Humility

In church we sing, "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord...and He...will lift...you up," which is based on the passage James 4:10.

Do we search our minds when we sing and give thought to understanding what that song means? One who is humble is not overly proud or haughty (stuck-up); not pretentious (pretending to be what they're not). This leads me to think of another hymn which illustrates a humble spirit so beautifully, "Just As I Am." It starts, "Just as I am without one plea, but that Thy blood was shed for me...." In light of God's supreme love for us and Jesus' ultimate sacrifice for our sins, we should feel an overwhelming sense of humility and gratefulness to Him not just during worship, but in every aspect of our daily lives. We also need to realize that we're not all that and a bag of chips and believe the world revolves around us. We should be considerate of others (Phil. 2:3-4).

Why learn humility? To keep you from being humiliated later on. That's not a contradiction because God will eventually humiliate those who think they don't need Him and fail to give Him the glory for their good fortune. Remember Jesus' parable of the rich fool who congratulated himself on his bountiful harvest and said he would eat, drink, and be merry and build bigger barns to contain his wealth? Luke 12: 16-21 tells us of what would be that man's tragic end. The same will happen to those of us who live our whole lives climbing the ladder of success and gaining accolades without giving God a single thought. Consider what the Scriptures have to say about humility's importance:

1. People who lack humility are annoying for others to be around because they worship at the altar of self (Prov. 27: 2; Rom 12: 16).

2. Lack of humility can lead to embarrassment when others bring you down a notch or two (Mt. 23:12; Luk. 14: 7-11).

3. God is favorable towards those who reverence Him and seek His guidance . He will readily assist them (Psa. 25:8-9; 145:14-16; Isa. 57:15; Mt. 5:3; 18:4).

4. Most importantly, God HATES human pride (Prov. 6:16; 16:18-19; Jas. 4:6). Now, don't confuse this with a healthy sense of self-worth that causes us to have respect for ourselves and make right decisions. This is talking about people who think they're responsible for all the blessings they enjoy like that rich fool in Luke 12.

Some people reject God and fail to give Him the glory for all He's so graciously provided for them. This is so tragic, and we should continue to reason with and pray for such people and hope for their restoration.