"It's Hard To Be Humble..."

The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Matthew 23:11-12

You've probably heard that old song "Oh Lord, It's Hard To Be Humble When You're Perfect In Every Way."  (You were probably singing it in your head.)  But ask yourself, why do we find it so difficult to actually BE humble?  Could it be that we just want to seem important so we find the need to tout our accomplishments, achievements, daily actions in order to receive the accolades of others?  

When you hear the word "Humble" what comes to mind?  For many, being humble means you have to put yourself down. But that's not truly what it means.  Let me share with you the definition that makes the most sense to me. Humble: "a virtue which needs to be developed and entails being down to earth, honest and truthful. It is being grateful for the blessings and opportunities that Abba gives you and recognizing that your gifts, talents and accomplishments have Abba as their singular source."

Think about that for a moment...Being grateful! Recognizing that Abba alone is the reason we are able to do anything!  You see, we need to be careful to develop a humble spirit because Abba has a way of taking the proud down a notch or two.  Ask Saul. Abba took him all the way down to helpless before building him back up as Paul.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

 

"It's Hard to be Humble...."

"Look at what you were when God called you"

1 Corinthians 1:26 

 

Do you believe that God blesses our minuscule faith?  He does.  He takes that tiniest speck of faith and nurtures it so that it will grow.  In the beginning, we are extremely humble that God would take such an interest in us.  Somewhere along the line, the enemy seeks to corrupt that gift...not by stealing it, rather by applauding it.  

 

Think about it.  When we begin to receive accolades for our "humility" it feels good.  When people notice and acknowledge our "humility" we begin to think a bit better of ourselves.  The more our "humility" is noticed, the less humble we become.  THAT is the enemy corrupting God's gift to us, by making us proud of our "humility."

 

The Apostle reminds himself AND us that we must remember where we were when God called us.  Were you in the depths of despair?  Were you embroiled in some sort of habitual sin?  Who WERE you when God touched your soul and claimed you as His?  The best way to remain humble is to continually remember where God found us and thank Him! 

Remember Where You Came From!

While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to have the baby, and she gave birth to her first son. Because there were no rooms left in the inn, she wrapped the baby with pieces of cloth and laid him in a feeding trough.

Luke 2:6-7 

 

There's an old adage which goes something like this: "Every expert began as a novice."  We tend to forget that as we go through life.  We tend to forget that we, too, began life as a novice in diapers and everything we have learned too time and mistakes.  Many of us focus on the mistakes and failures in our lives, when the greatest encouragement of all is found in the humble beginnings of Christ.

 

Christ was not born with the ability to speak, walk, or even feed Himself.  He was not born in some magnificent palace the likes of which would boggle the mind.  Instead, He was born in a barn and His crib was a feeding trough.  That was His beginning, from there He had to learn just as we did (and still do).  And in God's perfect time, His ministry began.

It's All In The Translation!

Tell me if you can read this: ταπεινώθητε ἐνώπιον κυρίου καὶ ὑψώσει ὑμᾶς

It's a familiar verse.  Okay try this: Behave in an unassuming manner in the presence of the One who is in control of everything, and He will raise you to dignity, honor and happiness. Sound anything close to familiar?

Here's how James 4:10 reads in our interpretation: "Humble yourself before the Lord and He will lift you up."

You see, in order to truly understand a verse, we have to study so it will make the most sense to us.   

It's Hard To Be Humble

Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble,
    but he keeps his distance from the proud.

Psalm 138:6 

 

 

"Oh Lord, it's hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way."  You may have heard that old song before.  Sadly, too many of us see ourselves from that viewpoint of arrogance.  You see, it truly IS hard to be humble when we are afraid to actually BE humble.  

 

Being humble doesn't mean you are everyone's doormat.  Being humble doesn't mean you think of yourself as worthless.  Being humble doesn't mean you shrink and hide because you're afraid.  Being humble doesn't require that we draw attention to ourselves.  Being humble doesn't require that we shout to the world of our awesomeness.

 

Do you remember the widow who put her last two cents in the offering box?  She didn't draw attention to herself, she simply did what she knew was right.  She didn't announce to everyone of her great sacrifice, she simply did what she knew was right and trusted God to provide for her.

 

Isn't it time we start just doing what we know is the right thing without fanfare?  Thank about that for a moment.

SHINE!

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.

