Humility

“But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resiseth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” James 4:6

“You are safe only as, in perfect submission and obedience, you connect yourselves with Christ. The yoke is easy, for Christ carries the weight. As you lift the burden of the cross, it will become light; and that cross is to you a pledge of eternal life. It is the privilege of each to follow gladly after Christ, exclaiming at every step, “Thy gentileness hath made me great.” But if we would travel heavenward, we must take the Word of God as our lesson book. In the WORDS of INSPIRATION I must read MY LESSSON day by day. . . .

“The humiliation of the man Christ Jesus is comprehensible to the human mind; but His divinity and His existence before the world was formed can never be doubted by those who believe the WORD of GOD. The apostle Paul speaks of our Mediator, the only begotten Son of God, who in a state of glory was in the form of God, the Commander of all the heavnely hosts, and who, when He clothed His divinity with humanity, took upon Him the form of a servant. . .

“In consenting to become man, Christ manifested a humility that is the marvel of the heavenly intelligences. The act of consenting to be a man would be no humiliation were it not for the fact of Christ’s exalted pre-existence. We must open our understanding to realize that Christ laid aside HIS ROYAL ROBE, HIS KINGLY CROWN, HIS HIGH COMMAND, and clothed His DIVINITY with HUMANITY, that he might meet man where he was, and bring to the human family moral power to become the Sons and Daughters of God. To redeem man, Christ became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

“The meekness and humility that characterized the life of Christ will be made manifest in the life and character of those who “walk even as he walked.”

Sons and Daughters of God, by Ellen White p. 81, for March 15, 2023.

My father Manford Ordelheide, was not only the Pressroom Manger of the Denver Post News Paper in Denver, but he was the meek, and mild, patient, loving, dedicated daddy we loved. He loved to be with his family, and jeeping in Colorado created the special envirnoment of being loved. It was impossible to not start singing when we were jeeping. It was impossible to not laugh, as we chatted about the beauty around us. It was impossible to not notice what others were seeing in the forest, in the ruins of old mines, in the gravel, in the water, in the road, in the clouds.

With a close family, a father dedicated to doing things together, we learned of his patience, love and respect for God. It was not until he died, did I realize he was making the income comparable to a Dr. or Dentist.

It was not until my Mother passed away, did I understand, he knew she would live longer than himself, and yet he planned ahead to have the funds to take care of her, after he passed.

Once I asked a question I can’t remember, but his answer was, “You don’t know my debts?” How could he teach me how to save my money? His focus was upon staying out of debt… and providing for our insurance, cars to drive for four children, and so far ahead of what a teenager even thinks. He had their burial plot purchased. He was mindful of his responsiblity to his wife and children.

I was blessed with a father, who accepted in humility, the blessing God had given him. As the caretaker, of his family, and out pets, he was the man to best teach us, how to love one another. How to permit freedom of speech. How to get along with each other, with patience, kindness, joy and sense of humor.

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