Humble Yourself

"Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you," (1 Peter 5:5b-6)
"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you." (James 4:10)
"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." (Luke 14:11)

Humility is not a recommendation, but a command! And just as all the commands of Scripture are given to reveal our inadequacy and God's sufficiency (Heb. 13:20-21, Eph. 3:17-19, 2 Cor. 3:5-6), so is humility a fruit of the Spirit of God.

So what does it mean to humble oneself and what does humility practically look like? To humble oneself means to confess dependance upon the Spirit in prayer that "He [Christ] must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30), and to speak and act in a way that shows that dependance. John said this in the realization that "a person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven" (John 3:27) Therefore the realization of what you have been given should not build you up, but bring you lower in humility.

Notice that James and Luke both say that those that those who humble themselves "will be exalted", and that Peter qualifies this by adding, "at the proper time". If you are seeking to humble yourself then, you can be sure that God will fulfill His promise to exalt you, even if you have to wait until heaven to enjoy it. Is not eternal salvation a humbling gift resulting in a glorious undeserved exaltation?

How then practically do I humble myself? One answer is first to consider the way you currently introduce yourself to those you first meet, and second the way you update friends on new developments in your life. When you first meet someone, do you promote yourself by commending to them all your strengths, past successes, who you know or where you've been? Or are you quick to make known your weaknesses, through which the Lord has shown His power? Are you the kind of person that people think most highly of when they first meet you because of your self-presentation? Or are you one that people come to respect more as they experience your character and learn more of the strengths about you that had initially been withheld?

Everyone likes surprises! So seek to surprise the world with the Lord's power by talking less and less about yourself, and more and more about the Lord in your weaknesses. This also is an excellent way to encourage others to humble themselves!

Next, consider the way you update your friends on new developments in your life. What is central in the conversation? Is it God's power in your weaknesses, or God's benefit in obtaining your great contribution? For people to truly see the power of God in our lives, they have to clearly see our weaknesses and sinfulness. Which is all the more reason to be honest about exposing your faults, and not embracing hypocricy by concealing them.

If you are weak and sinful, walking in the light means not trying to hide it. To hide it is to forsake desired fellowship with God and other believers (1 John 1:6-9).

So God, please empower us to humble ourselves for our joy and Your glory in our lowliness and Your highness!