Emotion word - Humility

 

Humility: Freedom from pride or arrogance; the quality or state of being humble.

Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding”. To be humble, we must have faith that God will lead us in the best way to live and to avoid being prideful. We are to put complete trust in the Lord and not deceive ourselves with vanity or lust. We should lean on the understanding, wisdom, and divinity of God to show us the right path through prayer, meditation and fasting, In order to do this, we must have the initial requirement of humility to open our hearts and withdraw from the arrogance of our ego.  Sarah Jakes Roberts says, “I have learned that the greatest character pursuit one can embark on, is maintaining a teachable heart that strives for humility, grace and understanding”.

To enter God’s presence, we must come humbly to the throne: 1 Peter 5:6 – “Humble yourselves therefore, under God’s mighty hand, and he may lift you up in due time”. God desires that we possess a gentle and quiet spirit. It is important that we are humble and still in our inner man, so that we can hear the Holy Spirit speaking to our hearts throughout the day. However, possessing a gentle and quiet spirit does not mean that we should be passive. God also requires action and zeal in our lives.  If we want a deeper life with Christ, we need to be zealous, as well as humble. Sin cannot be allowed to reign in the heart of a child of God. If we are humble and have a desire to do God’s will, then we will do whatever it takes to keep our hearts and minds pure. Paul writes that we are not to be “…lacking in zeal but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” (Romans 12:11)

God says the meek shall inherit the earth: Matthew 5:5.

The proud are cast down and will be humbled: James 4:10.

Jesus is the ultimate example of humility. He did not value His own self-importance or honor, but freely gave it up in every situation so that God’s will could be carried out and God could be glorified through His life. If we are of this same humble mindset, forsaking our own reputation and honor to be obedient to God’s word and will, we will be able to make unbelievable progress in our Christian lives! No one will admit that we are prideful. But when we give importance to our own comfort and ways of life more than the kingdom of God, it arises from a place of pride. Any form of grumbling, whining or protesting stems from a spirit of self-entitlement and self-righteousness. When we humble our hearts and submit to God instead, we will be positive shining lights in our world.

The choice to forgive and bless those who offend us is a true test of our humility and submission to God. This is the area most of us find difficult to practice. The Bible tells us to pray for and bless others, especially those whom we see as our enemies. Word of God doesn’t tell us to ‘try’ to bless our abusers, it simply tells us to just do it. Ephesians 4:32 ‘Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.’ Unforgiveness is a form of pride that implies we are better than other people and deserve only worship and adoration. This pride keeps us from being good representatives of a humble God who sent His Son to die for us. In response that love, we are to actively bless those we are inclined to hate, resent or find intolerable, so that they get to experience the wonderful grace of the humble perfect God we serve.

Written by: Anu Varghese