Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Philippians 2:3 ESV

The opposite of humility is pride, and the Bible teaches that…… Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18 ESV Pride brought destruction by causing the fall of the angel now recognized as Satan, as well as all the fallen angels who are recognized as demons . It caused Adam and Eve to lose the joy and fellowship they experienced with God in the garden. In the world today pride continues to cause destruction and causes all types of pain, grief, and loss. I once heard a minister on the radio say, “Pride is the mother of all sins, for pride gives birth to every sin known to man.”
The sin of pride keeps a person from having a relationship with God by proclaiming self dependance, saying, “I don’t need God,” and being cheered on in deception by Satan. So how do you overcome the sin of pride and live in humility? Obviously, humility does not proclaim self. Could you imagine someone saying, “Look how humble I am”? Most often, humility shows itself by the life a person lives while serving others . The more surrendered your life is to God, the more you will emulate the life of Christ. So let us look at the example Jesus lived as He walked among us.

Let each of you look not only to his own interest, but also to the interest of others. Philippians 2:4 ESV
In short…. life is not about me. In a, “It is all about me” -centered world, surrender is not the normal way of thinking. Jesus came as a servant of His Father, and the Christian should desire to live the same way…..sent by our heavenly Father. The moment we have a “serve me” mentality, we stray away from the example Jesus lived out loud before us. The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve. Matthew 20:28 & Mark 10:45 ESV Jesus served His Father by living the perfect life, and ultimately cared for our interest by providing the way of escape from our sins.

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. Philippians 2:5-7 ESV
As I have taught multiple times…. everything begins in the mind, and humility is a mindset of living on purpose with the purpose God has for you. Jesus, who absolutely deserved to be worshipped, emptied himself of who is he was and became a servant. He washed feet, fed the hungry, and healed the sick. He kept his mind on the purpose for which he ultimately came… to save sinners and to provide eternal life for all who would believe.

Being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:8 ESV
A book title by Max Lucado says it best: “He chose the Nails.” He who could have called legions of angles, who deserved to be worshipped, who absolutely did not deserve to die, chose to do so in the most agonizing way. The ultimate picture of humility was God’s Son dying on a cross intended for us. He did not do it because we deserved it; He did it because He loved us. True humility will always be an act of love for God and others. Humility is the seed that blooms as the beautiful flower of a life that brings God much glory.

APPLICATION:
Start right where you are. Be careful not to compare yourself to others, for comparison is one of the killers of humility. God has enabled you with gifts for the purpose of serving others. Humility grows through serving others in obedience. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace. 1 Peter 4:10 ESV Humility is to be God-focused, expecting nothing in return but done for the purpose of bringing Him glory. It is seeing your need for God to do a work in and through you and to complete the purpose for which you were made. Live on purpose for God in humility. Consider others, and most importantly Him, as more important than yourself.

Because of His Grace ~ Pastor David