Philippians 2:3 

 

Ever know someone who seemed to be doing things to impress others?  Our natural bent is to be self-promoting because, after all, if WE don't get in the spotlight, no one will know all we have done.  Let's face it, if I can get my face in front of a camera enough, people will know how important I am.  

 

Think about this, what purpose does it serve to be "important" in the eyes of others?  Who do we think we are fooling when we are "Proudly Humble"?  Look at what Paul is saying, our place on this earth is NOT in impressing other occupants of THIS EARTH!  Instead, our place on this Earth is in helping each other, which is what it means to "think of others as better than yourselves." 

 

Our place on this Earth is to let God's love flow THROUGH us to others in such a way that God is the only one receiving the praise.  If we seek to receive the praise of our fellow Earth Dwellers, that's the only reward we will receive...a few fleeting moments in the spotlight.  But when we invest ourselves in helping others, God received the praise and He will reward us.

Are We Proud Of Being "Humble"?

But he gave up his place with God and made himself nothing.
    He was born as a man
    and became like a servant.

Philippians 2:7 

Every day we hear and see people who are very proud of themselves.  We are encouraged to be proud, loud, shout it out: "LOOK WHAT I HAVE DONE!!"  We are expected to brag about our achievements; our accumulations; our abilities; and do whatever it takes to get everyone to LOOK AT ME!  But...it only takes a second and our proud accomplishments can disappear.  

Remember Jesus?  You know Him....He's the Son of God.  If ANYONE had reason to be proud, it was Him.  After all, His place has always been at the right hand of God the Father and Creator of all.  He had all the angelic host crowded around Him singing His praise.  He had it all and THAT could never be taken from Him.  Yet He chose to give it all up to come among us, in a food trough in a barn surrounded by animals.  And why would He do that? Because He loves us so much He wanted to come live with us, love us, and die for us.  He taught us what it is to be humble yet even in His humbleness He was powerful.  He didn't have to draw attention to Himself, He simply taught us about love as He loved us.  

The ONLY one who had any right to be proud, loud, and shout it out, chose to be humble and show us what love truly is...the greatest gift of all.  And this is a gift given to us, that we can NEVER repay because it's free. 

Topsy Turvy Message

Whoever makes himself great will be made humble. Whoever makes himself humble will be made great.

Matthew 23:12 

 

We are taught from an early age that we have to put ourselves first in all things or else we will get trampled.  I will admit that I fell for that "wisdom" for a time.  I had to be first!  I had to be top dog!  I had to be in charge!  I had to do more!  And all I got for my efforts?  Exhausted!

 

Finally I realized that Jesus' seemingly topsy turvy message actually made sense.  When I stopped pushing myself to be first, and focused on being humble and helpful the relief was ENORMOUS!  It is more rewarding to do for others than it is to push oneself forward by stepping on others.

 

God's messages to us sometimes get ignored because they go directly against our human nature and what we have been led to believe.  Stop striving and be humble.  You'll experience life in a whole new and wonderful way.

Thankful for the Humble

Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven.

Matthew 6:1

Whilst enjoying a nostalgic time earlier this week browsing through my High School Annuals, I began to think how much I wanted to be the best at something positive.  I wanted to be the best at something, because everyone knew those who were the best and fawned over them like groupies to a rocker.  I remember at that time how I wished I could experience that just once.

We all know folks who seek the limelight and demand attention.  They want everyone to know who they are and how wonderful they are.  Well, while they may be wonderful, Jesus tells us that their popularity will be their reward.  God looks at our intent for doing good, because popularity means nothing to Him.

Be careful of your heart's intent and be thankful that God is the one who sees our heart.  God's love for us is FAR more valuable that any horde of groupies.

 #dailythankfulchallenge

Changes In Attitudes

“When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited? The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table! “Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests.
Luke 14:8-10 

Have you ever noticed that Jesus teaches that we should be humble; we should not seek the spotlight; we should honor others more than ourselves; we should remember that we are all equally sinners in need of God's grace and forgiveness?  Yet what are we bombarded with every single day?  We have the message poured into us that we are the only ones who matter and everyone else should be glad if we condescend to acknowledge them. And, sadly, this is the message we pass on to our children.  

Even Jesus taught us that we are not the most important and that we should be servants first and foremost:

     "⁴² So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. ⁴³ But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” - Mark 10:42-45 

We have been called to be servants!  When we remember that, we will be much better off.  Better it is to be asked to move to a seat of importance than to be asked to move to a seat of disgrace.

