Holy Humility

Humility is hard.  It goes against every natural impulse.  Putting away pride and selfish ambition is part of humility but true humility is so much more.  It is not just an attitude, it is a way of life.  In many ways, humility should be though of as a constant anti-self that rubs against the natural grain of who we are.  There is a discipline to humility but, at its core, true humility is about imitating Christ.

Jesus is the Son of God, the second member of the trinity, and the Word by which all of creation came into existence.  He is the radiance of God's glory (Heb. 1:3-4).  God, in His infinite sovereignty and plan, had Jesus condescend into human form.  Jesus eschewed His infinite and eternal divinity to become a man.  Born of a virgin out of wedlock, He became the illegitimate stepson of a carpenter.  He lived a low-income, rural existence.  In His adulthood, He spent His time with reprobates and societal dregs.  Ultimately, He was tried, convicted, beaten, and crucified fraudulently.  True humility.

When we think of humility, Jesus is to be our example.  This is a steep example to strive towards.  Even though Jesus is, in His very nature, God, He made Himself lower than all in order to save all (Phil. 2:5-7).  There is simply no place in Christianity for pride.  If Christ truly is our example, then we are to be conformed to His likeness in humility.

Jesus tells us that those who wish to be first will make themselves servants of all (Mark 9:35Luke 18:9-14; 22:24-27.  Moreover, Jesus tells us that we should not seek the praise that comes from man but should only earnestly seek affirmation from our Lord (John 5:44).  In this way, Jesus is telling us that humility is about serving God because it is right, not for accolades or self-exaltation.  Rather, everything we do is to be like a street sign that points to Him.  Exalting the Lord should be our goal.  

Needless to say, humility is difficult.  But we should not let the task daunt us from what is required.  Also, God lifts up those who put themselves low.  The old adage: "God helps those who help themselves" is not Scriptural in the least (it's Benjamin Franklin).  Instead, He helps those who seek after Him first.  Humility is about seeking after Him first.  It can be painful but it is right.  And, humility has a funny way of blessing us when we least suspect it.  Because we won't be looking for accolades, when we receive encouragement, it will be like a wind that refreshes the soul.  Praise God through whom all humility comes.