Chapter 3 - Getting in Position - Humility
"Humble themselves"
That was God's first instruction to King Solomon. It is the first step to effectiveness in the position.
It must have kept his attention. Solomon wrote the Book of Proverbs contained in the Bible. It is a record of his Godly wisdom in which he had a lot to say about pride and humility.
Proverbs 29:23 - "A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor."
Proverbs 22:4 - "The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, honor and life."
Proverbs 16:19 - "It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoil with the proud."
Proverbs 16:18 - "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling."
Proverbs 18:12 - "Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, but humility goes before honor."
Proverbs 11:12 - "When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the humble is wisdom."
Proverbs 15:33 - "The fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom, and before honor comes
humility."
Empty of "Self"
The word "humble" derives from the Latin humilis, meaning low or lowly, and at its base means "of the ground." You know of "humis," the bean concoction often served with Mediterranean-style foods. That bean came from the ground -- "humilis."
The same word that describes the lowly bean is praised by the Bible as one of the highest virtues of human character -- lowly, in the ground. Are you beginning to get the point?
Stop and read the sidebar excerpt from C.S. Lewis. He deals with pride in a particularly pointed way that is beneficial to your understanding of the importance of humility. Click the text box for an audio of his full chapter on the subject from his book, "Mere Christianity," It is a 21-minute listen and well worth your time investment. Lewis will deepen your insight into the critical matters of pride and humility.
Your position of effectiveness in the presence of God is attained only when the first responsibility is met, "humble yourself in the presence of the Lord."
Here is some of what the Bible has to say about it. . .
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"Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you." James 4:10
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"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time." 1 Peter 5:6
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"Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:4
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"Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted." Matthew 23:12
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"And he said to all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.'" Luke 9:23
Remember! When you read something from the Bible, you are reading God's Word. It is alive with his Holy Spirit. Treat it accordingly. Before you read, clear your mind of anything other than seeking God in the words. Ask him to show you what he wants you to understand.
Unconditional Surrender!?
I am a 75-year-old southern male. My heroes are WWII Marines, and my models of manhood were John Wayne characters. The word "surrender" was anathema to my way of thinking until I started unpacking these biblical concepts of position.
It is not possible to grasp God's intent for my life or yours apart from honest dealing with surrender of self to Him. Jesus made the point clear, "Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. Luke 9:23-24
Humility and surrender are inseparably related yet not identical. Humility is the inner orientation that makes surrender possible. There is something of God's character in a man. The Bible calls it being created in the image of God. Humility is the uncovering and rising of that element, the accurate understanding of oneself in relation to God. It acknowledges God as Master and Creator, the wise sovereign of all that is -- including you and me.
Surrender is the gateway to that discovery. For that reason, humility leads the list of postures in the presence of God. Until humility, the emptying of self-importance and self-sufficiency is gained, there can be no entry.
Human pride stands in the way of surrender. It is the high altar of self-worship, the unholy shrine that signifies humanity's capacity to declare itself the lord of all. Thus, reconciliation with God in humility and discovery of His plan require the destruction of pride through surrender.
A focus on humility may be uncomfortable...it cuts across your natural grain of pride. Embrace the discomfort and explore it. Ask God to show you areas of your life in which pride is present. It won't take long. He will bring it to mind. Now, ask him to lead you to proper humility in that area.
Who's on First?
Scripture is clear that your position of effectiveness in the presence of God is attained only when the first responsibility is met, "humble yourself in the presence of the Lord." It is also clear that surrender-to-humility, though God-empowered, must be humanly initiated.
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"Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you." James 4:10
-
"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time." 1 Peter 5:6
-
"Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:4
-
"Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted." Matthew 23:12
-
"And he said to all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.'" Luke 9:23
Surrender is a volitional act of trust that moves from acknowledgement to consent in a confession of truth -- "God is, and I am not. ". . . Not my will, but yours be done." Luke 22:42
It is not passivity; it is active intent to yield control and place yourself under God's authority, care, and direction, an intentional release of self-rule and a trusting reliance on God to open His character within you -- humility. So surrender is the action you take in recognition of God's rightful authority and the willing transfer of your will into that authority.
Here is a mental picture of surrender that you may find uncomfortable to consider. Imagine that you are face down on the ground. Your arms and legs are extended to limit any movement. All control of your environment is gone. You are completely defenseless and unable to resist. You are unconditionally surrendered.
Most who read the paragraph above find themselves reacting fearfully to the idea of ever being in such a vulnerable position. Indeed, the idea of total surrender is contrary to human nature -- one's pride and drive for self-preservation. Yet, the humiliation of your natural self is required before the restoration of your spiritual self can begin.
Now imagine that you are there, having surrendered to God with hope that it is in your best interest to do so, somehow unable to exert your will otherwise, fearful and uncertain what may come next. In the next instant, you are overwhelmed by unimaginable peace and confidence as you are lifted, clean and steady, and find yourself ushered into the unimaginable love and presence of Jesus. That is the experience of humility, the first responsibility in a follower's position.
So...Why is humility necessary?
