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HUMILITY: THE DEFINING MARK OF A MATURE CHRISTIAN Wednesday
#1 · October 26, 2004, 1:20 pm
Posted by: bigguyhereagain <bigguyhereagain@...>
"HUMILITY: THE DEFINING MARK OF A MATURE CHRISTIAN"
Power, glory, success: what do these words bring to mind
when you hear them? Throughout human history, they have captured the
hearts and minds of men and women. In our society today, a person's
self-worth is usually measured by his net worth. But the mark of a
true believer is humility and submission to authority. In the eyes of
the world, humility and submission are weaknesses rather than
strengths. And yet Jesus Christ himself lived in humility and asked
us to do the same. Today, even church believers have been influenced to
go their own way and do their own thing to make their mark. "Grab all
you can and make it to the top" is the in thing nowadays. The result
is that there's a crisis in humility throughout the churches. When
the world looks at most Christians, they see proud, self-centered,
self-seeking people that distract them instead of attract them to
Christ. How can we return to the biblical attitude of humility?
when you hear them? Throughout human history, they have captured the
hearts and minds of men and women. In our society today, a person's
self-worth is usually measured by his net worth. But the mark of a
true believer is humility and submission to authority. In the eyes of
the world, humility and submission are weaknesses rather than
strengths. And yet Jesus Christ himself lived in humility and asked
us to do the same. Today, even church believers have been influenced to
go their own way and do their own thing to make their mark. "Grab all
you can and make it to the top" is the in thing nowadays. The result
is that there's a crisis in humility throughout the churches. When
the world looks at most Christians, they see proud, self-centered,
self-seeking people that distract them instead of attract them to
Christ. How can we return to the biblical attitude of humility?
First, what is `humility'? Is it being shy, and unimpressive?
Is it a sign of weakness and cowardice? Do you fear
humility because you might be the object of ridicule and abuse by
others? On the contrary, true humility leads us to Christ and leads
us to our full potential in Him. The biblical humility that God demands
makes us a stronger person and results in better relationships.
Humility is realizing that all that is good in us, all of our special
gifts and abilities, all that we have and all that we accomplish is
from God, not ourself. As Ken Blanchard puts it, "Humility does not
mean you think less of yourself. It means you think of yourself
less."
humility because you might be the object of ridicule and abuse by
others? On the contrary, true humility leads us to Christ and leads
us to our full potential in Him. The biblical humility that God demands
makes us a stronger person and results in better relationships.
Humility is realizing that all that is good in us, all of our special
gifts and abilities, all that we have and all that we accomplish is
from God, not ourself. As Ken Blanchard puts it, "Humility does not
mean you think less of yourself. It means you think of yourself
less."
What should we do to attain biblical humility?
SUBMIT TO SPIRITUAL LEADERS.
In the first part of Peter's epistle, we are told to
submit to the human institutions and leaders that God has given us.
Peter then goes on to say that we must submit to our employers. And
then wives are told to submit to their husbands even if they are
unreasonable and aren't following the Lord. Peter also writes: "You
younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders..." (1 Peter 5:5a).
The word subject here is the word for humbly obey. We should humbly
obey those whom God has chosen and ordained to be spiritual leaders.
Who are the spiritual leaders? These are the elders, the pastors, the
Bible teachers, and the D-Group leaders. The instruction from Peter
for young men to be subject to spiritual leaders applies to all
believers. This must be voluntary submission because the leaders
cannot force you to follow and obey them. God's way is for you to
submit from the heart to God and then to your spiritual leaders by
honoring, respecting, obeying, and listening to them. The spiritual
leaders, on the other hand, are clearly instructed not to lord it
over God's people. Instead, they are to lead by being a godly example for
people to follow. The Bible says in Hebrews 13:17, "Obey those who
rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls,
as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not
grief, for that would be unprofitable for you." This is the balance between
spiritual authority and leadership and the believers' submission. The
leader is accountable to God for all his actions.
submit to the human institutions and leaders that God has given us.
