All in Humility

All of our advances in faith, and a righteous life, follow after our humility, and our desire to obey the Lord. When we pray with pride, or read scripture from a position of arrogant intellect, then there is no answer, and the truth in God’s Word remains hidden from us. In this way our belief in God, and faith in Jesus Christ, are merely outer garments that cover a religion based on our self alone. Until we humble ourselves, and let our love for God replace our desire to interpret scripture as we wish it to be, and stop praying as a form of negotiation, but pray instead in absolute humility, then we are attempting to establish a business arrangement with God, and He has no interest in sharing His sovereignty with us.

How many times has God told us to do something, and we neglected to do it because of our disbelief, or because we stumbled over our pride? We pray for the Lord to heal us, feed us, or provide for us in some way, but when He asks us to join Him in the effort we often refuse to obey because what He has asked of us is beneath us, or we can’t imagine Him demanding something so seemingly ridiculous of us. Sometimes our lack of faith bridles us, or our self-image is so prideful that we turn away; then, in our failure, we blame Him for not answering our prayers. Does this sound familiar?

Do we proudly walk in our faith? Do we claim that our righteousness has made us more worthy than others to receive God’s reward, and to be blessed by Him? No, the truth is that all we are, and everything we might have, has sprung from the grace of God. The story of the Apostle Paul teaches us this more than any other story in the Bible. Paul, a tormenter, and killer of Christians was given the mission to preach the unsearchable riches of the very man he detested and whose followers he had been putting to death... Jesus Christ.

Are you a humble servant of God, and His children? Do you see your mission in life as being to rule over others, or is it to lead them humbly to our Father? If we are truly servants of God, and one another, then we need to go about doing the work of our Master... we need to know God’s will and do it, we need to see man’s shortcomings and mend them. Jesus washed the filth of our sin from us... do we wash the dust from one another’s feet?

Do we humble ourselves before God during times of danger, and when we are in need of deliverance, or do we attempt to wield Him like a shining sword before our enemies? Pride, it is one of our greatest ills before God. We are not meant to hold Him over the heads of those who challenge us or those who frighten us, but are meant to call on Him as we seek to know His will, and to pray for  His deliverance... even though we are unworthy. 

When we awaken each morning and we enter consciously into the presence of God do we do so humbly, or thinking that we deserve to be there with Him? When we come to his table in our morning prayer where do we take a seat; do we sit immediately at the right hand of His chair, or in a lesser seat? Our view of our faith is not nearly as important as His perception of it, so where we sit relative to Him is vitally important.

Are you feeling good about being chosen by God for righteousness? Do you think that God selected you, and urged your soul to open itself to Him because you were special, good, or by some other attribute were distinguished as being deserving above others? Well perhaps it’s time to look at yourself in a totally different light... to look In the mirror through the eyes of God.

When we see ourselves as strong, mighty, and self-sufficient then we are foolish, but when we consider ourselves as small, and humble before God, then we are wise indeed. How do we view ourselves, and conduct our affairs? Do we spend our time gathering sustenance from God’s Word, seeking safety and protection in His shadow, walking obediently in the way of righteousness, and completing our day by humbly worshiping before the Father’s feet?

There are times in our lives when we accomplish great things, and when we do, we tend to take full credit for them... but should we claim them, any of them, and take even the slightest bit of glory for them? As we visit the high places of life, are we worthy of any glory at all? All glory is God’s alone, and when we don’t realize that He shows us a bit of Himself, and humbles us.

Where do you make your spiritual home, and what do you do in service of the King... our God? Sometimes those whose job seems menial on the surface are of great value to God. Those who do things that are of value to the Lord live in many places, but those that serve His personal needs such as the servants that set His table, and prepare the meals, live with the King. However, the Lords who manage His lands live elsewhere... scattered across the Realm. So do you serve God, and if so where do you dwell?

What is it about ourselves that causes us to be prideful? Do you say “I am a self-made man!” And give speeches about how anyone can do what you have done if they only apply themselves as you have? Such conceit, and arrogance! Who gave you the mind you have, the wisdom and not a mental disability, or the body that is straight and not bent, and a land of opportunity in which to live rather than one of famine? What part did you play in any of this? All you are, and everything you have comes from God... be humble in your thanks.

Are you a humble person, just playing with the notion, or do you actually make no pretense at it whatsoever? Humbling ourselves is a foundational element of the Christian faith, and yet it is also a human trait that many people see as being a weakness, and unbecoming. Friends... humility and weakness are not synonymous... being humble before God allowed Jesus to take His place on the cross, but that wasn’t weakness... it was a strength of love that few of us can understand, much less realize in our lifetimes.

We are told to serve one another, but how, and in what way are we to do that? This subject is just as deep and profound as it relates to our faith as our prayers. You might argue this point, but think back on the life of Jesus. You may not have recognized all the acts of servitude He performed because He did them disguised as love, and shrouded in humility; yet there they are. His lesson on serving that He taught as He washed the feet of His disciples was just the most obvious and most frequently touted... yet quite possibly the least of them all.

When you sit at the feet of Jesus are you teachable? Do you humble yourself and listen intently to every word He says, or are you a know it all, and keep interrupting with your own two cents? Jesus was gentle and humble when He taught, and we are to be this way as His pupils. How do you approach your spiritual instruction? Think about how you enter into your lessons and ask yourself “Am I teachable?”