Humility part 1
- 1. Humility HUMILITY By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life. Proverbs 22:4 Humility is the only true wisdom by which we prepare our minds for all the possible changes of life. --George Arliss Humility is the quality of not thinking that you are better than the others, having a low rank or social position. This does not mean that all low-ranked people are humble but rather the feeling in you that others are more important to you than yourself …..the act of being considerate about others ….taking other people as more valuable in your life regardless of gender, social status, economic ability, political background, educational background and other hidden factors. Biblically speaking, personal humility carries the concept of lowering oneself in such a manner as to attain a place of lowliness. Perhaps the best way to understand humility is attempting to see ourselves through God’s eyes rather than our own. The Bible says that humility leads to wisdom, with a focus on submitting to God rather than building up one's own ego. The Bible warns against false humility, which is really about making ‘your-self’ look impressive to other people but has nothing to do with building a relationship with God. A humble person is one who acts like a door mat and lets other people trample all over them, lets them into the house as it were and allows them to trample all over them without saying a word in response. Humility calls for acceptance of authority especially from elders. Service or servant hood occurs when authority has been granted and accepted. Note that leaders are servants and therefore granted authority from elders or above. This acceptance requires humility of character and this breed forth favor. God’s favor is only granted to us only if we are humble. Jesus humbled himself (from birth to death) and no doubt, God’s favor was, is and will forever be with Him. Many times we pray for God’s favor to be upon us but we hesitantly refuse to be humble. 1|fred
- 2. Humility The driving force in our lives should be trying to please God. Secondly, we should take into consideration the needs and pleasures of others. With our own pleasures subordinated, we will truly be the humble servants of God. God’s will is only revealed to the humble in character. Once His will is revealed to us, we must take another step of acceptance. Be submissive to that will and do it diligently till you accomplish it with the guidance of His Spirit. As seen earlier, God’s will is only performed by the humble in character and actions. All God’s messengers right from the very beginning (the Old Testament to the New Testament) were humble both in thoughts and deeds. Your deeds reveal what your mind has been manufacturing. In Acts 20; 19, Paul clearly acknowledged that he performed God’s work with humility. He was persecuted by the Jews but continued doing His work because his humble reward is in Heaven. Take a short break and reflect on Jesus Christ’s ministry while on Earth. Is there any instance He performed God’s work in absence of humility and meekness? God’s wisdom can only be realized in one’s life only if humility is present. Look at King Solomon-the wisest man ever lived. He knew that before he accepted authority to be a judge and ruler of God’s chosen people, he required wisdom to fairly perform his duties. He had to be humble, gentle ad polite unto the Master and the elders. Strong devotion and bodily discipline work hand in hand with humility. You cannot be humble in the absence of discipline. Strong devotion Humility Bodily Discipline Humility also calls for purity of mind. Sinful minds breed forth pride which finally leads to death (either physical or spiritual). A pure mind reveals the presence humility of character which outwardly leads to bodily discipline. 2|fred
- 3. Humility The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom….having reverence or admiration for the Lord. This wisdom brings forth honor but humility precedes them all. In Proverbs 22; 4 ….true humility and the fear of the Lord lead to riches, honor and long life. No wander King Solomon attained wealth too when he asked for wisdom. It was possible because he was humble in Character and deeds. He realized that he needed to first be humble and gentle if he wanted the God of Israel to bless him. Hezekiah is another example ….2Chr. 32; 26-30. God works with people who are humble and He humbles those He wants to work with. God never uses people who are proud. Saul had to be humbled before being called Paul. Matthew the tax collector had to check his humility scale before following Christ. King Saul had a humble beginning but later when pride found its room in his heart, his reign ended and King David succeeded him. In Dan 5; 17-31, King Belshazzar had a similar dream to that of Saul life as King of Israel especially in verse 20, when he became proud, he was brought down. All humble servants of the Lord boost in Him. Therefore humility can be defined as the act of boosting in the Lord and not thyself where as pride is to boost in thyself or anything other than the Lord Almighty. The problem with pride is that it keeps people focused upon themselves instead of on God; humility focuses upon God rather than upon our own strengths. In 1Kings 21; 29, when Ahab heard what the Lord was planning to do to him and the people of Israel, he humbled himself by fasting and praying. This is a good expression of bodily discipline. Deep in his heart, Ahab first boosted in the gods of the Amorites but on hearing God’s plan(s) through Prophet Elijah, he began boosting in the Lord, the only true God. He heard and knew what the Lord had done before. In effect he escaped doom and death. Rehoboam had the same experience in 2Chr 12; 12 A little act of humility can cause great wonders in one’s life. Accepting God as our Lord and savior requires humility. It required one man to humbly die for billions and more 3|fred
- 4. Humility of proud and lifeless people just like a small source of light that illuminates in the darkness. The Christian body is the church and temple of the Holy Ghost. The trinity ought to live in a well-balanced and organized and clean body. In 2Chr 7; 14-15 when King Solomon had finished building the Lord’s temple, one of the requirements made by God Almighty was humility. Humility leads to performance of other vital acts in a Christian’s life---- praying, fasting, forgiveness and many more. Without exercise of humility, a Christian will not be obedient to the Lord. Inadequate prayer is a symptom that one is boosting in other things or people other than the Lord Almighty. Pride has never left any person or kingdom reigning. Even when life seems so tough, a humble Christian will boldly stand out and boost in the Lord knowing that he/she shall overcome in due time. Tough situations will not boost over that Christian. Practice of humility forces the Lord to turndown his anger. Take time right now to look at some bible personalities whose expressions of humility forced the Creator to turndown his anger. A humble worship of the Lord will never make the Christian the same. To be sincere, all those that boost in what God has done for them will surely agree with me that humility (the basic character quality) played the biggest role in the fulfillment of God’s promises in their lives. During worship, some people cry as expression of humility. Paul clearly experienced it in Acts 20; 19. Humility can neither be forced nor imitated. In 2Chr 33; 12 when Manasseh was distressed, he humbly cried out to God. To reach Manasseh point of prayer requires guidance from the Holy Spirit. Prayer is communication to the Almighty. Any communication requires a humble mechanism from the source to the recipient and back to the sender---feedback. Stephen. R. Covey in First Things First said “It takes humility to seek feedback. It takes wisdom to understand it, analyze it, and appropriately act on it.” Humility of character led him into the holy 4|fred