Peter then goes on to say that we must submit to our employers. And
then wives are told to submit to their husbands even if they are
unreasonable and aren't following the Lord. Peter also writes: "You
younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders..." (1 Peter 5:5a).
The word subject here is the word for humbly obey. We should humbly
obey those whom God has chosen and ordained to be spiritual leaders.
Who are the spiritual leaders? These are the elders, the pastors, the
Bible teachers, and the D-Group leaders. The instruction from Peter
for young men to be subject to spiritual leaders applies to all
believers. This must be voluntary submission because the leaders
cannot force you to follow and obey them. God's way is for you to
submit from the heart to God and then to your spiritual leaders by
honoring, respecting, obeying, and listening to them. The spiritual
leaders, on the other hand, are clearly instructed not to lord it
over God's people. Instead, they are to lead by being a godly example for
people to follow. The Bible says in Hebrews 13:17, "Obey those who
rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls,
as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not
grief, for that would be unprofitable for you." This is the balance between
spiritual authority and leadership and the believers' submission. The
leader is accountable to God for all his actions.
Part of humility is accountability. This is not just the accountability between
you and God, or you and your wife, or you as parent to your children.
This is an accountability between you and a
more mature brother or sister in Christ who is discipling you. This
is for your spiritual growth and protection. Pride would keep us from
being transparent with others. Don't let pride be the cause of your
own downfall. Live in humility before God and to others, and God will
bless you in ways that you cannot even imagine.
more mature brother or sister in Christ who is discipling you. This
is for your spiritual growth and protection. Pride would keep us from
being transparent with others. Don't let pride be the cause of your
own downfall. Live in humility before God and to others, and God will
bless you in ways that you cannot even imagine.
BE HUMBLE TOWARDS ONE ANOTHER.
Peter writes: "...all of you, clothe yourselves with
humility toward one another" (1 Peter 5:5b). This includes every
single one of us - young or old, male or female, rich or poor; it
doesn't matter who you are or what you are. The word `clothe' comes
from the Greek word `ENKOMBOOMAI", which means putting something on
yourself and tying it with a knot or ribbon. It was the word used to
refer to a servant's apron. Humility during the time of Peter, just
like today, was not a virtue. The only humility tolerated in those
days was the involuntary humility of slavery. And basically, Peter is
saying, "All of you, put on a garment of a slave and take on
voluntary humility." He was relating this to the time when Jesus got on His
knees and washed the feet of His disciples. How does this apply to
us?
We need to make a deliberate decision in our hearts to follow God's
Word and serve others. "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit
but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more
important than himself" (Philippians 2:3-4). We should be like Jesus
and treat others as more important than ourselves. That's a great
challenge because many of us without realizing it may consider
ourselves to be superior to others. It's a daily battle to fight
sinful pride in our lives. We've need to stop being self-centered,
self-righteous, and all the other `self'' word. We should change the
way we see ourselves because in all honesty, all that is good in us
isbecause of God's grace and mercy for apart from Him we are nothing
butwretched sinners.
humility toward one another" (1 Peter 5:5b). This includes every
single one of us - young or old, male or female, rich or poor; it
doesn't matter who you are or what you are. The word `clothe' comes
from the Greek word `ENKOMBOOMAI", which means putting something on
yourself and tying it with a knot or ribbon. It was the word used to
refer to a servant's apron. Humility during the time of Peter, just
like today, was not a virtue. The only humility tolerated in those
days was the involuntary humility of slavery. And basically, Peter is
saying, "All of you, put on a garment of a slave and take on
voluntary humility." He was relating this to the time when Jesus got on His
knees and washed the feet of His disciples. How does this apply to
us?
