Humble Yourself

You may be more proud than you realize. I am too. We are often more arrogant than we care to admit. We can default to being jerky and judgmental with a dangerous frequency. We need to humble ourselves quickly… before the Lord humbles us through painful discipline.  

Here are four thoughts on why and how we should humble ourselves:

We answer to God first and forever.  We love to mentally place ourselves above others. We would never ask them to bow to us, but when we compare ourselves to others, insult others, gossip about others, and condescend towards others… we are thinking that we deserve some version of worship.  Humbly prioritize God.

Philippians 2:10–11 “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow”

We are more wrong than we think.  Our opinions tend to be formed as facts in our minds. Our actions are usually justified in our hearts before we do them. Remember the story of Job? How even as God-declared humble man he still questioned God and prioritized His opinion?  Thought himself right?

Job was wrong. God questioned him over several chapters to humble Job in the realization of his own ignorance. Listen to God’s true voice through the Bible. Humbly fill your mind with God’s voice over your own inadequate opinions.

Matthew 12:36–37 “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Our sin and selfishness are serious.  We have easy time spotting the sin of others, but don’t quickly see the sin of our own hearts. We fail to love God and others the way we should. We dismiss many of God’s commands (both intentionally or unintentional) and we are guilty before a Holy God. Guard your heart from pride. Humbly prioritize others.

1 Peter 5:5 “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’”

Our words can do lasting damage.  Speak carefully. May our words be filled with grace and forgiveness. May we build up others, encouraging them instead of tearing them down. Ask God to see things from His perspective rather than our own superficial and often hypocritical mindset. Once we release our words we cannot get them back.  Choose wisely with your words and actions.

Matthew 7:1–2 “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.”

Convicted?  Ask God for a humble heart. Personalize a Scripture, like the one below, and make it a prayer to the Creator of the Universe.  Such a prayer will be dangerous to your ego, but the resultant soul surgery will do wonders in you and through you for the eternity ahead!

Colossians 3:12–13 “Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”