Stripping

"Thus says the Lord, 'Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not a mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this, that he understand and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,' declares the Lord" (Jer 9:23-24).

"He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord favors those who fear Him, those who wait for His lovingkindness" (Ps 146:10-11).

Words from the Lord to me this morning:

"I have been, am, and will continue to strip you of everything you could boast in. Can't you see that? I've stripped you of pride time and time again. I've stripped you of leadership. I've stripped you of the ability to communicate. I've stripped you of independence. I've stripped you of community. I've stripped you of the comforts and security of scheduling, of familiarity, of thinking to process rather than feeling, of friendships. Why have I stripped you of all of this, not to mention a whole host of sins? Because I must increase and you must decrease. What matters to Me is that you understand and know Me. Isn't that what I've been pleading with you about for the last several months? Just abide in Me? That's humility. That's being at the end of your rope, being stripped down to nothing, and having Me alone left but being completely content in that. I've shown you My lovingkindness (loyalty) time and time again, especially these last few weeks. I've given you a bigger, clearer picture of My justice. I've deepened your understanding of My righteousness, especially in comparison to yours, which is filthy rags. I delight in these things. I delight in you knowing Me. I delight in you understanding Me. You love it when I know you, when I understand you. I'm the same way. That's called a relationship!"

Thank you for stripping me of everything. It's been painful and still will be, but it's worth it because I must become nothing and you must become everything. It's worth it because you are God Almighty, supreme over everything, holy, majestic, full of glory, resplendent, and worthy of all praise. You must be made much of! That's all that matters! Thank you for graciously dealing with me. Thank you for allowing me the grace and privilege of making much of you. Thank you for humbling me that I may share in your sufferings as well as your glory. I have a long way to go, I know, but I also know that you are the Author and Perfecter of my faith and will accomplish your purposes in my life. Thank you that you can do the seemingly impossible AKA humble me!