Humility: September 30, 2010

Today's Word for Thursday September 30, 2010

HUMILITY

DEFINITION
The quality or state of being humble; modest opinion of one's own importance; meekness; not proud or arrogant; having a spirit of submission.

SCRIPTURE

"Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." James 4:10.

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." Philippians 2:3

"Therefore as the elect of God, put on tender mercies, kindness, HUMILITY, meekness, longsuffering, bearing with one another." Colossians 3:12

"Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time." I Peter 5:6

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

Humility does not come naturally or easily. If we are doing what we consider "right" when others are not, or if we have had more success than another person, it is easy to think that we are the better person. The Apostle Paul cautions us against that idea by saying that we are to consider others better than ourselves. We all have an "ego" and we like to exalt ourselves. Peter and James tell us that we must let God do the exalting. When we start stroking our own ego, it is time to stop and remember what Christ did for us.

Jesus humbled Himself, setting aside heavenly glory to become a man to save us from our sins. In the words of the apostle Paul he said that Jesus "made Himself nothing taking the very nature of a servant." [Philippians 2:7] Jesus said of Himself that He did not come to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many. [Matthew 20:25] As Christians we are Christ's representatives to the world so we are to be kind, humble, meek, patient and peaceful as Christ was, in order that others will see Christ in us.

As Christians what we are and what successes we have are because of what Christ has done for us and through us. The credit must go to Him. Success and glory in this world can be fleeting and we can only take pleasure in it for a time. If we get conceited and gloat over our success, God can take it away from us and humble us very quickly. In Mark 10, James and John, two of Jesus' disciples asked Jesus for the highest positions in His kingdom. They asked for one to sit on His right and the other to sit on His left. Jesus denied their request and explained that greatness was not achieved by being in a high position but by serving others.

There are two issues concerning humility as it relates to our lives. Our first concern should be that we are humble before God. God expects us to come to Him daily with a humble servant - like attitude. In the verse above the reason for this is so He may exalt us in due time. We should be in awe of God, His power, His love, His sovereignty, and His blessings - all these should overwhelm us. What God thinks of us is more important then what others think of us. We should not seek the world's approval. We should seek God's approval.

It is amazing what can be accomplished when we do not care who gets the credit. Paul told the church at Corinth, "I planted, Apollos watered but God gave the increase." I Corinthians 3:6-7.

The second issue is how we look to our family, friends and neighbors. Are we arrogant, proud and boastful? There is a huge difference between being confidant and successful compared to being arrogant and boastful. Many people we meet in life come across to those they meet as anything but humble. When one knows the Lord and has a daily relationship with Him, a humble spirit should radiate from ones life. Our family, friends and associates should see the spirit of Christ through all of our words and deeds. YES, God wants us to be humble so that others can see Christ through us. This will give God all the glory for all that we are doing.

This is not an easy task. We all have moments when we are successful and we want everyone to know about that success. Can you stay humble while enjoying that success? I can remember talking to a missionary couple ministering in Quito Ecuador some years ago. This missionary couple was sharing their victories with us concerning new contacts, new converts and new ministry opportunities that were coming their way. However with every victory mentioned they continually reminded us that without God this would not have happened. This is the humility that God expects from all of us.

LEARNING

Our memory verse for this week is found in Philippians 3:14

I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

PRAYER

Help me this day to get rid of any selfish ambition in my life so that through my words and deeds others may see Christ through me. Give me a humble spirit and a servant's heart. Give me open eyes to look at those around me so that I can show them kindness, love and appreciation. Guide my family today and may each of us do all we do today to honor Your name. Help us to always give You the glory for what You enable us to achieve in life.