Humility

What is humility?  We have all heard and are taught to be humble.  We think of humility as weakness, but it is the opposite.  It is the opposite of pride and arrogance.  It is really just surrendering our will to God’s will.  We try to be humble, but none of us have reached true humility.  True humility is to see others more significant than ourselves.

The Bible speaks a lot on humility.  Zephaniah 2:3 tells us to seek righteousness and humility.  We are to recognize humility is intertwined with all the attributes of holiness.  You can’t be humble and not be righteous and you cannot be righteous and not be humble. 

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” – Phil. 2:3

We need to be humble for many reasons.  For one God opposes the proud.  “All of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” – 1 Peter 5:5 

“to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.”-  Titus 3:2.

“The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.” – Prov. 15:33

“There, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” – Col. 3:12

Jesus is the perfect model of humility and we are to be like Him in all we do.  Philippians 2:5 and 8 tells us our attitudes should be the same as that of Christ and that He humbled Himself and became obedient even to death on a cross.  He didn’t want to be tortured and die, but He put the will of God before Himself.

It is hard to be humble all the time.  “the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit” – Gal. 5:17.  We as humans have a sin nature and want to ignore God’s commands and not deny self.  We don’t want to work at being humble, because it takes effort.  It is also hard, because the enemy, Satan controls the world and hates God’s work.  He tries to control us.  His chief characteristic is pride.  He comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). 

Do you consider yourself humble?

Do you model the life of Jesus?

How is your life full of humility and patience?

Would others say you are proud or humble?

Here are a few ways and suggestions that I hope will help you be more humble: 

Listen more and talk less

Count to 3 before adding to a conversation to ensure the other person is done

Show interest in other’s conversation even if you don’t get to talk about your idea

Always give credit when it’s other person’s idea

Ask others for their opinion

Ask others to join in the conversation

You don’t have to be right all the time

Admit when you are wrong

Admit when you don’t understand or know something

Appreciate others

Be quick to apologize

Use moral principles to guide you

Remember you are God’s creation, not your own

Recognize your talents as gifts from God, not your own ability

Know how your skills have been developed by the help of others

Pass on what you have learned

Give thanks when others help you

Value other people’s time

Don’t boast about your achievements

Help other people with their goals

Realize the potential in others

Know that timing is everything and everyone excels at different times in life

Being the 1st follower is often the best way to lead

You don’t have to be right all the time

Recognize that you have faults

Remember you are a sinner and you are no better or worse than anyone else

Ignore first impressions of people

Give others the benefit of the doubt

Provide positive and encouraging feedback instead of criticism

Make a choice to act more humbly and practice it at least once each day

Be grateful for successes without boasting 

Know how to accept praise with a simple thank you

Share your core values and live them regardless of the circumstances

Prioritize things in your life

Be less significant

Forgive those who wronged you and move on without revenge or lashing back

Serve others first putting self last

Seek wisdom

Recognize there is always more to learn

Avoid explosive reactions and aggression

Accept new ideas and change

Ask God to help you be more humble

Learn from and model the life of Jesus 

In summary – humility is submitting ourselves to God’s will and obeying Him.  It is the attitude of the heart.  We learn humility by studying God’ Word and the actions of Jesus.  We are to love others and put them before ourselves.  We are to be very careful and not allow pride and self-centeredness take over us.  It is hard to be humble, but we are to make it our goal to please God. “… we make it our goal to please him…” – 2 Cor. 5:9. 

Ask yourself these questions - Would others say you are humble?  Would others say you are quick to forgive and difficult to offend?  Would they say you are patient and not easily frustrated?  Would they say you are a peacemaker?  Would they say you know when to be quiet and when to speak?  Would they say you like serving others?  Would they say you are thankful and live with a good attitude?  Would they say you treat everyone with respect?

I hope this has given you something to think about – and pray about.  Thanks for stopping by.  I hope to see you here next time.

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