Adverbial living
Humbly Gratefully Meekly Boldly Confidently
What is an adverb?
It is any word that modifies any other part of language: verbs, adjectives (including numbers), clauses, sentences and other adverbs, except for nouns; modifiers of nouns are primarily determiners and adjectives. Adverbs typically answer questions such as how?" (or "in what way?), when?, where?, why? and to what extent?. They often end in -ly. When they answer “how?” their usage is usually “in what way?”. When they answer “when?” they are usually a date or a word such as “yesterday” or “today.” When they answer “why?” they are usually an explanation of a problem, issue, or situation, usually ending after “because.” When they answer “where?” they usually state a place.
So I considered the adverbs of the Bible, but in a single sense: to answer the question, “how do you live?”
Here are a few adverbs, easily recognized by their ending in “–ly.”
- Humbly
- Humanly
- Meekly
- Passionately
- Mercifully
- Single-Mindedly
- Peaceably
- Confidently
How do you live?
You may or may not have noticed that those adverbs come from thoughts in the Beatitudes. Turn over to Matthew 5, and follow along while I read them again.
- Humbly
- Humanly
- Meekly
- Passionately
- Mercifully
- Single-Mindedly
- Peaceably
- Confidently
Other adverbs used in the Bible in regards to the question “how do you live,” or “how do humans live,” include:
- Shamefully
- Harshly
- Quickly
- Seriously (not seriously)
- Immediately
- Easily
- Peacefully
- Uncontrollably
- Deceitfully
- Faithfully
- Mightily
- Slowly
- Strongly
So many options…so, “how do you live?”
I wanted to entitle this “Humbly Gratefully Meekly Boldly Confidently,” because I thought those adverbs captured a sense of the ideal way to live. When I compared this list against the Beatitudes, I think all of those adverbial concepts are captured as well – answering fairly the “how do you live” question.
So how am I doing? How are you doing? Are we living well? Are there areas for improvement? Let’s tackle these adverbs one at a time.
- Humbly
To live humbly is to recognize your place in this world.
Psa 8:3-4 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars that you set in place - (4) what are mere mortals, that you concern yourself with them; humans, that you watch over them with such care?
Job 14:1-2 "A human being, born from a woman, lives a short, trouble-filled life. (2) He comes up like a flower and withers away, flees like a shadow, doesn't last.
- Gratefully
To live gratefully is to realize that, given your place in this world, it is a MIRACLE that God cares for you as much as He does!
Php 2:1-4 Therefore, if you have any encouragement for me from your being in union with the Messiah, any comfort flowing from love, any fellowship with me in the Spirit, or any compassion and sympathy, (2) then complete my joy by having a common purpose and a common love, by being one in heart and mind. (3) Do nothing out of rivalry or vanity; but, in humility, regard each other as better than yourselves — (4) look out for each other's interests and not just for your own.
Col 3:7-17 True enough, you used to practice these things in the life you once lived; (8) but now, put them all away — anger, exasperation, meanness, slander and obscene talk. (9) Never lie to one another; because you have stripped away the old self, with its ways, (10) and have put on the new self, which is continually being renewed in fuller and fuller knowledge, closer and closer to the image of its Creator. (11) The new self allows no room for discriminating between Gentile and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, foreigner, savage, slave, free man; on the contrary, in all, the Messiah is everything. (12) Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with feelings of compassion and with kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (13) Bear with one another; if anyone has a complaint against someone else, forgive him. Indeed, just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must forgive. (14) Above all these, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together perfectly; (15) and let the shalom which comes from the Messiah be your heart's decision-maker, for this is why you were called to be part of a single Body. And be thankful — (16) let the Word of the Messiah, in all its richness, live in you, as you teach and counsel each other in all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude to God in your hearts. (17) That is, everything you do or say, do in the name of the Lord Yeshua, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
- Meekly
To live meekly is to realize that we have a lot to learn.
Ecc 5:1-2 (4:17) Watch your step when you go to the house of God. Offering to listen is better than fools offering sacrifices, because they don't discern whether or not they are doing evil. (2) (5:1) Don't speak impulsively — don't be in a hurry to give voice to your words before God. For God is in heaven, and you are on earth; so let your words be few.
Gal 6:1-4 Brothers, suppose someone is caught doing something wrong. You who have the Spirit should set him right, but in a spirit of humility, keeping an eye on yourselves so that you won't be tempted too. (2) Bear one another's burdens — in this way you will be fulfilling the Torah's true meaning, which the Messiah upholds. (3) For if anyone thinks he is something when he is really nothing, he is fooling himself. (4) So let each of you scrutinize his own actions. Then if you do find something to boast about, at least the boasting will be based on what you have actually done and not merely on a judgment that you are better than someone else;
- Boldly
To live boldly is to live without fear.
