Humility

In the Young Adults group at our church, we have been discussing humility. It was an eye-opening study!  Enjoy these notes :)

Humility is not:

~Feeling sorry for yourself

~Putting yourself down

~Pretending you can’t do anything right; God has given you gifts & abilities

~Thinking/focusing on yourself all the time

~Lowering yourself to other people and letting them walk all over you

~Completely denying yourself (for example, taking a vow of poverty…that doesn’t make you humble; that makes you poor!)

Humility is:

~Loving yourself in a way that does not put you over anyone else; you are not better or worse than anyone!

~Recognizing that you are who you are and what you are because GOD gifted and enabled you; you are not an amazing self-creation!

~Submitting to the will of God, believing He knows all the answers and the way to your best life

James 4:6 God opposes the proud but gives grace (His empowerment) to the humble. 

God provides His empowerment to those who don’t rely on their own power and strength, but instead allow Him to lead the way.  The proud are those who believe that they know best, try to do everything in their own power, by their own ego.  This doesn’t mean a person is to just sit back and not act.  It means one watches and listens for His leading and follows Him.  Therefore, greater humility is greater power.  When you become less, God and others can become more, and in return, God will exalt and promote you.  Over and over, we are told in the Bible to humble ourselves; it is our choice.

*Humility comes before honor

Proverbs 15:33 The fear (the reverence, awe, and honor) of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, and before honor comes humility.  (You can’t honor another until you humble yourself.)

*Grace is given to the humble

1 Peter 5:5-6 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time.  (You don’t have to make yourself something great.  You follow God and HE will make you great for His glory.)

*Humility goes hand-in-hand with prayer

2 Chronicles 7:14 And My people who are called by My name shall humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land (their inheritance-what they have been given and entrusted with).

*Humilty and faith

Romans 12:3 For through the grace given to me, I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.  (You may think you are better than others, but God doesn’t see it that way!)

*God has given us the gift of grace

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.  (You have nothing to boast about; it’s all God!)

*We all fall short

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 

*Humility involves putting others first

Philippians 2:3-11

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He 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, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (It’s not about you!)

*Humility shows we have been chosen by God

Colossians 3:12 And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Your fruit will prove where your heart really is no matter what your words say!  Can others watch you and know you are a Christian, or do they get confused or even turned away from Christianity because your walk doesn’t match your talk?)

*The humble shall be exalted

Matthew 23:12 And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. 

Remember what God said to Cain in Genesis 4:6-7?  “Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.’”  Do you trust God to exalt you or do you find yourself doing things to be accepted?  One of the saddest tragedies in life is to look back years later and regret the actions or lack of actions of your youth.  Choose humility.