Humility

September 27, 2024

We don’t like the word humility. It is too close to humiliation, and most of us have experienced that. But humility is different. It is simply taking an accurate assessment of yourself and being willing to take less than you think you deserve. Someone once said humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. I think that’s a pretty good definition. After all, it’s what Jesus did. He knew who he was, but refused to take advantage of it. That’s why Paul writes:

“…And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” —Philippians 2:8-11 

Jesus spoke of humility this way:

““When you are invited by anyone to a … feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.””

—Luke 14:8-11

If you exalt yourself, sooner or later someone will come along and put you in your place. That’ll be bad. If you humble yourself, sooner or later someone will come along and put you in your place. That’ll be good.