Introduction
In his own eyes, a man feels great, wonderful, accomplished, healthy, independent, and a friend of many. However, he forever looks in a mirror and seldom through a window. This is pride.
Are you humble? If you say yes, you will be proud and boastful of your state of being as the man above. If you say no, knowing that God wants you to be humble*, you will admit that you are not following and obeying God.
* “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:29) ESV
* “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.” (Ephesians 5:1) ESV
The only correct answer is, “I don’t know.” When you say this you should realize there is always room for improvement and you need to explore what it means to be humble. However, in your exploration, you will soon realize that being humble is personal. You cannot be humble for someone else.
This kind of humility must be explored. That is what we will try to do in this paper.
My Definition of Key-words
Humility
Humility is the state or quality of being humble; freedom from pride and arrogance; lowliness of mind; a modest estimate of one’s worth; a sense of one’s unworthiness through imperfection and sinfulness; self-abasement; humbleness. This is not a bad definition for Google.
Humiliation
Humiliation, in the biblical context, refers to being humbled or brought low, often as a means of spiritual growth or divine discipline (Bible Hub). It reflects what has been done to you to make you humble, as opposed to something you think you are.
Libation (Source: click here.)
Libation is pouring out something, such as a drink offering as in Numbers 28:7-10. In the Bible, a libation refers to a ritual pouring of a liquid, often wine, as an offering to God.
For my purpose libations can also serve a broader theological purpose, representing the pouring out of oneself before God in a spirit of humility and surrender.
OC
Oswald Chambers – My source of inspiration outside the Bible. Read “My Utmost for His Highest”, his daily devotional.
OC on Humility
Sometimes we like to show ourselves intelligent and wind up reinventing the wheel by saying what someone else has already said. The quote below, by Oswald Chambers on Humility cannot be said any better.
“The way we continually talk about our own inability is an insult to the Creator. The deploring of our own incompetence is a slander against God for having overlooked us. Get into the habit of examining in the sight of God the things that sound humble before men, and you will be amazed at how staggeringly impertinent they are. “Oh, I shouldn’t like to say I am sanctified; I’m not a saint.” Say that before God; and it means – “No, Lord, it is impossible for You to save and sanctify me; there are chances I have not had; so many imperfections in my brain and body; no, Lord, it isn’t possible.” That may sound wonderfully humble before men, but before God it is an attitude of defiance.
Again, the things that sound humble before God may sound the opposite before men. To say – “Thank God, I know I am saved and sanctified,” is in the sight of God the acme (peak) of humility, it means you have so completely abandoned yourself to God that you know He is true. Never bother your head as to whether what you say sounds humble before men or not, but always be humble before God, and let Him be all in all.” OC
A Lifestyle of Humility
Are you willing to lay down your life for the life God calls you to? To pour out your life’s blood as a libation, a sacrifice for the salvation of others? If so, it will require humility. You must be willing to do all the work, make all the sacrifices, endure all the sufferings including death, humility, and persecution, and receive no earthly reward, monetary or verbal. You will be entirely alone in your sacrifice except for the glorious presence of His company, which no one will see or feel except yourself.
“Examine your motives to make sure you’re not showing off when you do your good deeds, only to be admired by others; otherwise, you will lose the reward of your heavenly Father. So when you give to the poor, don’t announce it and make a show of it just to be seen by people, like the hypocrites in the streets and in the marketplace. They’ve already received their reward! But when you demonstrate generosity, do it with pure motives and without drawing attention to yourself. Give secretly and your Father, who sees all you do, will reward you openly.” (Matthew 6:1-4) TPT
Include a Lifetime of Forgiveness
Being humble includes a lifetime of forgiveness. When Jesus forgave us from the Cross it was complete, without recompense. He forgave and forgot our sins. (Just imagine Jesus saying from the Cross, “I forgive you but I won’t forget!”, as some of us do.) We will never be judged for those sins again. Likewise, we should forgive others completely, not going back and never judging again. Forgiving is an act of our will through being humble without pride or judgment.
Saying “Please forgive me” opens a door to humility. Saying “I forgive you” may open the door to a fight if the individual addressed is not ready and may not know they have done anything wrong. Never do this unless the individual asks for forgiveness. You must lead by example and that example may be silent in voice but loud in heart. Just do it.
A Most Humble Act in the Bible
Without a doubt, The greatest picture of humility in the Bible was when Jesus washed the feet of His disciples on the evening before He was imprisoned.
