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Here are some thoughts on\u00a0how God values humility and what it looks like, based on\u00a01 Peter 5:5-6<\/a>:<\/p>\n All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, \u201cGod opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.\u201d Humble yourselves, therefore, under God\u2019s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Humility isn\u2019t pretending that we\u2019re unworthy because it\u2019s the spiritual thing to do; it\u2019s recognizing that we\u2019re unworthy\u00a0because it\u2019s simply true<\/em>. We are sinners who deserve judgment and don\u2019t deserve God\u2019s grace.<\/p>\n Trevin Wax says, \u201cHell is full of people who think they deserve heaven. Heaven is full of people who know they deserve hell.\u201d<\/p>\n The prodigal son left in pride and returned in humility. After he lost everything, he decided to go back and say to his father, \u201cI am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men\u201d (Luke 15:19<\/a>). His father ran to him and threw his arms around him. That\u2019s how God responds to humility.<\/p>\n Our True Condition<\/strong><\/p>\n Pride pushes us away from God; humility draws us toward God. By choosing humility, we agree with God about our true condition and our true need for Christ.<\/p>\n We need Christ today just as much as we did the day we came to faith in Him. That\u2019s a humbling truth we should never forget. No matter how self-sufficient we imagine ourselves to be, we are all perpetually needy.<\/p>\n \u201cGod opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble\u201d (1 Peter 5:5<\/a>). Do we want God\u2019s opposition or do we want His grace? According to this verse, acting proudly is like wearing a sign before God that says \u201cgo ahead and oppose me.\u201d That\u2019s a prayer He\u2019s certain to answer. \u00a0And the last person in the universe I want to oppose me\u00a0is God!<\/p>\n Humility wears the sign \u201cgive me grace,\u201d which is a prayer God is always happy to answer.<\/p>\n While pride twists and destroys us, humility preserves and protects us. Every day, every hour, often unconsciously, we choose either to humble ourselves or to be proud.\u00a0Since pride tends to be our default condition, humility requires deliberate, intentional action.<\/p>\n We\u2019re told to \u201cclothe ourselves with humility toward one another.\u201d Your clothes don\u2019t magically appear on your body. You have to choose to put them on, and actually follow through. Humility won\u2019t magically happen\u2014you need to choose to take the time and effort to clothe yourself with humility.<\/p>\n A Test of Humility<\/strong><\/p>\n For me, a major test of humility is how I treat my wife and also those in positions of service I encounter throughout my day, such as meal servers and gas station attendants and those who work at our ministry. A couple of weeks ago while I was traveling, it included hotel staff and flight attendants and the young guys driving me to the churches and conferences I was speaking at.<\/p>\n Even when we\u2019re tired, how we treat those who serve us, and the respect we show them, is a test of humility and Christlikeness.<\/p>\n Speaking now specifically to men\u2014for those of us who are married,\u00a0our wives do so much for us and for our families. Even when you come home exhausted, still making an effort to serve your wife is huge. So ask her how her day was, genuinely listening, and help her by doing something for her. Take time with your kids by listening to them, praying with them, and reading Scripture and Bible-based stories. Those things are precious. Serving them that way will mean the world to them, and in the long run to you also.<\/p>\n So as I was first writing this, while I was out of town, I was thinking and praying about what more I can do to serve my wife, and resolving to do it. (In fact, I did one small thing; I stopped to order flowers to be delivered, with a note that the occasion was \u201cjust because you\u2019re you, and I love you so much.\u201d)<\/p>\n The Stupidity of Pride, the Happiness of Humility<\/strong><\/p>\n Here\u2019s one major take-away for me from God\u2019s Word about pride and humility in 1 Peter 5\u00a0and elsewhere: Being proud isn\u2019t just wrong, it\u2019s stupid. We\u2019ll pay a terrible price for it, in damaged relationships and other ways. Being humble isn\u2019t just right; it\u2019s smart. It will not only please God and others, but it will also pay off for us, we\u2019ll be happier and more at peace knowing God is using us to serve others.<\/p>\n If we don\u2019t humble ourselves, God will humble us. If we do humble ourselves, \u201cGod will lift us up, in due time.\u201d<\/p>\n Jesus, who washed the feet of His disciples, said, \u201cThe Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many\u201d (Matthew 20:28<\/a>).<\/p>\n I\u2019m praying that God will daily show me and all of us ways to serve those who serve us.<\/p>\n \u201cThey that know God will be humble; they that know themselves cannot be proud.\u201d \u2014John Flavel<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cThis is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.\u201d\u00a0 \u2014God (Isaiah 66:2<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n Photo by\u00a0Parker Burchfield<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0Unsplash<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Humility isn\u2019t pretending that we\u2019re unworthy because it\u2019s the spiritual thing to do; it\u2019s recognizing that we\u2019re unworthy because it\u2019s simply true. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2661,"featured_media":583,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[151,152],"class_list":["post-582","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-christian-life","tag-humility","tag-pride"],"yoast_head":"\n