Humility in God

James 4:7-10 ⁽⁷⁾Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁽⁸⁾Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁽⁹⁾Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. ⁽¹⁰⁾Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (NIV)

        One day, John was taking a drive down the street when he noticed a huge sign that read, “Jesus came as a Lamb, even though He was a King, to save you from sin.” John, who was the CEO of a major telecommunication’s company, was curious as to why anyone would give up power in order to take abuse. He had heard stories about Jesus from the time that he was a child, but John was too busy setting himself up in the corporate world, in order to gain financial freedom. He owned a Bible, given to him by his deceased father, who was a devout Christian until the day he died. However, John had never taken the time to read it much less open it. 

        One day, as John was searching for a book in his library, he accidentally knocked down the Bible that his father had given to him from the shelf. As he reached down and picked it up, he noticed a particular passage that his father had highlighted. Mark 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? (KJV) Alongside the highlighted text was a note that was stuck between the pages. John opened the note to see what it said. It read, “Lord, I pray that you will one day open the eyes of my son where he will humble himself before you, and know that in his pursuit of wealth, his eternal destination is more valuable than any earthly gain.”  

        The Apostle James lets us know that it is important for us to display humility unto God. We cannot obtain Salvation on our own, but it is only through Christ by which we can be saved. The devil had a heart of pride and that was his downfall, but God has let us know that we should never allow pride to rule over us, but humility is needed for the glory of God to be established in our lives.

1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. (NIV) God will exalt us in due season, but until that time comes, exaltation is only given through humility.

        Pride is the downfall of many, but humility allows us to take on the characteristics of Christ. Philippians 2:5-8 ⁽⁵⁾In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: ⁽⁶⁾Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; ⁽⁷⁾rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. ⁽⁸⁾And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself  by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! (NIV) Jesus, being God and man, could have chosen to use it for his advantage, but He refused to do so. God wants us to be humble servants before Him. Only then can we be suitable to live with Him forever upon His return.

       

       

 

The Book of James: 30 Days of Devotion for Men by K L Rich available on Amazon.com.