Upside Down: Humility vs. Pride

(Refreshed from November 2011)

 "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart..." (Matthew 11:29)

I have been thinking about the word “humility” for a few years now.  The Lord continues to bring it to mind as a quality He holds very dear. Because of that, it is something I desire to exhibit in my life. I hear Jesus’ invitation over and over again: “…learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart...” Matthew 11:29.

Humility

As I read, or listen, to the Bible, I see humility woven throughout its pages. It's found in the Law, the Prophets, the Psalms, Proverbs, the lives of God's servants, and throughout the New Testament. God is very consistent with communicating the things He values, and humility appears to be one of them. 

I have come to the conclusion that if we desire to know God, and want to be a disciple of the Lord, we will also need to come to know true humility because they are one and the same.

So, before writing this blog, I thought I should look the word up to make sure I knew what it really meant!!  You know how you go about “thinking” you know what a word means only to discover you were mistaken…? 

This is what I discovered; several dictionary definitions described humility as freedom from pride, a modest view of oneself, and a recognition of our own weakness and imperfections.

Along the way I also came across two sayings that helped me with the definition:

"Humility is a strange thing. The minute you think you've got it, you've lost it."

And,

"Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it's thinking of yourself less."

I loved the second one! But there is certainly truth in both of those statements.

As it turns out, after going through this research, and talking about it with Tom, I am walking away with even more questions than when I started.

Because I don't believe biblical humility is the same thing as thinking you're worthless. Nor do I believe it is false humility, where we constantly put ourselves down. And it certainly isn't unhealthy codependency, something I have personally struggled with over the years.

So what is it?

I think I'm beginning to understand it this way.

True humility is knowing exactly who you are apart from Christ—and exactly who you are because of Christ.

Apart from Him, I am a sinner who can do nothing to earn God's favor. But because of Him, I am redeemed, forgiven, deeply loved, and bought with an incredible price.

It’s not that we feel like we are weak and worthless, it’s that we KNOW who we are in Christ and we are completely reliant upon Him and our confidence rests in Him and not in ourselves or our own abilities. We know that even at our worst, Christ loved us enough to die for us. Again, it isn't confidence in ourselves. It's confidence in Christ.

The more we recognize our desperate need for Him, the less consumed we become with promoting ourselves. Our focus gradually shifts away from our own desires, ambitions, and recognition, and toward loving Him and serving His Kingdom.

Maybe that's why humility actually requires tremendous strength. The world often sees humility as weakness. Jesus demonstrated exactly the opposite.

It takes incredible courage to surrender your own agenda, lay down your rights, trust God's timing, and rely completely upon Him. There is nothing weak about that.

This is where I believe God's Kingdom becomes completely upside down.

Our culture constantly tells us to pursue ourselves.

Protect yourself.

Promote yourself.

Believe in yourself.

Take care of yourself first.

You deserve more.

You deserve recognition.

You deserve comfort.

You deserve success.

Everything points back to self. But Jesus points in the opposite direction. He teaches us to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him.

The world tells us to climb higher. Jesus teaches us to kneel lower.

The world says the greatest person is the one being served. Jesus says the greatest is the servant of all.

One kingdom is built on pride. The other is built on humility.

As I continued thinking about this, I found myself looking at some of the people God specifically describes as humble. It is said of Moses; “Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.” (Numbers 12:3).

Then there is David, a man after God’s own heart. Although he had already been anointed king, he refused to seize the throne from Saul. Instead, he waited for God's timing. David trusted that if God had made the promise, God would also fulfill it.

Then there is Daniel, whom the angel of the Lord said “… Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard…” Daniel 10:12.

Daniel experienced both honor and humiliation. One day he belonged to Judah's nobility; the next he was a captive in Babylon. Yet throughout it all, he remained faithful, dependent upon God, and unwilling to compromise.

Then, of course, we come to Jesus. If anyone had noble birth, and the right to exalt Himself, it was Him. Yet He laid aside the glory of heaven to become one of us and entered life as a helpless baby.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians, “… though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”

Jesus, the only truly sinless person who has ever lived chose mercy instead of condemnation. Compassion instead of superiority. Forgiveness instead of judgment. Jesus didn't merely teach humility. He embodied it.

As Tom and I continued talking about this, the word intercession came up. 

Jesus intercedes for us before the Father. Moses interceded for Israel. David interceded for his people as a king of Israel. Daniel prayed and confessed the sins of his nation as though they were his own.

None of them stood above the people they prayed for. They stood with them. Could this be another example of humility?