- 5. Humility sanctuary and prepared him (Manasseh) to pray. God is moved by the prayers of his humble children. Be humble before, during and after prayers. For that is what pleases God so much and makes Him react to your prayers. God is not moved by how long or wordy your prayer is but rather by the degree of humility expressed from the bottom of your heart. God looks at the heart where humility is manufactured from. Paul constantly worked upon his humility level by praying to God. Humility is a life long character to develop. One cannot attain it at once. Keep praying to God because humility is expressed differently according to different situations. Different challenges require different approaches. We can know everything but without humility of character in our lives, we are like animals. God created us in his own image and breathed into us His Spirit. That Spirit contained the many qualities for example humility, meekness, gentleness and many more. This is the main difference between humans and animals or any other living things. God humbles us in different ways depending on the degree of our “stubbornness”. Paul (formerly Saul) was humbled differently from Pharaoh of Egypt in the book of Exodus. Many times when life seems so hard, God is trying to humble us for the journey(s) ahead. The way God humbles you may be different from the way He may humble me. All we need to have is a spirit that is willing to be taught---teachable spirit. A humble person must be submissive to God Almighty and even to fellow brethren but not to the devil. To submit means to accept authority, control or greater strength of somebody. In a Christian perspective, to submit means to accept God’s authority no matter what the situation is currently on your side. Satan tries so hard to make Christians not yield to this authority. Only the humble overcome Satan’s traps. You, therefore, cannot be humble if you do not have someone to account to. On the final day, every one will be brought low before the Lord…Is 2; 11…..every one will be humbled. Take a look at any court session, the suspects or guilty are usually so 5|fred
- 6. Humility polite tending to being humble. God lives with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. Repentance is an expression of humility. True worship means lowering ourselves as we elevate God Almighty. The proud will be humbled and the humble person will be honored was one of the powerful teachings of Christ while on Earth….Luke 14; 11, Luke 18; 14 and Matt. 23; 12. People want to be honored but ignore the role pride is playing in their lives. Take a short break and reflect on your life and those moments when you wanted to be honored. Were you driven by pride or humility? In Matt. 18; 4 Jesus Christ teaches us that little children are naturally humble. This is because they are very submissive and willing to be taught. Children are so adventurous, inquisitive and willing to learn. Effective learning requires strong discipline and devotion all of which require humility and ‘gentleness’. Christ’s life is the fundamental and true illustration of humility. Therefore if we are to be humble, let us follow Jesus Christ. Let us live like Him in all faculties of life, dear reader. Look at Phil. 2; 8 Jesus humbled Himself even at the last moment of His humanly life on earth. Despite all the troubles and destruction around you, determine to be humble till you reach your destiny. You will always wake up with joy on your lips. The company that we involve ourselves with can in one way or another determine the level of our humility. If you live amongst proud people, you are sowing seeds of pride in your life and when harvest time comes, you will reap the pride. Be careful what character of people you hang out with. Jesus’ disciples lived a humble life even after the Master’s ascension because they used to be among the most humble man that has ever lived both on earth and in heaven and most importantly, who still lives and reigns. Take a moment and think about the type of friends that you associate with; are their characters worth living around. Solomon suggested that it is better to live humbly with the poor than to share plunder with the proud….Prov.16; 19. The choice is yours! Proud 6|fred
- 7. Humility people are helpless and it is the main reason why they want to be recognized through pride. We are liked and loved by the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentile, humble and quiet Spirit. Canal spirits want to be recognized through pride and arrogance. Ephesians 4; 2 tells us to be humble and gentle. It is said as gentle as a sheep. Jesus is called the Lamb of God because of this evident character factor. Humble people are characterized by having self-control through the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. This makes them capable and able….qualified to perform God’s pre-ordained duties here on Earth. Humility is the vital quality that God searches for in an individual before doing His will. One of the major difference between a humble person and a proud one is that a humble person is joyful---internal happiness which lasts long or for a life time where as a proud person seems to be happy and this lasts for a very short time. Do you want to be happy because things are happening positively on your side or joyful because of your good character? The choice is yours dear. Even if the going gets tougher, you still remain joyful because of your humble deeds and thoughts. This is what God desires in all His living creatures. There is a reward for everything we do, whether, seen or unseen. God uncovers every secret of man. The humble and lowly will possess the earth. They will inherit the whole earth. God designed the earth to be occupied by His loved one, those who are faithful to Him. The Lord crowns the humble with salvation too. Salvation is never attained by the proud because they believe in self-righteousness. The moment one accepts the Lord as his or her personal Savior, he or she reveals to God that he or she is nothing but willing to be somebody….conqueror. Humility prepares the Christian to follow all the Master’s teachings and commands. Everything God commands us to do must be done out of 7|fred
- 8. Humility humility and gentleness. Perfect rest of the soul and body involves the presence of humility and meekness in that soul and body. 8|fred