God does not take a man to great heights without first making him walk through the valleys.  We do not naturally seek the path of humility but if we seek to be victorious in our Christian life, then our training must include lessons of humility. True humility is a genuine confession of nothingness and helplessness, the surrender and waiting on God to let Him work in and through our lives.

We always think of a proud person as someone who is always boasting about how much money he makes or how beautiful she is or how successful one is in life. Have we considered self-sufficiency as a form of pride? Trusting solely in yourself and believing you have all it takes to achieve anything you desire and overcome any problem that comes your way, is pride!! When we are hesitant to ask for help or find it difficult to acknowledge that we are wrong, it means we have pride in us. Another area of our pride though not seen on the outside is our selfish motives. Philippians 2:3&4 says,“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” We may be doing good things for others but if the motive is for the name, fame and recognition of being known as some one “good” and not out of the love of Christ that compels in seeking the interest of others, we have selfish ambition in our hearts!

We need to develop the mind and attitude of Jesus Christ as described in Philippians 2:5-8—“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus….” He showed us what true humility means. Christ had everything to give up and he did so to fulfill the will of His Father. We have nothing and yet think that we do and hold so dearly to things that disappear like vapour. True humility can be ours when we see ourselves as nothing in the light of God and we consent to part with and cast away our self so that God can be all in our lives. This is the calling of the Christian life – to be like Christ. It means to take up our cross daily and crucify our “self”- our fleshly desires, growing in humility and  growing more and more in the likeness of Christ.

The Bible contains several examples of proud men being humbled— one of the most dramatic being the story of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.  When he became proud of the kingdom he built, in spite of clear warning not to be so, God humbled him.  For a while, as a direct result of his arrogance, he lived with the beasts of the field and ate grass like an ox. Are you like Nebuchadnezzar today? Examine yourself— pay heed to any warning that God sends you, repent and ask God for forgiveness, for He saves those who humble themselves!

If we humble ourselves, God will exalt us in due time. 1 Peter 5:6 says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” A man with no pride of His own subjected Himself to humiliation to set you and me free— undeserving sinners, slaved by pride and unbelief. There is no greater example than Jesus Christ who committed no sin of his own but willingly sacrificed His life to save us from our sins!

If true humility can be found in any human heart, you can rest assured that it is the outcome of knowing Christ and becoming like Him. Every Christian has a choice between “being humble” or “being humbled!” What will you choose?

To Act On: Choose to be humble! Look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith! Press on to perfection in Christ Jesus!