Here is another thought. Oswald always talks about God’s nature in us, that the Father speaks to His Holy Spirit who is in us. Here is a quote along those lines: “There is no possibility of questioning God when He speaks, if He speaks to His own nature in me. Prompt obedience is the only result. When Jesus says, "Come," I simply come; when He says, "Let go," I let go; when He says, "Trust God in this matter," I trust. This work of obedience is the evidence that the nature of God is in me.” (My Utmost for His highest, November 17^th)

So, the thought is, since Jesus is “gentle and humble at heart” and His Spirit is in us, and if our desire is what John the Baptist said: "He must become greater; I must become less." (John 3:30), then could God be working the attributes of Christ in us as we yield, obey, and die to ourselves?

Could it be that Christ’s humility surfaces in us as we surrender our will and ways and allow Him to be Lord of our lives? Maybe humility isn't something we manufacture. Maybe it's something Christ produces within us.

Ok, this is where I have landed on this upside-down subject. The world values pride and self-reliance, The Kingdom values surrender and reliance upon God.

The more I look at Jesus, the more I realize humility isn't weakness. It's trusting God enough that we no longer have to protect, promote, or prove ourselves. Our lives are safely held in His hands.

But of course, I am still learning, asking questions and allowing God to shape my understanding.

What about you? I would love to hear YOUR thoughts. How do you define humility?  How has God taught you what it means?

Oh, Father in heaven, please help us to focus on Your truths and Your Kingdom principles and Your ways and not the worlds. Lord, show us what true humility is and what it looks like. Help us to rid ourselves of pride, arrogance and self-righteousness and instead, embrace true humility which brings you delight. Thank you Lord for Your Holy Spirit that will continue to teach and show us how to walk in Your ways and in Your humility.  I pray that you give us the courage and the strength to follow in Your footsteps.  In Jesus’ name I pray, amen!

“Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12

Selah

 

Humility is one of the great paradoxes of God's Kingdom. The world tells us to elevate ourselves, but Jesus invites us to lay ourselves down. Pride clings to control; humility rests in God's hands.

 

Perhaps humility isn't about having a low opinion of ourselves at all. Perhaps it's about having such a high view of Christ that self gradually moves out of the center.

 

When Christ becomes our confidence, we no longer have to prove our worth, defend our reputation, or strive for recognition. We are free to love, to serve, and to trust the One who holds our future.

 

Questions for Reflection

 

·        Where do I find myself striving to protect or promote myself?

·        Do I find my confidence in my own abilities or in Christ?

·        Is there someone God is calling me to pray for or serve with greater compassion?

·        What would "less of me and more of Him" look like in my life this week?

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus..." (Philippians 2:3–5)

I Saw Satan Fall Like Lightning…

"The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven . I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." Luke 10:17-20

You know how you can hear something over and over again and nothing really pops out at you? And then one day, BAM! You read it or hear it in a way you never had before? That is how this scripture hit me… It has been a year or two since this happened but I have been chewing on this for a long time... Not quite sure what to do with it. I usually like to share my revelations right away but this one was so big and complex, I haven’t quite known how to approach it! And honestly, I still don’t really know how this will unfold but I am feeling like it is time to share so I am trusting the Lord to guide me.

Satan has fallen!

The first part of the Luke scripture that hit me was "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” There are a few times that Jesus says things to the disciples that seem random and out of context and this was one of those scriptures for me. The disciples are so excited and reporting back to Jesus all the amazing things that happened and the first thing He says is "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven”!? I am thinking, Okay…?? But then, after repeating it to myself over and over again, it HIT me, hard! Some of you are probably thinking, “Yeah, and? What is the big deal?" But that is just it! It IS a big deal!! Satan has FALLEN… like lightning!  Which, if you have seen lightning hit, it is pretty damn hard!! So, to put it in a nutshell, Satan is defeated. Caput. Zippo. NO LONGER IN POWER! Here is the scripture that supports Jesus’s words:

"And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down." Revelation 12:7-10  

While I bolded and underlined the part about Satan’s fall, which was my point, I don’t want THE most important part of this scripture to get buried, and it is this part: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ”. To put it simply, Satan is out, NO LONGER IN AUTHORITY, and NOW all the authority belongs to Jesus!! He took the authority back and Jesus is now LORD OF LORDS, and KING OF KINGS! And Satan is thrown down and DEFEATED.

Where is our focus?

So, if Satan has fallen, and Jesus is in complete authority, why are we giving Satan so much credit, attention and focus for things that happen to us and others? We rebuke him, and blame him, we stand against him, bind and loose him and cast him out? Where is our focus when we are doing all of that rebuking, blaming and casting out? Isn’t it on Satan? Who has been defeated? And NOT on Jesus who is the victor? Where is my focus, on God or on Satan?

