How critical is humility in becoming an apprentice of Jesus? Does God’s attitude towards pride adequately answer that question? I was unaware of how pride had developed in a certain area of my life. It was recently revealed, and it crushed me. Frankly, it was so traumatic that it occurred over several days and has taken weeks for me to stabilize. It clearly exposed to me how serious God is about our dealing with our pride.
It has reminded me of what God said to the early Hebrews, “Remember how the LORD your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands.” Deuteronomy 8:2 (NLT2) Solomon wrote, “One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.” Proverbs 29:23 (ESV) John wrote, “For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.” 1 John 2:16 (NLT2) The only acceptable pride is pride in God or others, rather than in ourselves.
I’m not exactly sure why this is the case, but humility does not come instantaneously. That part of our sin-nature is deep in the core of a person. Trusting God confidently while being humble about myself, as Jesus was, has been a slow process of relearning to walk. Humility and confidence in Christ are born from patient endurance in our daily experiences in life. It could be in something as innocently appearing as waiting in line in traffic, a shopping line, for a doctor or your spouse. Waiting has a strange way of showing us our self-centeredness or self-reliance.
To foster a closer relationship with God, humility requires acknowledging our dependence on His grace and recognizing our inherent limitations. According to James 4:6, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Paul wrote “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:5-8 (ESV). He also wrote to the people at Colossae, “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Colossians 3:12 (NLT2)
I am still relearning to walk with Christ in a new way. I’m stumbling yet getting stronger and more grateful as I stumble. Just to think that the God of the Universe took the time to take a chisel to me is humbling and elicits humble gratitude to Him.
Having gone through what I have, I suggest that you examine your own life to see where you may have allowed pride to unconsciously sprout up. Trust me. It can be very painful when God has to extract it from you—but then, perhaps that is the only way we will be broken enough to admit we have unacceptable pride and God is not pleased with it in our lives. Keep in mind that if we are serious about our relationship with God, impure pride must be dealt with. Paul wrote, “Christ gave His life … to make [us] holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present [us] to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, [we] will be holy and without fault.” Ephesians 5:26-27 (NLT2) I want spiritual surgery if it will make me more into His image.
Amen! Truly hit home with me.