2002-01-02 - Humility Commended

Job 22:29 The humble person He will save.

In all things, we ought to seek to live lives that are pleasing to the Lord. In matters of character, there are probably few things that God clearly says are pleasing to Him more than humility. "For thus says the high and exalted One who lives forever, whose name is Holy, I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite." Isaiah 57:15 I would submit that all over the Bible, we see that God deals very graciously with the humble. The humble are those who are favored by God. "His secret counsel is with the upright." Proverbs 3:32

I guess I have been thinking about this for about 10 days, since about 10 days ago, someone confronted me on this. He told me he could not pinpoint anything specific in my life that proved anything, but he told me that he felt that I had an attitude or way about me that was, as best as he could put it, pridefull But then he said that he felt that such an assessment was not right either, he did not know what to call it. I told him that without specifics, it was very hard for me to change, but I have thought about it and I think that what he might have been trying to say is that I lack humility. Of course, he is dead wrong; I am the humblest person I have ever met. (That's a joke, of course)

The encounter was unexpected, and I don't think he knows me well enough to address my character. However, there may be some truth there. I know that I have to take what he said seriously, because Philippians 2:1-12 tells me that Christ was all about humility. He gave up everything and humbled Himself. He emptied Himself of all His glory for my soul. If I am to be Christlike, I need to exude, as Christ did, humility. As I have thought about it, it may be that I don't exude humility as I should. I am sure I don't.

"Before honor comes humility," Proverbs 15:33. I guess that stings some. Do you desire good things for yourself from God? Would you like to used by God? "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time," 1 Peter 5:6. Humility is held forth to us as an avenue to honor and usefulness in God's kingdom. Now you might think that the Apostle Paul was used greatly by the Lord in his life. You would be right to think that. Could it be possible that one of the clues as to why God used him so greatly is found in Ephesians 3:8, where Paul calls himself "the least of all saints?" He knew God was using him greatly, and yet he was able to keep the perspective that God was the one working through him and that all he had to offer was simply what God had given him to use. That may be a good lesson for me. I hope this year, you will join with me in cultivating humility.

"Humility is the repentance of pride." Nehemiah Rogers

"We were earth, we are flesh, and we shall be worm's meat." Henry Smith

Soli Deo Gloria,
T-

 tim@cfdevotionals.org
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