“He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD
require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with
your God.” Micah 6:8
"Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you
shall not enter the kingdom of heaven."
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Circumstances in life are designed to humble us, not crush us. They are
experiences that shape us so that we may taste and have life to the fullest.
We look at such experiences as threats to our success, but they are the path
to true success.
When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the humble is wisdom."
Proverbs 11:2
The Lord calls for us to purposely humble ourselves before God. If we
humble ourselves, then we need to go through less difficult circumstances to
sharpen our lives.
"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other;
for everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, but he who humbles
himself shall be exalted." Luke 18:14
With this secret in our minds, we will take a whole different look upon
leadership, servanthood, temptation, discipleship, etc. It seems there is no
worthy discussion that humility is not part of. The world cannot understand
it.
John, the Baptist, discerned it quite well. He encapsulated this secret in just a
few words saying in John 3:30, "He must increase, but I must decrease."
God illustrates this truth in nature all around us. We are literally surrounded
by the 'humbling' principle but the world knows nothing of it. Seeds need to
descend from their lofty and glorious setting only to be miserably buried in
the mud. It is only then, does new life become evident. We have a winter of
souls too. God's humbling of our soul is part of His good plan for our lives.
Let's see how Jesus modeled this for us.
Isaiah 53
2 Chronicles 12:7
And when the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the
LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, "They have humbled themselves so I will
not destroy them, but I will grant them some [measure] of deliverance, and
My wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by means of Shishak.
2 Chronicles 32:26
However, Hezekiah humbled the pride of his heart, both he and the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD did not come on
them in the days of Hezekiah.
2 Chronicles 34:27
"Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God,
when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and
[because] you humbled yourself before Me, tore your clothes, and wept
before Me, I truly have heard you," declares the LORD
Psalm 37:11
But the humble will inherit the land, And will delight themselves in
abundant prosperity. (see Matthew 5:5)
Proverbs 15:33
The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, And before honor
[comes] humility.
Proverbs 22:4
The reward of humility [and] the fear of the LORD Are riches, honor and
life.
Proverbs 29:23
A man's pride will bring him low, But a humble spirit will obtain honor.
Matthew 23:12
1 Peter 5:6
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may
exalt you at the proper time.
Jesus in John 14:2 says, "...if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go
to prepare a place for you." The Lord's intent, at the end age, for His
children is to bless and reward His faithful children. The test of sonship is
confirmed by our humble service and rewarded with great fanfare.
All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them
and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they
were strangers and exiles on the earth. Therefore God is not ashamed to be
called their God; for He has prepared a city for them. (Hebrews 11:13-16).
The theme of reward is scattered throughout the scriptures including the
famous Isaiah 53. They affirm that those being humbled are not aimlessly
being troubled, but that God is working out a better plan. We must
remember to first embrace what we might meet on that humble path that
God has designed for us but always remember that one day the burden of
humility and suffering will be removed. We will then be crowned with God's
revealed presence and receive other things that He has prepared for us.
"This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of
God may be glorified by it." (John 11:4).
The humbling due to sickness is a blessing. Of late, when I get sick, I start
paying more attention to the lessons God is teaching me rather than the
disruption to my life's schedule. Instead of having lingering doubt about
God's love for me, bright inspirations of faith shine through all the misery.
Bear one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone
thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each
one examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in
regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another.
Our age is anything but quiet. Note how Isaiah captures this same scene
of the wicked in three significant places (Isaiah 48:22; 57:21; 66:24)
"There is no peace for the wicked," says the LORD. (Isaiah 48:22).
"There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked." (Isaiah 57:21).
"Then they shall go forth and look On the corpses of the men Who have
transgressed against Me. For their worm shall not die, And their fire shall
not be quenched; And they shall be an abhorrence to all mankind." (Isaiah
66:24).
"Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”Blessed are you when men cast insults
at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on
account of Me. "Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for
so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:10-12).
The purpose of the Book of Revelation is to prepare God's people for the
tribulation not to escape it (2). The book is to strengthen our confidence in
His control of all things even though it doesn't seem apparent that He does.
Through this series, God gives us the necessary faith to gloriously persevere.
Life is seen with the light of eternity. Please note the important lessons we
find in this following passage.
And when He broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of
those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the
testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice,
saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt Thou refrain from judging
and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" And there was
given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest
for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and
their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, should be
completed also. And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a
great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and
the whole moon became like blood; (Revelation 6:9-12).
John the Baptist could so easily step down from his wonderful role by
understanding that all that we have is not from our selves but from God.
John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing, unless it has been
given him from heaven. (John 3:27).
Death can awaken us to our eternal call. It calls us to leave our worldly
pursuits. If we can appreciate the humbling of our minds and bodies in the
sunset of death, then we can prosper in the age to come. The sooner we learn
this principle, the wiser we will be. Moses, speaks so clearly of this in Psalm
90.
For all our days have declined in Thy fury; We have finished our years like a
sigh. As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, Or if due to
strength, eighty years, Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; For soon it is
gone and we fly away. (Psalms 90:9-10).
Philippians 2:3-11
"...With humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more
important than himself" (Philippians 2:3).
In this passage, we see Jesus Christ, our Master, take three steps down. We,
as His disciples, are to possess this same spirit. "Have this attitude in
yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus," (Philippians 2:5). We are not to
take the same steps, but possess the attitude which will in our own lives lead
to some difficult steps.
Conclusion
Is not Jesus' example a good enough reason to be humble in mind especially
when it is for you His people He denied Himself for?
"Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My
disciple. (Luke 14:27).
For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles
himself shall be exalted. (Luke 14:11).
It is better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, Than to divide the spoil
with the proud. (Proverbs 16:19).
For He who requires blood remembers them; He does not forget the cry of
the afflicted. (Psalms 9:12).
Conclusion
No matter what your situation, ask for forgiveness for your pride. Do
good to others knowing that you will be lifted up in the end. If you
choose to be exalted now, you will soon be crushed. Choose humility and
let Him in His time lift you up.
And hearing this, the ten became indignant with the two brothers. But
Jesus called them to Himself, and said, "You know that the rulers of the
Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over
them.”It is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great
among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among
you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be
served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." (Matthew
20:24-28)
Dying to Self
For the death that He died, He died to sin, once for all; but the life that
He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin,
but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your
mortal body that you should obey its lusts, (Romans 6:10-12)
We are to see the glorious work of the Spirit in contrast to the flesh. By
seeing their contrasting ways, we hate one and love the other. We refuse
to serve our own self's preferences and become wholly loyal to the Holy
Spirit's work in our lives.
We have a lot to learn from Moses. Moses had been so close to God. He was
known for his humility.
"Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on
the face of the earth." (Numbers 12:3)
Moses started high in the Egyptian palace and descended to the desert with
God. He exchanged heaven for earth. If we adopt his perspectives, then we
will gain humility and wisdom.
Let not the foot of pride come upon me. (Psalm 36:11)