Staying Humble
Well, it happened again. For the second year in a row, our bookkeeper, Jennifer Minami, has ummmmm…uhhhhh…clearing my throat…WON the staff March Madness Basketball Tournament Picks. It was announced on our All-Staff TEAMS channel, and as I read all the congratulations piling up, I noticed they were only coming from the gals. Then Jen posted this: “Yep! That trophy looks good on my desk. Feel free to stop by my office and check it out 😎.” Ouch, that stung.
Needless to say, it has been a little hard for the staff guys to take. Jennifer has proudly displayed our little tournament champion trophy on her desk for all to see this entire past year. Now she wins again, and I’m guessing she’ll continue to display this trophy whenever it turns up. Mysteriously, it has gone missing and we can’t seem to find it. I’m so sad (haha).
All that to say this reminded me of how often we can be tested about staying humble. It’s one thing to lose the March Madness tournament picks, but it’s so much more to remember that God wants us, His people, to stay humble as we seek to serve the best interests of others in a world that tends to put one’s own interests first.
How can we seek to stay humble? Spell out the word H.U.M.I.L.I.T.Y. in your life in 8 ways:
Honor God daily over yourself (“He must increase, but I must decrease.”—Jn. 3:30) HOW? By daily confessing how great and worthy God is and how needy and unworthy you really are. Humility is not simply thinking less of yourself but thinking more and more of God.
Understand your need for His all-sufficient grace (“But by the grace of God I am what I am,” Paul said—1 Cor. 15:10a). Remember that you deserve nothing, but you were given everything in Christ. “For of His fulness we have all received, and grace upon grace” (John 1:16).
Mourn over your sin (“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise” (Ps. 51:17). Remember that Jesus Christ humbly took all your pride-saturated sins upon Himself so you could receive what you didn’t deserve. Confession is an open admission that you need His daily cleansing, you haven’t arrived yet, and “the Lord is compassionate & gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness” (Ps. 103:8).
Increase your dependence upon God in prayer (“With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints”—Eph. 6:18). Because you know you are needy, you must pray. Prayerlessness is an ugly testimony of your independence. Humble people recognize that “apart from Me, you can do nothing” (John. 15:5b).
Look for ways to serve others (Remind yourself of this: “And He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf”—2 Cor. 5:15). Since you were saved from living for yourself, be intentional about being a blessing to others through your words, attitudes, and actions.
Invite others to give you honest feedback (“He whose ear listens to the life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise”—Prov. 15:31). Ask your spouse or a good friend where they see pride and humility in you. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend” (Prov. 27:6a) and “Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (Prov. 27:17).
Trust God’s way over your own (“'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' declares the Lord. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts'” (Is. 55:8-9). Humility expects to be viewed differently (1 Cor. 4:9, 13: spectacles, scum, dregs, worst of all sinners). Humility expects to experience life differently (hated without a cause, suffering, opposition, misunderstood, misrepresented). Humility expects to respond differently (blessing for cursing, not returning evil for evil, insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead— Rom 12:14, 19; 1 Pet 2:23; 3:9).
Yield your rights to others (“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor” —Rom. 12:10). We are told not to allow our liberty regarding permissible things to “become a stumbling block” to others (1 Cor. 8:9), to “bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves,” and “to please our neighbor for his good, to his edification” (Rom. 15:1–2). Choose your words carefully, restrain your freedoms thoughtfully, and manage your attitudes respectfully.
You and I cannot get into the kingdom without humility, we cannot live honorably in community without humility, and we cannot avoid God’s opposition without humility.
Now I need to humbly help Jennifer find the mysteriously missing trophy so she can proudly (not good) display it on her desk again.
Pastor Jeff