“So he got up from the meal and took off his outer robe, and took a towel and wrapped it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ dirty feet and dry them with his towel. But when Jesus got to Simon Peter, he objected and said, “I can’t let you wash my dirty feet—you’re my Lord!” Jesus replied, “You don’t understand yet the meaning of what I’m doing, but soon it will be clear to you.” Peter looked at Jesus and said, “You’ll never wash my dirty feet—never!” “But Peter, if you don’t allow me to wash your feet,” Jesus responded, “then you will not be able to share life with me.” So Peter said, “Lord, in that case, don’t just wash my feet, wash my hands and my head too!” Jesus said to him, “You are already clean. You’ve been washed completely and you just need your feet to be cleansed – but that can’t be said of all of you.” For Jesus knew which one was about to betray him, and that’s why he told them that not all of them were clean. After washing their feet, he put his robe on and returned to his place at the table. “Do you understand what I just did?” (John 13:4-12) TPT
Do we understand what He did? Jesus goes on to explain.
“You’ve called me your teacher and lord, and you’re right, for that’s who I am. So if I’m your teacher and lord and have just washed your dirty feet, then you should follow the example that I’ve set for you and wash one another’s dirty feet. Now do for each other what I have just done for you. I speak to you timeless truth: a servant is not superior to his master, and an apostle is never greater than the one who sent him. So now put into practice what I have done for you, and you will experience a life of happiness enriched with untold blessings!” (John 13:13-17) TPT
For Jesus, this was a display of His humility and servanthood. For the disciples, it was a display of the mindset they needed to have to continue serving. For us it is an attitude we must have if we are to continue calling ourselves Christians.
Most people in those days wore sandals, if anything on their feet at all. Often when they entered a house and most often when they sat down at a communal meal, a servant would wash their feet. The tables at which they ate were low and their feet were very evident. It appears that at the Passover supper with Jesus, no one attempted to wash anyone’s feet. It was Jesus who got up from the meal to wash their feet. It appears that they lapsed in common everyday etiquette. (Paraphrased from, click here)
This happened earlier than above when Jesus’ feet were washed. Jesus disciples should have learned their lesson from this example but they didn’t.
“Afterward, a Jewish religious leader named Simon asked Jesus to his home for dinner. Jesus accepted the invitation. When he went to Simon’s home, he took his place at the table. In the neighborhood there was an immoral woman of the streets, known to all to be a prostitute. When she heard about Jesus being in Simon’s house, she took an exquisite flask made from alabaster, filled it with the most expensive perfume, went right into the home of the Jewish religious leader, and knelt at the feet of Jesus in front of all the guests. Broken and weeping, she covered his feet with the tears that fell from her face. She kept crying and drying his feet with her long hair. Over and over she kissed Jesus’ feet. Then she opened her flask and anointed his feet with her costly perfume as an act of worship.” (Luke 7: 36-38) TPT
Note that this was not only a washing but an anointing for burial. Jesus explains again.
“Don’t you see this woman kneeling here? She is doing for me what you didn’t bother to do. When I entered your home as your guest, you didn’t think about offering me water to wash the dust off my feet. Yet she came into your home and washed my feet with her many tears and then dried my feet with her hair. You didn’t even welcome me into your home with the customary kiss of greeting, but from the moment I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. You didn’t take the time to anoint my head with fragrant oil, but she anointed my head and feet with the finest perfume. She has been forgiven of all her many sins. This is why she has shown me such extravagant love. But those who assume they have very little to be forgiven will love me very little. Then Jesus said to the woman at his feet, “All your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 7:44-47) TPT
This practice of washing feet needs to be done more frequently in churches today. Being many ware shoes and socks our feet are not as dirty therefore the washing of feet is not necessary. But, it could be practiced in the home. For example; you may not wash your wife’s feet but you can rub them down with lotion comforting her, and showing your love. When you do this for others it’s humiliating for both parties. Call it a reality check remembering that’s what humility is all about. It’s an act of love one for another. Note also that this act of love and humility included forgiveness (underlined above).
The Bible on Humility
The Bible has much to say about humility. Here are but a few verses I feel most appropriate to apply to our lives.
“And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 8: 2-3) ESV
“The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.” (Proverbs 22:4) ESV
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Lights in the World.” (Philippians 2:3-11) ESV
How to Embrace Humility:
1. Admit mistakes
2. Be open to feedback without rebuttal
3. Put others first
4. Practice gratitude
5. Learn from others
6. Forgive others and when you forgive – forget. This includes yourself. When you forgive, do this in private unless forgiveness is asked for.
Conclusion
Great men and women are humble. Being humble is difficult. It’s embarrassing when you’re caught off-guard. That’s where humiliation comes into the picture. In being humble we must be forgiving. When we forgive we sometimes must give up the right of being right. Hold nothing against your opponent and when you forgive you must forget never bringing the incident up again.
Nor should you puff yourself spiritually. In reality, “…we are never of any use to anybody until we find out God never intended us to be a great man.” (Anon)
We don’t need to be great, We just need to be.
Enough Said
“Thy Words were found and I did eat them, and Thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by Thy name, O LORD God of hosts.” (Jeremiah 15:16) ESV
