May 17, 2009

True Humility

We think it is a sign of true humility to say at the end of the day, "Well, I just barely got by today, but it was a severe struggle." And yet all of Almighty God is ours in the Lord Jesus! And He will reach to the last grain of sand and the remotest star to bless us if we will only obey Him. Does it really matter that our circumstances are difficult? Why shouldn’t they be! If we give way to self-pity and indulge in the luxury of misery, we remove God’s riches from our lives and hinder others from entering into His provision. No sin is worse than the sin of self-pity, because it removes God from the throne of our lives, replacing Him with our own self-interests. It causes us to open our mouths only to complain, and we simply become spiritual sponges— always absorbing, never giving, and never being satisfied. And there is nothing lovely or generous about our lives...Be marked and identified with God’s nature, and His blessing will flow through you all the time.

Oswald Chambers - My Utmost For His Highest: May 16 Devotional

True humility comes form accepting God's will without complaint, without making statements of how hard life is. God knows how hard things are for us. Going forth and doing His will, quietly and without complaint is true humility, not telling everyone you are struggling but getting through by the grace of God. That sunds like seeking approval, favor or accolades from others:

1"Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 6:1 (NASB)

I am not saying that is what we do when we talk about our struggles, but can you see the possibility? And I think we can all easily fall into this trap, myself included (You can probably move me to the front of the line, and if I am not around, save me a place).

Be humble before the Lord, putting Him first, surely and quietly. Proclaim His good news, not the struggle you face in proclaiming it.

That will make Him smile in love. That is what He will bless. That is true humility.



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