In 2 Kings 5:9 Naaman was told to wash in the Jordan, but he thought, this was beneath a man of his position. But Naaman had to humble himself and obey Elisha’s commands in order to be healed. To be healed today we must humble ourselves before physical, emotional and spiritual healing can come and obey God's word. Obedience to God must begin with humility.
We must believe and trust that His way is better than our own. We may not always understand His ways of working, but by humbly obeying, we will receive His blessings.
We must remember that:
(1) God’s ways are best;
(2) God wants our obedience more than anything else;
(3) God can use anything to accomplish his purposes.
Psalm 8: To respect God’s majesty, we must compare ourselves to His greatness. When we look at creation, we often feel small by comparison. To feel small is a healthy way to get back to reality, but God does not want us to dwell on our smallness. Humility means proper respect for God, not self-depreciation.
Humility will reverence God and Obey His word. Just as the disciples obeyed Jesus teachings. Humility is surrender to servant-hood. Are you willing to truly serve others and sacrifice yourself for them.
Exodus 3:1 What a contrast between Moses’ life as an Egyptian prince and his life as a Midianite shepherd! As a prince he had everything done for him. Moses was the famous son of an Egyptian princess. As a shepherd he had to do everything for himself. He was holding the very job he had been taught to despise (Genesis 43:32; Genesis 46:32-34). He lived as an unknown foreigner.
What a humbling experience this must have been for Moses! But God was preparing him for leadership. Living the life of a shepherd and nomad, Moses learned about the ways of the people he would be leading and also about life in the desert. Moses may not appreciate this lesson, but God was getting him ready to free Israel from Pharaoh’s grasp.
When we look at the vast creation, we wonder how God could be concerned for people who constantly disappoint Him and will not obey Him. Yet God created us only a little lower than Himself or the angels! The next time you question your worth as a person, remember that God considers you highly valuable. We have great worth because we bear the stamp of the Creator. (See Genesis 1:26-27 for the extent of worth God places on all people). Because God has already declared how valuable we are to him, we can be set free from feelings of worthlessness. Self worth is not humility but knowing God's worth does bring humility.
Many believe that speaking and lining up with the word of God is prideful today, but when we search out the things of God our eyes are enlightened and when we see He hates sin and tells us to hate sin we are lining up with the word of God. God's word judges in truth and if it offends then it is doing just what Jesus said it would do. When we get mad at the messenger who presents God word in truth and refuse the correction or try to justify our sin we are prideful the exact opposite of humility. Moses was the most humble man, the word of God says so, yet He spoke God's truth and did not become prideful, the next time you want to correct God's servants first check yourself to see if you are correct in understanding the word of God.
This is humbleness. Pride comes in many forms and the lovie-dovie gospel and do not judge is one of the most misquoted and taking out of context doctrines man has created.
A God-glorifying life you don't want to miss, but without humility you will miss God's great favor. The word of God paints a clarifying picture of the daily battle quietly raging within every Christian and asks whether you will passively accommodate the enemy of your soul; pride. Or actively cultivate your best friend; humility. We cannot walk in God's garden of wealth unless we know truly what God is speaking of in the spiritual. When you acknowledge the deception of pride and intentionally and willingly humble yourself, you become free to savor abundant mercies and unlikely graces of God's favor. You will find a new life is yours - a life God richly favors.