Why Do We Try SO Hard To Impress Others?

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

Philippians 2:3-4 

 

I'm not a fan of people who seek to impress.  This includes name droppers, fashion hounds, titles, how many letters you add after your name, how "prestigious" your education or home or car or salary or job.  If you cannot simply be honest and yourself, you don't impress me. And to be honest, I'm not here to impress you either. 

 

 

I am who I am, warts, moles, faults, quirks, eccentricities and all.

 

But the mission given me by God is to help others.  To do this, I must rely on some pretty unimpressive things: my education (I was never a good student), my experiences (if it could be done wrong, chances are I did it), life learning (mistakes are harsh teachers).  And to top it all off, if I may quote Popeye the Sailor Man, "I yam what I yam and that's all that I yam."

 

Who you see is who you get.  I am curious, inquisitive, contemplative, I seek to learn, I seek to see things differently, I seek to help in unusual ways.  In short, I'm not here to impress....God put me here to help.  

Oh My That's Big!

Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor.

Proverbs 29:23

I have met many people who think quite a lot of themselves and aren't afraid to share with anyone who will listen (and a few who would rather not listen) just how awesome they believe themselves to be.  Ego.....the over inflated (and flawed) self aggrandized view of oneself.  Of course, NO ONE fits that description do they. 

 

Scripture teaches over and over that we need to be careful about becoming prideful (big ego).  Scripture reminds us that we are to be humble!  We are to put others first.  This is difficult for us as human beings.  We like to have our egos stroked.  We like to hear how wonderful we are.  We like to be recognized and rewarded for our efforts. And these are not bad things, the danger comes when we begin self-advertising ourselves as more than we truly are.

 

When Julius Caesar returned from defeating the Gauls, he was awarded a Triumph, which meant he and his soldiers were given a parade through Rome, with the single condition: A slave was appointed to stand behind Caesar in his chariot and whisper in his ear throughout the parade, "Remember, thou are only a man."  Why? So he would keep his ego in check.

 

My Drill Sergeant told us, as soon as we got off the bus for Basic Training, "My job is to make YOU look good.  When YOU look good, I look good!"  And then he set about training us until we crawled into our bunks exhausted every day and night for 8 weeks.  When we graduated, the Colonel told us that we had impressed him.  

 

When you make others look good, it will reflect back on you.  When you chose not to, that will reflect back on you as well.  Be careful to remain humble!  

Who Are You Trying To Impress?

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

Philippians 2:3-4

Call them what you will:
     Schmoozers, Suck-ups, Kiss-ups, Arrogant, Brown-nosers, the list is endless and only get worse.  These colorful monikers describe those who can't be bothered with the rank and file, rather always have to rub elbows with the brass.  You see, the world is only for their advancement and exploitation.  No one else matters.  Oh, they'll TALK a good game, but when it's time to dig in and get dirty, they are nowhere to be found.  Why is that?

People, are by nature, self serving.  We like it when we are recognized.  We love it when we are noticed.  We cannot seem to get enough attention.  We like it when people are impressed by our mere presence in the same room.  Don't believe me?  Let a television personality walk into a room and watch the reaction.  Let a public figure drive up and watch how they are treated.  Then watch when Joe Brokeguy walks in and see the difference.

Guess what?  We are ALL expendable and temporary!  The Apostle Paul reminds us that we should be willing humble ourselves remembering that WE are NOT God!  And here's a simple fact that many don't understand, but will eventually happen, if we aren't willing to step down off our pedestal...God may just do it for us.

Remember who Jesus spent HIS time with?

Just food for thought.

Yuck, A Basin, And A Man!

 So Jesus got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.

John 13:4-5

 

Have you ever wondered why foot washing was such a big deal?  Think about this, during Jesus' time, sandals were the fashion footwear.  In fact, sandals were pretty much all one had to wear unless they were extremely wealthy.  Most people simply went barefoot.  

 

Now....keeping that in mind, you would be sharing the streets with animals (because there were no "Critter Only Lanes" during this time).  And animals aren't exactly thoughtful as to where they do their business.  Also, don't forget that farmers would be taking their produce to market, so if they discovered some that was rotten, they would simply drop it in the roadway. Not to mention there were no rest areas along the Roman roads like we have now.  So let's just agree that lots of compostables were in the roadway to be stepped on as people walked to their destinations. 

