The Importance of Humility

Humility! What comes to mind when you read that word? This word has been coming up a lot in my life lately. Initially, it doesn’t seem like a good word.

Image By: Evan Logan

It’s one of those character traits that we all know that we need, but that we don’t want to do what is necessary to attain it. Mainly, humbling ourselves consistently. We know the fruit of humility is positive in our lives but it’s the process of being made humble that scares most of us. My question is… why?

Humility is tremendous attribute in God’s Kingdom. It is one of the top characteristics of the main man God uses in Both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Think about it, who is arguably the greatest person in the OT? It would have to be Moses. In Numbers 12:3 it says of Moses,

“Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.”

Now consider the New Testament. Who is the greatest man in the NT? Jesus is hands down! Like Moses, Jesus is noted as a man of great humility. (See Philippians 2)

So, since humility is so highly regarded by God and therefore so necessary for us as Christians to possess, I ask again, why are we so afraid of the humbling process? Could it be that Satan, in all of His pride, has deceived us by causing us to value the pride which comes so naturally to us and which God so despises?

Why is pride so precious to me, to us, that the thought of being humbled is scary? I think it stems from a common misunderstanding. I think it’s the unknown, the uncontrollable, that scares us. We tend to think that humility can only come through humiliation. This leads to thoughts like… “How will I have to be humbled? Will it be tripping on my way into…? Will it be by oversleeping on a very important meeting? Will it be by some form of public failure or humiliation” (insert your worst public humiliation scenario here)?

But, despite these scary thoughts, We must realize that humility does not always have to happen this way. It doesn’t have to be forced upon us by some external circumstances. No, rather, there is a more efficient way to attain it. A more effective way, if done right. There is a way to attain humility without… (insert your worst public humiliation scenario here) having to happen first. What is that you ask? The secret is found in plain sight in God’s Word. Look closely at 1 Peter 5:5b -6. It says,

“Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for

“ God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,”

Here, we see a blessed truth concerning humility. For now, take some time to think about this passage and in my next post I’ll talk a little more about how this text applies to our lives.

In His Grace,
Mike