Mat 10:26-33 So do not fear them; for there is nothing covered that will not be uncovered, or hidden that will not be known. (27) What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim on the housetops. (28) "Do not fear those who kill the body but are powerless to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who can destroy both soul and body in Gei-Hinnom. (29) Aren't sparrows sold for next to nothing, two for an assarion? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's consent. (30) As for you, every hair on your head has been counted. (31) So do not be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows. (32) "Whoever acknowledges me in the presence of others I will also acknowledge in the presence of my Father in heaven. (33) But whoever disowns me before others I will disown before my Father in heaven.
- Confidently
To live confidently is to live with an unwavering trust that God is good.
Heb 11:6 And without trusting, it is impossible to be well pleasing to God, because whoever approaches him must trust that he does exist and that he becomes a Rewarder to those who seek him out.
Also from Hebrews,
Heb 12:1-2 So then, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us, too, put aside every impediment — that is, the sin which easily hampers our forward movement — and keep running with endurance in the contest set before us, (2) looking away to the Initiator and Completer of that trusting, Yeshua — who, in exchange for obtaining the joy set before him, endured execution on a stake as a criminal, scorning the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
And
Heb 4:14-16 Therefore, since we have a great cohen gadol who has passed through to the highest heaven, Yeshua, the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we acknowledge as true. (15) For we do not have a cohen gadol unable to empathize with our weaknesses; since in every respect he was tempted just as we are, the only difference being that he did not sin. (16) Therefore, let us confidently approach the throne from which God gives grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace in our time of need.
In my 20s, I listened a lot. I figured I had a lot to learn. I rarely offered up my own opinion on things. Opinions are like bellybuttons, I said – everyone has one. And most of them have lint in them.
Here’s the deal. What did I learn during those years of silence? I learned one thing. God is good. The good things I saw happen were due to God. God was also there to rely upon in bad times, when bad things happened. God was there for people in the hard times, and He was certainly behind the good times.
In every case, God was good. So what other opinions could I possibly offer? I remember thinking upon I Corinthians 2 once upon a time: Paul says:
1Co 2:1-5 As for me, brothers, when I arrived among you, it was not with surpassing eloquence or wisdom that I came announcing to you the previously concealed truth about God; (2) for I had decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Yeshua the Messiah, and even him only as someone who had been executed on a stake as a criminal. (3) Also I myself was with you as somebody weak, nervous and shaking all over from fear; (4) and neither the delivery nor the content of my message relied on compelling words of "wisdom" but on a demonstration of the power of the Spirit, (5) so that your trust might not rest on human wisdom but on God's power.
So there was a model to follow. I would continue to be silent on things that didn’t matter. I would, however, speak up boldly when things did matter. When it was a subject that had meaning. When it was such an important subject as “how to live.”
So I’ll summarize the first part of this talk by answering this question with my own opinion, which is obviously supported by these Scriptures:
Live Humbly
Live Gratefully
Live Meekly
Live Boldly
Live Confidently
It’s hard to think about living all of these ways at once. Jesus of course did live all of these adverbs at once. And as we remember Him, we’ll explore just how he did this.
Jesus was the express image of His Father’s character. He shared with us His Father’s will by demonstrating to us how to live.
Be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect, he said.
A new commandment I give to you – that you love one another, he said.
Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and your neighbor as yourself, he said.
I don’t know if you noticed, but each of the above ways to live leads ultimately to one way: living to love.
The completeness of Humbleness is love. To put self last and others first is a good definition of humility. It’s also love.
The completeness of Gratefulness is love. To be utterly thankful and return thanks to God for what we have been so graciously given is love. It is an expression of how much we love Him, for first loving us!
The completeness of Meekness is love. We are constantly instructed by our Father, and we love to hear His teachings. We are led to a child-like faith and a simple love towards our wise and Loving Father.
The completeness of Boldness is love. Properly motivated, our zeal and passion for God may perfectly be expressed through our undying, impenetrable love that we cannot help but constantly pour out to Him.
The completeness of Confidence is love. Confident trusting in our Heavenly Father is our purest indication to Him that, although we may fail to always live up to what He wants from us, we KNOW beyond the shadow of a doubt that He exists, and that He is a Rewarder of those who seek Him out.
Jesus demonstrated love, and thereby showed us “how to live.” Live a life of love, and you can’t go wrong.
1Jn 4:9-11 Here is how God showed his love among us: God sent his only Son into the world, so that through him we might have life. (10) Here is what love is: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the kapparah for our sins. (11) Beloved friends, if this is how God loved us, we likewise ought to love one another.
Love is the pinnacle of the “how to live.” It encompasses all of the above. If our actions are motivated by love, then they will fall under the proper guidelines of “how to live.”