HUMILITY

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, HUMBLENESS of mind, meekness, longsuffering – Colossians 3:12

HUMILITY is a heart attitude. It refers to meekness, lowliness, and absence of self. Humility is one major attitude of Christ expressly recommended to believers: “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus…He humbled Himself, having become obedient unto death…” (Phil.2:5,8b NASB). Humility is the opposite of pride, and we are called to abhor pride and live humbly. This does not interpret thinking poorly about yourself, or despising the grace of God in your life. Being humble is an attitude: “…in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” (Phil.2:3b). It is the pathway to honor: “A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor” (Pro.29:23). As important as humility is however, it is one of the most difficult qualities to cultivate and consistently live out in today’s world. The very nature of humility seems counterintuitive to the society’s values, which applaud independence, self-reliance, success, and fame. Yet, Christians are exhorted: “humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (1Pet.5:6).

Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less. Pride is a very sneaky, self-deceiving attitude which destroys lives and relationships. Everybody else can see it in the proud person but him or her. Pride manifests in diverse ways: competition, criticism, superficiality, and stubbornness. Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” The Message paraphrase says: “First pride, then the crash – the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.” Humility is the antidote to pride. Humility builds relationships. The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:8, “Live in harmony, be sympathetic, love each other, have compassion, and be humble” (GWT). James 4:6,10 say, “…God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble….Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”

What is the Secret to an Attitude of Humility? How can you grow in humility? Simple, by letting Jesus Christ begin to control your heart, thoughts, attitudes and reactions: “and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in righteousness and true holiness” (Eph.4:23-24). Let the Holy Spirit change your way of thinking and make you a new person, in line with the Character of Christ. How would this happen? This follows the basic law of relationships: You tend to become like the people you spend time with. If you spend time with cranky people, you get crankier. If you spend time with joyful people, you become more joyful. If you want to manifest more humility, spend time with Jesus Christ – the Model of Humility! No one has done anything more humble than Jesus, coming from Heaven to Earth to become a man, live for us, give His life for us, and be resurrected for us. Spend time with Him to become more humble.

The Lord Himself invites you to the Arena of Humility: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt.11:28-29). Jesus is humble; and He wants a relationship with you. He wants you to spend time talking with him in prayer, reading, and meditating in His Word. As you get to know Him more intimately, you’ll become more like Him – humble. Paul walked intimately with the Lord and his humility was consistently displayed. He described himself as “the least of the apostles” and “chief of all sinners” (1Cor.15:9; 1Tim.1:15). Humility is displayed in both individuals and collectives. A group of people can jointly show humility: “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2Chr.7:14).