Speaking of where my focus is, we can also get caught up in focusing on the “miracles” aspect of things. When Jesus says “However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." He is saying again, where is your focus? Do not focus on the miracles, or that the demons flee from you, BUT FOCUS ON ME, My relationship with you and the salvation that I have purchased for you! Here are a couple excerpts from Oswald that speak about this as well:

October 27th Oswald:  "... When the disciples returned from their first mission, they were filled with joy because even the demons were subject to them. But Jesus said, in effect, "Don't rejoice in successful service --- the great secret of joy is that you have the right relationship with Me" (Luk_10:17-20). 

January 7th Oswald: "...Before Pentecost the disciples knew Jesus as the One who gave them power to conquer demons and to bring about a revival (Luke_10:18-20). It was a wonderful intimacy, but there was a much closer intimacy to come: ". . . I have called you friends . . ." (John 15:15). True friendship is rare on earth. It means identifying with someone in thought, heart, and spirit. The whole experience of life is designed to enable us to enter into this closest relationship with Jesus Christ. We receive His blessings and know His Word, but do we really know Him?”

Another one of my favorite Oswaldisms is “Are we looking for the blessings of God, or are we looking for GOD who has the blessings?” The first time I heard this, it was a huge forehead slap for me! Of course I tend to focus mostly on the BLESSINGS of God and not on Him! Major conviction! But in these excerpts Oswald hits the importance of a “right relationship” with God, the intimacy of being called “friends” and pursuing HIM and not His blessings... and not on the miracles or other "shiny" things that grab our attention.

Pride…

There is something very alluring and inviting about the power and ability to cast out demons and doing many wonderful miracles isn’t there? It seems so much more powerful, impactful and important than just hanging out with Jesus and pursuing intimacy with Him… like Mary sitting at his feet. That just seems so… boring. But, miracles and healings and seeing demons flee is intoxicating and amazing! When these gifts are being passed out, we all want to get in the front of the line and say, YES! Pick me, pick me!! I want to be able to do all those things!! But again, Jesus said, However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Talk about “counter intuitive”!! Our flesh and humanness is all about the BIG, the BOLD, the EXCITING and “look at ME God, didn’t I do good?!” While I would love to be used by God to do all these amazing miracles, I also know that my pride would be very quick to step in and, while it may not happen at first, it will gradually take over and eventually, it would be ALL about ME! These thoughts are not always in the forefront of my mind but I often find them lurking very subtlety yet pervasively, sneaky and persistent in my own heart and mind.

So after I got this revelation on this scripture I started to hear other interesting scriptures that popped out at me that related to what Jesus said, regarding not focusing on the miracles, but on HIM. Here is one of them:

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'  Matthew 7:21-23

Have you ever wondered about this scripture? How can we do miracles and drive out demons in HIS name and then have Him say “Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” This is a VERY strong statement! He is NOT a happy camper here… This isn’t a “loving rebuke” but instead He would call us “EVILDOERS” (or ‘workers of iniquity’ in another translation)!! Yikes! So, let’s look at what He begins with “….but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” [will enter the Kingdom of heaven]. But… isn’t it the will of the Father that we should do these things?? Hmmmm…. Let’s look at this scripture again. It says “did we not prophesy in your name…?” Again, where is our focus?? They didn’t say “Did YOU not prophesy through us…” it said did "WE"... And here again is pride! What was Satan’s biggest sin? PRIDE. “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” Pride is what caused Satan to “fall like lightning”… and the same will happen to US, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”, if our focus is NOT on HIM and rejoicing that our names are written in heaven! 

Let’s look at this scripture again:

"The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." Luke 10:17-20

Do you see this any differently now?? I do! This was not a random, out of context comment, it is a warning to us! Telling us to keep our focus on HIM, working on our intimacy with Him, and all that HE has done for us and NOT to make the same mistake Satan made… Not to allow our pride to cast us down.

Remember at the beginning I mentioned that there was so much to this scripture and I didn’t know how to approach it? Well, Satan’s fall, our focus and our pride were just a few of the things I got out of this, and I am thankful that He did guide me in this blog thus far, but I have gone too long and will need to do a “part two” to finish up.

Father, wow. Thank you for showing me your heart and desire for us. I know I struggle everyday with pride and I hate it… I don’t like seeing it in me and I know it doesn’t please you either. Help me Lord to throw this down every day!! Reveal to me where it lurks, hiding in the recesses of my heart and mind. And help me to be more like Mary, sitting at your feet and embracing intimacy with you more than anything else! In your mighty and precious name, Amen!