What comes to mind when we think of humility? Someone weak? A person who lets everyone run over them? An impossible state of being? What is true humility and what is simply putting yourself down in hopes someone else will tell you how wonderful you are?
When we think of humility as Christians, we know Jesus as the perfect example. What we may not think of are the reasons He was like He was. Absolutely, He had every right to be exalted by the world. Instead He choose to start out His story different from the moment it happened. Unwed mother. Stable birth. Fleeing from a king instead of a childhood home. Growing up always different. Put to death in the most cruel, humiliating way possible.
You may know all of this, it may have been told to you over and over with the ending of “because Jesus loved us so much.”
What strikes me is this: Jesus did this because His Heavenly Father asked Him to. He lived and died for the glory of God. Just like in growing up, His death wasn’t for accolades or attention. He didn’t die so we, as imperfect creations, could tell Him how amazing He was for the rest of eternity. It was for obedience, and in being obedient, He needed to humble himself to our level. He had to, what would this story hold for our hearts and minds if Jesus grew up in a castle with servants and died at 90 in a gold bathtub? And yet, He easily could have and instead chose to obey.
Yes, Jesus died for our sins and to set us free from the rules and regulations we are still so bound by. But this act was in complete obedience to what He was sent to earth to accomplish. When we think of how and why He died, our thoughts should be on how amazing it was He could follow the path set for Him to the very end, even while we turned our backs on Him and He had His heart break for us.
Jesus was the very definition of humble. He was able to say no when He needed, to put others first each time He could, to obey His father at the cost of His life, and to set aside His own ego to accomplish what no one else could ever do.
What a Savior. What an amazing example of perfect humility.
Another good word. Our pastor is teaching on humility next Sunday. I must need to hear this message. I really like hearing what humility is Not as well. God Bless you all. Finding my satisfaction in Him.
My convictions this morning. How humbled I am, cannot fathom why He called me out of darkness but am so thankful He obeyed.
He’s at work all the time and is moving! Small ways become big things. History is proof of that. Christ’s lowly birth and form of death is complete assurance of that. Because our Amazing Father chose to save us and our Beautiful Christ humbled himself to be a servant. Then God chose this act of obedience, simple steadfast obedience and gave us life! Redeeming the world from all of the evil and death… Death He defeated and now He moves in order that we may listen and be servants of His will!
Jesus was the very definition of humble. He was able to say no when He needed, to put others first each time He could, to obey His father at the cost of His life, and to set aside His own ego to accomplish what no one else could ever do.
Wow. That’s all. Just wow. Thank you for this today.
I like Rhonda have always wrestled with the idea of Jesus’s humility by design. That he was obedeiant because he could be. After studing this morning, I am seeing he was be cause He was, he choose to be obedeiant. He humbled himself to his fathers wishes. It did’t matter the course or the convience.
Lord I pray to stay the course that you have unveiled to me.
Though it maybe uncomfortable,unpopoular,inconvieant and sometimes painful and lonely help me to steadfastly maintain my course. For Your Word says that obedience is better than sacrifice!
PHP 2:3 KJV
Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves.
I pray that my no is pure and that my valadations are from you.
Thank you SRT for this reminder.
Ladies have a WINNER’S Wednesday.
(We r all winners n Christ Jesus)
Often times I'm not humble because I feel I have the right to be prideful- like I deserve to be boastful, right and esteemed. If anyone has the right to be right and proud, it's Jesus, yet he chose to be a humble servant. I need to remember this more often. It's so hard to be humble when the world tells us it's ok not to be. This is an area I need a lot of work in! Lord, remind me constantly of Jesus, my example of perfect servanthood and humility!
Just love it when God brings things together. Wanted to share a verse from my couples Bible study from this morning and how it goes with our devotion today.
Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God’s righteousness doesn’t grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life.
http://bible.us/97/jas.1.19.msg
Todays text really strikes a cord with me. I knew Jesus was humble but to me his humility was by design. I guess I never "really" embraced Jesus as a man. Yes I knew he was in human form but always thought of him as made more special than the rest of us. The realization that his humility comes through his obedience and not by design is much more awe inspiring. When I think of all the times in my life where I felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit and started to follow only to waver in my obedience when the task became to difficult, I feel ashamed. I need to do some serious thinking today about some of the decisions I'm making regularly because they fit in my comfort zone with the excuse that I am weak and it's just easier this way. Thank you SRT for opening my eyes just a little wider today!
So eye opening!
Jesus didn't do the things he did because he had to, he did them because his Father asked him to. Amazing.
And it's ok to say no…
Thank you once again, Autumn Dawn Leader. :)