this? Read Hebrews 5:7-9. How did Jesus learn obedience? What was the attitude He possessed that enabled Him to be heard by God? Why was it necessary for Him to be made perfect? The phrase "learned obedience by the things which He suffered" does not mean that Jesus was ever disobedient but rather that He learned through experience as a Man and through all His temptation and suffering what it meant to suffer and triumph in a way He did not experience before the incarnation. His humanity was in this sense "completed," which is the meaning of the Greek word translated "perfected" in this context. Would you have trusted in Jesus if He decided not to be pliable in the Lord’s hand? Write Isaiah 28:16 on an index card and memorize it.

THURSDAY

When faced with correction, do you think about your will, or the will of God? Have you trained yourself to act upon the correction or do you just react to it? Do you want to get better or do you want to remain bitter? Read 2 Corin. 7:10-11. What do you think is the difference between the sorrow of the world and the sorrow that is godly? What does sorrow of the world lead to? What does godly sorrow lead to? What other godly attitudes does godly sorrow produce? Does worldly sorrow motivate you to be pliable? Write Ecclesiastes 7:3 on an index card and memorize it. From the Believers Study Bible : “Sorrow tends to produce a saddening reflection, while laughter may indicate a frivolous frame of mind. In a serious mood, one is more ready to think reflectively about life. From this comes the motivation for a purification of the heart.”

FRIDAY

You can be a servant of the Lord, only by having a submissive and pliable attitude. I quote Matthew Henry: “Younger Christians are to submit to their elders, and to yield with humility and patience to God, and to be sober, watchful, and steadfast in faith...” Read 1 Peter 5:5-9. Why should we be submissive to the elder? Why should we serve one another? Let your anxieties about receiving discipline and correction drive you to God’s throne in prayer, rather than giving the devil a foothold. Remember! The battle is against the evil powers that influence, not against the people who are trying to love you! Write James 4:10 on an index card and memorize it. “Submit yourself to God, for he is ready to do you good. If you yield to temptations, the devil will continually follow you; but if you put on the whole armor of God, and stand out against him, he will leave you. Let sinners then submit to God, and seek his grace and favor; resisting the devil. All sin must be wept over; here, in godly sorrow, or, hereafter, in eternal misery. And the Lord will not refuse to comfort one who really mourns for sin, or to exalt one who humbles himself before him.” -- Matthew Henry

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