 

Thus, washing of the feet was a necessity and a courtesy when entering a dwelling.  But because it was such an unsanitary task, who would do it?  Well, only the lowest of the servants would have such a task, they would be Nose-to-Toes with the road slime washing it away with their hands and a towel.  I don't know about you, but I have smelled some pretty foul things (and people), but that didn't make me want to touch them, much less wash them up close and personally.   

 

Consider the fact that Jesus, the ONLY Son of God our Creator, not only came into this world via a barn, but made Himself so low that He went Nose-to-Toes with the feet of the Disciples to show them that NO task was beneath them.  The same hands that healed the sick, fed the hungry, wiped away tears, lifted an adulterous woman into forgiveness, now held the nasty feet of the Disciples so they would be clean.

 

I'll be honest, not much impresses me less than seeing some high and mighty figure pretend "humility" by washing someone's relatively sanitized feet for the camera and for free publicity.  They forget that Jesus washed the Disciple's feet in the privacy of the upper room, and there was no fanfare, there were no camera crews filming it, no one posted it to FaceBook, not a single Tweet was sent about it!  

 

No, Jesus simply got up, disrobed, wrapped a towel around His waist, and started washing. If we "minister" to others simply for the politics or the publicity...it's not true ministry!  It's not true caring!  It's nothing but a LIE!

 

We are called to minister to others, not to be seen, but to reflect Christ within us.  

 

 

Are YOU Humble?

He has a name written on his clothing and on his thigh:

 “King of kings and Lord of lords.”

~Revelation 19:16

 

George had it made! After all, he was the ruler of the greatest kingdom on Earth.  With a raising of an eyebrow, he could make or break your fortune.  With the simple gesture of a finger, he could erase your family line from history.  What George wanted, George got!  Simple! 

 

That same mentality has carried over from George's day into ours.  And on so many smaller scales.  

 

But something happened to George that I have not witnessed in my years on this earth.  George the Second, King of England and all her Empires, humbled himself!  Of his OWN accord, he humbled himself, recognizing that there was a King mightier than himself.  You see, on March 23, 1743, George II sat in the Royal Box at the theatre to hear "The Messiah" which had been written by George Frideric Handel.  Throughout the performance, George the Second was intrigued and listened intently.

 

And when the Hallelujah Chorus reached the words: "The kingdom of this world..." King George II of England and her Empire did something NO OTHER monarch had done before...He stood with head bowed throughout the remainder of the song, acknowledging that God's Kingdom was MUCH mightier than any he could control!  In humble recognition this monarch stood in submission to God!

 

How many people of power do you think would do that now?  Look around!  We hear lip service to God quite frequently when it suits.  But how many leaders will actually humble themselves before God?  How many are truly grateful to God for the position they hold?  How many PEOPLE are willing to humble themselves before God and acknowledge that without Him, they would not exist?  

 

Sadly, very few and they are growing more and more scarce every single day!  What about YOU?  Is God your King of Kings and Lord of Lords?  Or do you put your trust in someone else?

 

LISTEN 

Being Humble Is A Virtue

When he noticed that all who came to the dinner were trying to sit near the head of the table, he gave them this advice: “If you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t always head for the best seat. For if someone more respected than you shows up, the host will bring him over to where you are sitting and say, ‘Let this man sit here instead.’ And you, embarrassed, will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table! “Do this instead—start at the foot; and when your host sees you he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place than this for you!’ Thus you will be honored in front of all the other guests. For everyone who tries to honor himself shall be humbled; and he who humbles himself shall be honored.”
Luke 7:1-11

You've heard the song before: "O Lord, It's Hard To Be Humble When You're Perfect In Every Way".  Look around! We see people who are bent on forcing NOT the "Me First" mentality but the "ME ONLY" mentality.  We see marches and shouting and parading and posturing and rioting and pushing and shoving, but no one is listening because everyone is putting themselves first.  And how is that working?  

And guess what?  "Black Friday" is this week! Talk about a "ME FIRST" fest!  The news will report on the mobs attacking the stores and how people get trampled (some to death) all so that a few can be the first to grab the few enticement goodies that are available.  WHY has such scenes become so popular?  Because we have forgotten how to be humble!