Humility reveals truth in a man's relationship with his Creator. God is God—and we are not. God is infinite, holy, self-existent; we are finite, dependent, and contingent. When the self remains un-humbled, it subtly competes with God for authority. Humility is accurate self-placement. Until the self steps down from the center, God cannot truly be Lord.
Let me give you a familiar piece of Scripture to consider, then you work through the question, "Why?".
“Pray like this:
Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
Give us today the food we need,
and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one." Matthew 6:9-13
I hope you will wrestle with thie question, "Why". The matter of humility before God is critical In short, apart from humility, you will not be in position. So, stay with this. Come to your own answer to my question, "Why?".
Now...why does God require humility of you in order for you to get in position in his presence?
Here are some keys to inform your answer.
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Describe the character of God based on the scripture above.
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Find indicators related to authority.
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Find indicators related to ownership.
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Find indicators related to power.
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Find indicators related to God's purpose.
Listen to this after you have formed your answer to my question.
The Subtle "Should" of Pride
"You're not going to believe this, but I think God told me to stop praying."
My friend is as mature a Christian as they come. He knows God's conditions and promises and lives an admirable life accordingly. So, from him, the statement was out of left field. I knew there had to be more to the story.
"A couple of days ago, I was praying for a younger friend, you know... I told you about him. I sure want to see him lean toward the Lord. So I should pray... right?"
"In the middle of my prayer, I had a clear impression to stop. What do you make of that?"
I did remember. The younger man's reluctance to consider Christ had been a topic of conversation. And, I knew how urgent it had become for my friend. I kept listening.
He continued thoughtfully, "I think I was leveraging God to get something I thought should happen."
"Soooo," I offered, "Maybe the Lord was telling you to stop praying because you were focused on your 'should' rather than His plan? Right idea, wrong approach?"
"Yeah . . . something like that."
My friend behaved as he believed he "should" to achieve an outcome he thought "should" happen. His intentions were good, but he was acting on his own will and timing, trying to persuade God of his plan. Sound familiar?
Like a pilot flying a bad approach trying to land on an aircraft carrier, He was out of position and had been waved off. "Go around and try again!"
The subtle "should" of a man's pride. It crept into a seasoned veteran believer. And it is so common among us. My friend understood what had happened and why the Lord stopped it. His pride had risen. It was not that he was to stop praying, but that he was to stop trying to leverage his way ahead of God -- even for a good reason.
His recognition of sin, confession, repentance, forgiveness, and restoration all occurred within seconds. With his peace and confidence restored, he will continue to pray for his young friend under the direction of the Holy Spirit. God's purpose. God's way.
Watch out for the subtle "should" of pride.
Here's another important question. Can confidence and competitiveness coexist with the virtue of humility?
That question requires close examination. Certainly, those two characteristics are commonly viewed as favorable in a man. So, how do they fit into the question of how to properly play the position?
Consider this hawk. He was perched confidently on a fence post somewhere in the open plains north of Denver a few years ago, hunting a snow-covered prairie dog habitat.
He would seem to be the perfect illustration of confidence and competitiveness. In truth, he is neither. He is a beautiful creature with an instinct to hunt and the tools to do it effectively. He acts in response to his hunger and instinct without thought, decision, or assignment of moral or spiritual qualities.
It is not so with you. You are a moral and spiritual being endowed with the freedom and responsibility to choose how you will use the formidable tools with which you are equipped with purpose and effectiveness. And, you are accountable to God for your choice of action.
Your human nature is tuned in a particular way . . . you are naturally confident and naturally competitive. It is part of the natural "me first" makeup that must be challenged on the way to humility. Before going further, you really need to listen to C.S. Lewis' work on pride if you did not get around to it earlier.
Your spiritual nature, initiated the moment you became a Christian, is tuned differently from your natural self. It introduces a desire for godliness and a way to attain it in your life's equation.
In effect, God changes the question and the examination of its answer. So, rather than asking, "Can confidence and competitiveness coexist with humility?" the questions become, "If I exercise humility, in whom or what am I placing my confidence, my efforts or God's?" and "Am I competing against someone, or am I in pursuit of God's directed purpose?"
Do you see the point?
Unqualified, "confidence" and "competitiveness" will be about you and your will to power. Qualified spiritually, those traits become suspect as God changes the direction of your intent from self-fulfillment to humble surrender to his assigned purpose and effectiveness.
You are a follower of Jesus. Remember the "Light in the Star" story. Your only job is to follow him closely as he leads you into effectiveness. "Humble themselves," that was God's first instruction to the king. It is the first step to effectiveness in the position.
I will wrap this chapter with an illustration on the virtue of humility...a story from the life of Corrie Ten Boom.
At the end of the matter, humility is a question of who's on first . . . you or God.
"Teach me your ways, O LORD, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you. With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever, for your love for me is very great…" Psalm 86:11-13
You are a follower of Jesus. Your only job is to follow him closely as he leads you into effectiveness. "Humble themselves," was God's first instruction to the king. It is the first step to effectiveness in the position.
Ok...now click over to Chapter 4...
Mark Foley, Ph.D.
effectivesolutions.today