Truth Be Told: A Blog by Pastor Bill Alderson

“When we see that humility is something infinitely deeper than contrition and accept it as our participation in the life of Jesus, we shall begin to learn that it is our true nobility, and that to prove it in being servants of all is the highest fulfillment of our destiny, as men created in the image of God.” This is a quote from Andrew Murray and his book “Humility” and it captures the essence of the importance of humility. It means that humility is not just a critical part of our relationship with Jesus, but also the foundation of our relationship to others. Peter strongly encourages every believer to “ clothe yourselves with humility toward one another ” (1Peter 5:5) since God is watching and “ gives grace to the humble ”. So what is humility? Humility is the quality of being humble. Dictionary definitions accentuate humility as a low self-regard and sense of unworthiness. In a religious context, humility can mean a recognition of self in relation to God. ...

  A critical part of spiritual maturity is developing the ability to hear the voice of God. Without it, the believer becomes part of the herd, following others who are following others. The uniqueness of each relationship with God requires the Christian to hear the gentle whisper (still small voice - 1Kings 19:12) as He leads, directs, guides, teaches, encourages, corrects, and convicts each one who desires to know God intimately. This ability does not happen by accident, but begins with the believer recognizing that hearing the quietness of His whispers is the by-product of knowing one’s identity as a child of God. In Psalm 46:10, “ Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth ! “ In John 6:45, “ It is written in the prophets, 'AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me .” Jesus was teaching His disciples that to be a learner, the very meaning of being a discip...

“Once there was a boy. . . who listened to an old man. And, thus, began to learn about The Precious Present. ' It is a present because it is a gift,’ the contented man explained. And it is called The Precious Present, because it is the best present of all. When the boy asked why, the old man explained. ‘It is the best present a person can receive because anyone who receives such a gift is happy forever.’ ‘Wow!’ the little boy exclaimed. ‘I hope someone gives me The Precious Present. Maybe I'll get it for Christmas.’"   These are the first few sentences of a book written by Spencer Johnson entitled “The Precious Present”. It is the story about a boy’s enlightenment that such a gift exists and then his pursuit of it, without knowing what it was. It is a good read and I will not expose the entire venture, but I will tell you that in the end, the boy found out that The Precious Present is not a thing, but a reality. Between the past and the future r...