I saw a news story, several years ago, about a youth group from a local church actually going out in the wee hours of Black Friday Morning for the sole purpose of giving out coffee and hot chocolate to those in line.  At first, all went well and people were appreciative, but it didn't take long before the group's van was swarmed with people, not wanting, but DEMANDING coffee and hot chocolate.  The news story ended with the police having to escort the group out of the area.

When will we learn?  What will God need to do to remind us that God did not HAVE to create us...He chose to.  He did not HAVE to send Jesus to pay for our wrongdoing...He chose to.  God does not HAVE to love us....He chose to.  We OWE God EVERYTHING, and He owes us NOTHING!  When we truly see ourselves from that perspective, we will learn how to be humble!   

Humbled...There's Just No Other Way To Say It

When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
    the moon and the stars you set in place—
what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
    human beings that you should care for them?

~Psalm 8:3-4

The last several days have shown how destructive water can be; and how it can destabilize roads, homes, lives, communities, and even states and regions.  But I have seen a miracle during this time that I never thought I could see...in this time of distress, people are, for the most part, not concerned about themselves as much as they are concerned about others.  I have seen First Responders work themselves to the point of exhaustion and still push themselves to do more.  I have seen Utility Crews work feverishly to restore power and water, and they have gone far beyond expectations.  I have witnessed an overwhelming show of support from places not effected as much by the rain and flooding as South Carolina has been.

I spent a lot of time just listening and talking with people over the last few days.  And I have been humbled!  People who were displaced by the floods were not only grateful for the communities reaching out to help them, but many were more concerned for people other than themselves.  But the one event that broke my pride came when I gave a young boy a bottle of water and he handed me his teddy bear because he said I looked like I needed a hug. 

Tonight, as I look into the sky and give God thanks and praise for His love for us, it will be with a very humbled heart.  Why should God care about us when we have been so hateful and hurtful toward each other for so long?  In my opinion, He probably shouldn't.  If I were in His place, I would probably tell humanity: "Ya'll are on your own! I tried but ya'll just can't seem to get the fact that I love you so much that MY ONLY Son paid for your mistakes.  I'm out!"  But that's why God is God and I am not.

God not only put all the stars in their place and called them by their name, he put each one of us in place and called us by name.  He has recorded and collected all our hurts and tears.  He has counted every hair.  And He loves us and provides for us in the most remarkable ways through the most remarkable people.

I am humbled...there's just no other way to say it.  

Thank You to all who came to the aid of others in their time of need.  THANK YOU!!! And I thank God for each of you!

Humble? Me? That Doesn't Sound Very Fun!

 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
~Philippians 2:3-5 

"BE LOUD, BE PROUD, AND BE LOUD SOME MORE!"  We have this idea blasted at us constantly.  We hear things like "the squeaky wheel gets the grease" which tells us that if we are annoying enough for the "right" reasons we get what we want.  I have heard children work this on their parents with the barrage of: "Mom.......Mom.......Mom........Mom........Mom.......Mom.......MOM......MOM.......Mom........MOM" and on and on until Mom has had enough and snaps back with "WHAT?"  

But look at what today's verses are telling us.  Did you see it?  Here it is in a nutshell: "IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU!"   I can hear the shocked intake of breath you just had.  I had the same reaction when this became very clear to me.  Believe it or not, my presence on this earth is NOT about me!  It's about helping others.  Granted, some don't want to be helped so they can get their own life moving, some want to be "helped" by someone else providing for them, and that is just plain wrong!

We are here to look out for each other.  Imagine if we actually followed the example of Christ and put others first!  That means you are more important to me that I am to me.  Likewise, I am more important to you than you are important to you.  We'd have a LOT fewer disagreements and a lot more understanding of each other.

Thomas of Assisi is credited with saying, "PREACH the Gospel!  And it you must...use words."  Meaning we are to live in such a way that the Gospel is so apparent in how we deal with others that no one needs to wonder if we are followers of Christ.  Jesus was humble enough to do the one task at the Last Supper that not one of His Disciples would do.  Jesus took on the role of a servant and washed every one of their nasty feet.

Are we too proud?  Believe it or not, there are those who are VERY proud to be "humble."  The picture of some of our politicians seeking public acclaim by washing the feet of someone.  This is contrived and is false humility!  The truly humble need not draw attention to themselves or their humble actions.  Their actions should speak for them.