Humility

If we don’t humble ourselves, God will need to humble us

April 3

I have been intrigued by the concept of humility over the last year or so. I believe many people have the wrong idea of what humility really is. Humility is not being a doormat. It is not pretending that you are less talented or blessed than you really are. That is false humility, and most of us can spot it anywhere. Humility is not accepting bad behavior and never getting mad. Humility is knowing who we are in light of Christ. Accepting that the best things about ourselves are a gift from God, and we have no reason to boast. When I was reading my bible today God showed me another facet of humility. I was reading in Judges about King Adoni-bezek.

the Israeli army soon captured him and cut off his thumbs and big toes. “I have treated seventy kings in this same manner and have fed them the scraps under my table!” King Adoni-bezek said. “Now God has paid me back.” Judges 1:6,7 TLB

This king was humiliated. He was forced to lower his social position, forced to acknowledge how unimportant he really was. His authority was forcibly taken from him. The world did not stop because he was removed. Humility is self-imposed. Humiliation is inflicted. If we do not accept that everything we own, all the gifts and talents we have, the authority we have been given is a gift from God, if we do not care for others more than ourselves, if we do not humble ourselves, God will humble us and it will feel humiliation.