Frank's desk 2/24/09

Path of Life Ministries

GENUINE HUMILITY

“The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way.”

Psalm 25:9 NKJV

It's been said that the first test of a truly great person is their humility. However, when most people hear the word humility, they immediately think it means having a low opinion of oneself. Or they my think of a humble person as someone who is week and feeble. But true humility, the kind the Bible talks about, doesn't mean counting oneself worthless or lacking in strength or courage.

True Bible humility is a recognition that without God you are nothing but that with God, you can do absolutely anything—and give Him all the glory for it. In true obedience to God’s Word, the element of humility is always present. This isn’t anything like the false humility people "put on" in order to influence what others might think of them.

This is the true humility that is from the heart. Genuine humility is the result of true obedience to His ways. Humility keeps your heart tender and pliable before God so that you are always willing to say, "Lord, not my will, but Your will be done."

When we are planning our own way, trying to make things happen in the strength of our own flesh, then we are (or will) just end up frustrated. We have our own ideas about what we can accomplish in life, but often we think more highly of ourselves than we ought. We need to have a humble attitude, knowing that apart from God, we can do nothing of lasting worth.

True humility gives us boldness and confidence in prayer and in life because we acknowledge our dependency on the blood of Jesus and not on ourselves. Through the blood of Jesus we are made the righteousness of God and can go bodly before the throne of Grace. When we go to God in true prayer, we are showing Him that we realize that we cannot make it without Him and that we want Him to be involved in every area of our lives.

Biblical humility eliminates the "me, myself and I" orientation in your life. In other words, it removes selfishness as a motivation for the things you do. This is called dying to self. It is a putting to death of the tendency of your flesh to motivate you to serve your own interests. This is what constitutes genuine Bible humility. Once you have taken self out of the picture, you can really be excited about where your life is going, because then it is God who is orchestrating your life rather than you.

For Jesus to humble Himself to the point of death demonstrates how much He was willing to humble Himself to redeem you and me. Almighty God, clothed in radiant glory from eternity past, came to this earth formed as a human being in the womb of a human mother for one purpose: so that He could one day die a miserable death on a Cross! Yet this was the reason Jesus came; therefore, He chose to be obedient to the very end, humbling Himself to the point of dying a humiliating death on a Cross and thereby purchasing our eternal salvation.

THINK ON THIS:

True humility doesn't mean having a poor self-image. On the contrary, the kind of humility that brings you honor, is the quiet confidence that comes from knowing that your gifts, talents and your very life itself all come from God.

The wonderful truth about humility is that it is the key to walking in God's increase and blessings. If you humble yourself (you have to do this; don't ask God to do it for you) under God's mighty hand, you enable Him to exalt you, lift you up and honor you before men.

Then when you are in this exalted position, you give God the glory instead of taking the credit yourself. God's kingdom receives greater visibility and increase as a result of your light shining in the darkness of this world.

CONFESSIONS

I wear true humility. I am humble and I submit myself to God. I will not think too highly of myself but at the same time I see myself the way God sees me.

I determine to keep all pride out of my life. Through looking in the reflection of God’s Word, I will learn how to walk in true humility.

I look at Jesus as my example of ultimate humility. I lay aside all my selfish desires in order to gain the greatness that is mine by walking in humility.

WERE YOU BLESSED BY THESE WORDS?

WERE YOU CHALLENGED BY THESE WORDS?

Please let me know by writing me and sharing your testimony/praise reports.

Sincerely,

Min. Frank Coleman