Sincere Humility
By George Stroh
April 4, 2022
But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the Humble." (James 4:6)
Sincere humility is a characteristic of a true believer. It is not a characteristic that is normally admired by the unbelieving world that instead exults the importance of self-esteem and self-worth. Sincere humility is the opposite of pride, the genesis of all sins, and the original sin of Satan; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. (Isaiah 14:14)
We are, of course, to be humble before the Lord, but also before others. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is our ultimate example of humility; Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:3-8)
Beware also of false humility, which is really a manifestation of pride, self-esteem and self-worship disguised as humility. There are many examples of false humilty. Like a teenage girl who looks in a mirror and says, "I'm so ugly, I just hate myself!" Nothing wrong with trying to look your best, but the truth is that if she really "hated" herself, she would be glad she was ugly.
Even as Christians, our sinful flesh can exalt itself with a prideful attitude toward others. TS. Eliot wrote; "Humility is the most difficult of all virtues to achieve; nothing dies harder than the desire to think well of oneself." As Christians, we are to resist any temptation to be prideful, seeking to be sincerely humble before God and others; Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. (James 4:10)
Maranatha!
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