How to walk Humbly
Thu, Apr 9, 2009
I read a short story, and it’s made me think a lot about humility. I’ve often wondered how to be humble. Being humble is not something that is encouraged or praised in our society. Most of the people who get recognition are pretty proud! But many of us can probably think of one or two people who we’ve come across that are humble, and it’s those people who I want to be like but the question I find myself asking so often is the how part. How can I be humble? Does it mean that I will refuse any praise for my actions? For example, if someone comes up and says that I dress nice, do I say, “No, I’m really not. I can’t take the credit for these clothes.” Will that make me humble? What if before a sermon during the introductions I look down and act all meek and stuff, and while they are praising my past sermons I just act all meek, will that make me humble?
Now, you might find my thoughts on this all irrelevant. You might even be thinking, “Hey Mark, I have many other things to worry about than my humility right now.” But the Bible tells us the humility is very important, and it even says that we are to do something about it. “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.” James 4:10. There we have it; my work, His work. I’m supposed to humble myself, and He will lift me up. Jesus even told us: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5. Humility and meekness must be pretty important in heaven’s eyes if God asks us to be that way!
Well, back to the story I read the other day. It’s made quite an impact on my way of thinking, a sort of paradigm shift, some might call it. It’s opened my eyes to the how of learning to live in humility.
The Navigators are well known for their emphasis on having a humble servant attitude. A businessman once asked Lorne Sanny, president of the Navigators, how he would know when he had a servant attitude. The reply: “By how you act when you are treated like one.”
You see, when people treat me indifferently, or say things that are rude, or order me around; essentially treating me as a servant or a slave, and I react as a servant, then I am being humble; I’m acting like the Servant of servants did when He was here. But if I act all nice when people are treating me nice and with respect, and get all upset when I’m not treated as I think I should be treated, then I’m not acting humble; I’m not acting like a servant.
I hope this story speaks to your heart like it did mine. Memorize that line: “Humility is acting like a servant when I am treated like one” and the next time someone treats you as a servant, don’t respond like a pit-bull but like a servant. Study the life of Christ, especially the closing scenes as we find them in Matthew 26 and 27, and it will give you the strength to respond as a humble servant.
We’re praying for you!
Mark
Tags: humble, mark ferrell, the present truth
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I truly appreciate this post. It’s something that I have often pondered, especially the part about humbling myself before the Lord. It was easy to get it if the Lord was the one doing the humbling, but how does a prideful heart reach the place of humbling themselves (voluntarily) before the Lord.
One night while attending the Atlanta Center of Evangelism, I went up to speak with Pastor Davis who presented that night. I asked him about this issue of pride that seemed to plague me (I’m just keeping it real, it’s a struggle). He directed me to a quote (I can’t remember where to find it now) but Ellen White says that the pride and self love cannot dwell in the heart and mind that keeps fresh the scenes of Calvary. In other words as long as I keep ever before me what happened at Calvary and in gethsemane, it will help to keep that urge for self aggrandizement at bay. Why? Because when I look at Calvary, I see just how wretched I truly am. I see that I am but a murderer and that truly in me there lies no good thing (I still struggle with the realization that there is nothing good in me naturally, don’t we all want to beleive that we’re not really all that bad?).
The second thing that the Lord is trying to impress upon my heart to uproot this pride and self love is that since there is nothing good in me, I cannot orginate a good thought or action. Anything good I do is truly because of God that dwells in me. How can I then take credit for something that I didn’t do…isn’t that stealing?
Finally, it still boggles my mind how Christ humbled Himself and became a servant. I cannot imagine it. It’s too wonderful words to think that He would leave all that for this. I marvel at how calmly He took the slights and insults of men. I marvel that with one thought Christ could have reduced the Sanhedrin to ashes. I marvel that with one look Pilate and Herod could have been no more. Yet in the ultimate case of humility He who was everything became as it were nothing. Now that gives me pause to think when I’m getting lifted.
Yet, as I say it’s still a struggle and I do solicit your prayers even as I pray for you.
Thanks for the posting.
Humility, a word we often do not hear. I teach 12th grade English at a public school and the concept of humility is as foreign to most of my kids as a piece of moon rock in my hand.
It’s a difficult task to teach them humility by showing it. I know too often that I fail. Thank you for the reminder. Humility also reminds us that the world does not revolve around us.
When I think of the scripture you quoted James 4:10 “Humble yourself before the Lord” I think of two applications. I’m sure there are many. After all the word of God is living. The more I study it the more each scripture grows in meaning.
For example if I were an unbeliver and I read this scripture the simple act of coming to the Lord would be Humbling. I would need to humble myself to do that.
God cannot transform a person with a prideful heart into his image (2 Cor 3:18 ) He wants to build a Christ like Character in us. Changing us from Glory to Glory. All we can do is yield our pride.
Someone may find themself in a dispute, thinking” I’m right” when It doesn’t matter if your right. Humility has no rights. We need to take it to the Lord and humbly lay it at his feet and ask forgiveness. This is humility and meekness.
When self is on the throne that is not being humble. Laying our pride at his feet is humility. We are not our own we were bought with “Jesus Blood”.
Dieing daily before God is humility. An attitude that God is above us. An attitude of wanting to be changed. Working together with God. Humbling one self.
Cont. I didn’t finish my thought …….”then He will lifted (us) up” James 4:10 ……Because we will be
glorified….”Christ in us, the hope of Glory” Col 1:27.
oh wow, Amen! Thanks for that!
Great message, we need to humble ourselves its a work that God would not even do. Beholding Christ more and more we would became as Jesus. Lets stay close to Jesus, we must produce the character of Christ before the NSl right down till Jesus comes and in heaven and in the new earth. Thus its important to be humble and have the mind of Christ Phill 2:5-8. Bye brothers and sisters God bless.
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