For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Luke 14:11
What makes some people unbearably proud and others humble?
A father was walking with his son in a major city. Coming in the opposite direction was a well-known celebrity. “We love your work,” the father said, and kept walking. At the next traffic light, the father felt a tap on his shoulder. It was the celebrity. He walked with father and son for several blocks, chatting and being friendly. It was a thrill for father and son alike.
Humility is a quality that God values. In Scripture, God speaks of it around 80 different times and it’s first tied to the way we interact with God. We read, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor” and “…those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (James 4:10, Luke 14:11). What’s more, scripture says, “The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life” (Proverbs 22:4 ESV). Clearly, humility is a quality we’re going to want to aim for in our lives.
We humans are a self-centered bunch, so we might think of humility as being lowly or thinking poorly of ourselves. One writer describes humility in this way: “The thing we would remember from meeting a truly gospel-humble person is how much they seemed to be totally interested in us. Because the essence of gospel-humility is not thinking more of myself or thinking less of myself, it is thinking of myself less.”[1]
We can quickly measure humility by what comes out of our mouths. Am I always talking about myself? Or am I asking you questions about you?
[1] Cho, Abraham. “The Outward Look and Feel of Humility.” Redeemer City to City, Redeemer City to City, 11 July 2024, redeemercitytocity.com/articles-stories/the-outward-look-and-feel-of-humility
