Humility is strength…

“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,[a] 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,[b] being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”      Philippians 2:1-11

Years ago (Sandi and Chris’ senior year) I told a story about Kevin Tommasini at the football banquet.  I said that Kevin was a pretty spiritual guy and before one game I went  by his locker and he was praying.  I heard him say, “Lord make me humble.”  Unfortunately, I said, God thought he said, “Lord, make me fumble,” and Kevin did, three times, and it made him humble. So God answered his prayer, but not in the way Kevin envisioned!

God has a way of bringing humility to our lives it we start to think a little too highly of ourselves.  Max Lucado says that it is hard to be filled with Christ if we are too full of ourselves and that is so very true.  Today’s verses give to us the greatest illustration of humility that the earth has ever known and explains to us how we can tap into the power of humility, as well.

I say the power of humility because it is power.  Many see humility as a weakness and that is their first mistake.  These verses show us that the most powerful man who has ever lived, lived in humility.  He could have destroyed those who hurt Him with just a wave of His hand, but instead He humbled Himself and died for those same people.  Had Christ not had humility, we would not have eternal life. If Christ would not have put us above Him, we would never rise above with Him.

In verses 3 and 4 Paul reminds us that we need to esteem others more significant than ourselves.  Many take this to mean that we need to think little of ourselves, but this cannot be.  We were formed in God’s own image; we are important, God said so in His Word.  What God really means is that we are to see ourselves as significant, but even in seeing that, treat others as more important. Christ did not have a self-image problem and because of that went to the cross. No, Christ knew He was the creator of the universe, but He chose to place man’s need over His own.  He knew the pain that was ahead of Him and yet went through with it for our sake- that is humility.

One way to keep ourselves in prospective is to remember that all we are and all we do are by the grace of God.  It is He who has made us and He who should get the credit.  We like to credit ourselves with our accomplishments, but that would be like the donkey taking credit for the raucous reception of adoration when he carried Christ into Jerusalem.  The palms and alleluias were not for the donkey any more than others praise of us is really for us.  When we reach that understanding, we will be able to put others in their proper place.

George Washington Carver, the scientist who developed hundreds of useful products from the peanut once said, “When I was young, I said to God, ‘God, tell me the mystery of the universe.’ But God answered, ‘That knowledge is reserved for me alone.’ So I said, ‘God, tell me the mystery of the peanut.’ Then God said, ‘Well, George, that’s more nearly your size.’ And he told me.”    Anytime we begin to think too much of ourselves we should look a the universe around and look at a peanut and see what really matches who we are.

DL Moody was once approached by a man who said he had ceased to sin and had not sinned for ten years.  Moody said, “Really, you must be pretty proud of that.”

The man replied, “Yes, I am.”

Moody smiled and said, “That, apparently, is your first sin in ten years.”   He knew that as soon as we start to be proud of humility, humility is dissolved.  At the end of the day if we are not humble, we will stumble. That is a fact.  Pride led to satan’s fall and he wants to take us with him the same way.  Don’t be like the preacher who once said, “I am very humble and I am proud of that.”  Be like Christ who did not state humility but lived humility.  If every Christian did just that one thing, our world would be a different place.