We need to make a deliberate decision in our hearts to follow God's
Word and serve others. "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit
but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more
important than himself" (Philippians 2:3-4). We should be like Jesus
and treat others as more important than ourselves. That's a great
challenge because many of us without realizing it may consider
ourselves to be superior to others. It's a daily battle to fight
sinful pride in our lives. We've need to stop being self-centered,
self-righteous, and all the other `self'' word. We should change the
way we see ourselves because in all honesty, all that is good in us
isbecause of God's grace and mercy for apart from Him we are nothing
butwretched sinners.
Is there a valid reason why we should be humble? Peter
writes: "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to humble" (1
Peter 5:5c). The word `proud' is a compound word in Scripture, the
first part meaning above and the second part meaning to appear. So if
you put them together it means `to appear to be above.' We are proud
every time we think that we are better than other people. And God
hates the proud. Pride led Lucifer out of heaven. Pride removed
Nebuchadnezzar's sanity and resulted in him living like a wild beast
for seven years. "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit
before stumbling. It is better to be of a humble spirit with the
lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud" (Proverbs 16:18-19).
writes: "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to humble" (1
Peter 5:5c). The word `proud' is a compound word in Scripture, the
first part meaning above and the second part meaning to appear. So if
you put them together it means `to appear to be above.' We are proud
every time we think that we are better than other people. And God
hates the proud. Pride led Lucifer out of heaven. Pride removed
Nebuchadnezzar's sanity and resulted in him living like a wild beast
for seven years. "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit
before stumbling. It is better to be of a humble spirit with the
lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud" (Proverbs 16:18-19).
Another reason to be humble is because God gives grace to
humble. Throughout the Bible, God gives victory to those who are
humble. For example, God told Gideon to use 300 men to fight 100,000
soldiers. God instructed Joshua to conquer Jericho by having the
Israelites walk around the city 1 time a day for 6 days, 7 times on
the 7th day and blow the trumpets and shout, a ridiculous strategy
from a human stand point. King Jehoshaphat was told by God how to
fight a war in which his army was greatly outnumbered. Logically
speaking, what God asked these men to do did not make any sense and
yet they submitted to Him and humbly obeyed Him. What was the result?
There was victory in their midst because God poured out His grace on
them. In the same way, we need to submit to God daily. There is
nothing greater than having the infinitely powerful and wise God on
our side. We must be humble and obedient to God just like Jesus
Christ was. "(Jesus) humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of
death, even death on a cross. Therefore also God highly exalted Him,
and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name" (Philippians
2:8-9).
humble. Throughout the Bible, God gives victory to those who are
humble. For example, God told Gideon to use 300 men to fight 100,000
soldiers. God instructed Joshua to conquer Jericho by having the
Israelites walk around the city 1 time a day for 6 days, 7 times on
the 7th day and blow the trumpets and shout, a ridiculous strategy
from a human stand point. King Jehoshaphat was told by God how to
fight a war in which his army was greatly outnumbered. Logically
speaking, what God asked these men to do did not make any sense and
yet they submitted to Him and humbly obeyed Him. What was the result?
There was victory in their midst because God poured out His grace on
them. In the same way, we need to submit to God daily. There is
nothing greater than having the infinitely powerful and wise God on
our side. We must be humble and obedient to God just like Jesus
Christ was. "(Jesus) humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of
death, even death on a cross. Therefore also God highly exalted Him,
and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name" (Philippians
2:8-9).
Matthew 20:28, "Jesus said, "For even I, the Son of Man,
came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give My life
as a ransom for many." Humility does not come naturally. It is opposed
to everything our sinful nature wants us to do. Humility is a choice,
it's a decision you make on a daily basis by the power of the Holy
Spirit in your life. 1 Peter 5:6, "Humble yourself under the mighty
hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time!"
came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give My life
as a ransom for many." Humility does not come naturally. It is opposed
to everything our sinful nature wants us to do. Humility is a choice,
it's a decision you make on a daily basis by the power of the Holy
Spirit in your life. 1 Peter 5:6, "Humble yourself under the mighty
hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time!"
Have a Blessed Day
Dave and Barbara
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