Humility

“God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

-1 Peter 5:5 & James 4:6

What does it mean to be humble?

The Greek word used in the Bible is tapeinos. This word means that being humble is being in a lowly estate— someone who is not of elevated status.

How do we become humble?

Humility seems to be the antithesis of our human condition because it contrasts our desire for self-sufficiency. It starts, however, with recognizing that you know nothing until you know God. Proverbs 9:10 says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. He can only work in you if you have a humble heart that recognizes your desperate need for Christ’s saving grace.

A proud person cannot accept their need for a Savior because they want to be their own god. This is why He resists the proud. Their hearts are hard and calloused, but the hearts of the humble are soft and malleable for the Lord.

How do we remain humble before God and others?

1. Remind yourself daily of your need for God.

One way to begin your day is to voice the prayer, “Lord, I need you.” It helps to remind yourself that you are helpless without God. You might be able to think you can manage life on your own but remember that it is still God who gives you the very breath in your lungs. It is imperative that we combat our human tendency of self-sufficiency.

2. Think of others more highly than yourself.

Philippians 2:3 says, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.” This is in stark contrast to our human nature which is all about “me, me, me,” which is why we need to operate through the Spirit to put others’ before ourselves.

3. Look inwardly.

Matthew 7:5 says, “First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” It’s easy to be proud and use a magnifying glass on everyone else’s flaws. What takes effort is using a mirror to see your own. Additionally, practice admitting when you’ve done wrong and asking forgiveness from those whom you have hurt. In our humanity, we hate being wrong, so this requires the strength of humility that the Spirit can empower you with.

4. Remember Jesus came to serve.

Mark 10:45 says, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” If Jesus (God in the flesh) came to earth as a humble servant, why do we expect that we should experience anything different? He taught servanthood to His disciples: Mark 9:35 says, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” When you feel wronged or undeserving of specific treatment, remember Jesus, who remained faithful to God and endured this world in humble servanthood.

5. It is not YOU who does good; it is CHRIST in you who does good.

It’s tempting to become haughty when we do something good for God. We start thinking that we are a “good” Christian. In reality, you have nothing to boast about because it’s the Holy Spirit within you who is doing these good works! He has prepared them in advance for you (Ephesians 2:8-10) and all that you do is choose to walk in it or not. You cannot even boast about your salvation because it is all a gift from God.

6. God will exalt the humble.

Remember that God promises to lift up the humble, whether while on this earth or in His kingdom. God knows our hearts and the pain from unfair circumstances that we may endure. Remain with a humble heart, and in due time, He will reward you.

Proverbs 18:12 says, “Before destruction a man's heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.”

1 Peter 5:6 says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you…”

Take a moment:

I’ve listed a 5-day “challenge” for you this week to apply the message from this devotional. 

Day 1: Reflect— What area of your life do you tend to lack humility?

• For example: Do you lack humility when things go wrong in life, blaming God for those problems? Do you lack humility when others hurt you and you’re tempted to retaliate? Do you lack humility when you compare your good works to those of others?

Day 2: Pray — Spend time praying today, asking God to soften your heart to see those situations from His perspective. Give those situations to God, trusting that the path of humility is the path that will lead you closer to Him.

Day 3: Read — Read John 13, which is when Jesus washes His disciples’ feet.

Day 4: Worship — Listen to (or read the lyrics) to the song, “Humble” by Audrey Assad and praise Jesus for His humble heart that saved us from our sin.

Day 5: Act — Do something today where you put someone else’s needs before yours. Or maybe you need to confess you were wrong and ask for forgiveness from someone.

Living in humility is what it means to live by faith.

-Alina