Skip to main content

Humility

Wow! It's been a while since I've stopped to blog. I've thought about it many times but finally stopped to actually do it. Life has been pretty busy the last month and I am so thankful that it is slowing down.

Now, about my challenge...it really is becoming a more natural way of living. I am thankful that I catch myself guarding my words and weighing them before I speak. I know that Rome wasn't built in a day...and old habits are hard to break...but God's grace is poured out daily to see the transformation take place. I was actually thinking to myself just yesterday that it is getting easier to walk in Psalm 17:3's challenge. That was yesterday...then there is today.

TODAY I was reading God's word and out of the blue I remembered a couple things that I said yesterday. I made a comment about someones outfit; nothing major rude or anything but why did I even say it out loud? Then later that same evening, I laughed at something that struck me as funny...at someone else's expense. Oh, they didn't know that I did...but I know. So, here I am once again saying, 'Father, I was wrong.'

I realized as I was praying about it that my attitude on these comments was directly related to my lack of humility. In both instances, if I get honest with myself, I was exalting myself above the other person. I was saying, 'I know how to dress and you don't' and 'wow, I'm better than you are.' Sure...I didn't actually SAY that or even THINK that, but it was there. Humility is something that we learn from Jesus. Matthew 11:29 he said, 'LEARN humility from me because I am lowly in my heart.' Christ's very nature, his heart and his mind, were set in a place of humility. I was pondering this and my heart was led to Phil. 2:3-7 (Amplified Version):

3Do nothing from factional motives [through contentiousness, strife, selfishness, or for unworthy ends] or prompted by conceit and empty arrogance. Instead, in the true spirit of humility (lowliness of mind) let each regard the others as better than and superior to himself [thinking more highly of one another than you do of yourselves]...5Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility:]
6Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God [[a]possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God], did not [b]think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped [c]or retained,
7But stripped Himself [of all privileges and [d]rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being.

The very MIND of Christ is one of humility. I must LET this mind work in me. He esteemed everyone better than himself and laid down his life for them. If I let this attitude work in me, then it is only natural for my speech to be seasoned with humility and grace. Humility, like praise, is a muzzle and it is one I greatly desire to be upon my life.

So, today I commit to learn from Jesus humility. Dear friends and family, if you see me walking or taking without it....thump my head! I want a muzzle of praise and humility upon my mouth today and always!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Christmas Keys

My hands delicately touched the ivory keys. In reverent solace, I took a deep breath as I sat in the darkness of this unfamiliar house. Slowly, I began to let my fingers flow with the emotions I was feeling. It had been months since I had sat at a piano. But this piano was nothing like the one I had known before: this piano was a perfectly tuned Baby Grand, worth thousands of dollars. The piano I had know - my piano - was an old out of tune spinet that I had purchased at a yard sale for $50. And in that moment, as my fingers danced across the meticulously cared for ivory, I realized how deeply I missed my old out-of-tune friend. It was a feeling that came unexpectedly, this grief. It startled me. So, I quickly stuffed it down inside of myself and shook it off as nonsensical. But as warm tears began streaming down my cheeks while I played this Grand, I soon realized that this was an emotion I could no longer deny: I was grieving the loss of my piano. The loss of my piano had come a...

A Passage of Scripture I'm Not Fond Of

So, today I was reading Joshua 7. It's the one that talks about Achan and how he was killed for lying, stealing, etc. etc. His sin cost him his life and cost Israel a victory in battle. Yeah...it's not one of my favorite passages of scripture! It's one that makes me cringe when I read it. No warm fuzzies. Ready for MORE honesty?! I have reason not to like this passage. I've seen it used within the church as proof to judge and punish someone who has sinned. In fact, I've personally been on the 'receiving' end of that position. It's no fun. Yep. Not one of my favorite passages of scripture. ALL the more reason for me to read it and to ask God his opinion on the passage. It can be really easy to skip over difficult passages of scripture. It can be easy to just skim them and not ponder them at all. But it is still God's word. I want to know why he said what he said. Soooo, I took it to the Lord in all my glorious honesty this morning. I walked rig...

True Worship

I love to watch Worshipers worship. I like to gaze on the Gazers: those who are lost in His presence. I know it may sound strange to some (maybe even a little creepy), but I'm not staring for the sake of being awkward. I simply know that people who gaze on the Beauty of the Holy One have a story to tell. They may see something in Him that I have yet to see. They may know elements of His nature, His holiness, His goodness that I have yet to know. And as I look upon them encountering His Love, I know that they have a redemptive story to tell. All of this, in turn, makes me further see the goodness of God and, in short, it makes me want to be a better worshiper. Recently, I was pondering what it would have been like to watch Jesus worship while He was on earth. Of course, my first imagination of this was seeing him with hands raised singing a love song to God. I mean, can you imagine hearing the Lamb's song rising to Adonai; to hear the Son glorifying the Father? It excites my h...