Humility

https://odb.org/MY/2023/07/20/putting-on-humility

In Philippians 2:5-11, Paul reminds us of a very important point in dealing and relating with one another. Using Jesus as the perfect example for forsaking His divinity to become man and to live among His creation as a human being, Jesus became a servant to the point of death. Humility is thus an important trait to have when dealing with our fellow believers and others.

Humility is key because we are all equals before God as brothers and sisters in Christ, as co-heirs with Christ. There is a leadership hierarchy in the church, but before God, I don’t think God sees us as pastors, leaders, or just members. In the spiritual realm, everyone is the same to Him. Every believer possesses the same power and authority to pray for spiritual intervention, to break strongholds, and to pray for healing. We all have an equal voice to speak. The Lord doesn’t answer the prayers of the pastor first. But there are spiritual gifts and unique talents bestowed or acquired by different ones of us over time with faithfulness and persistence, and thus, some of us in fulfilling our calling may do certain tasks better. But at the baseline, we all have the same spiritual authority and power as believers and children of God. It’s like in the police force – every policeman, whether rank and file or an officer, has the legal authority and power to carry firearms and arrest a civilian who commits an offence.

Therefore, it is essential that we remain humble before God and man as everyone comes into this world naked and will return to God naked. We come into this world with nothing, and we will leave with nothing. On the day of Jesus Christ, we will all be resurrected and clothed in a new glorified body. There has been no indication in Scriptures that we will have bodies with differing powers and abilities as we only have one sole example in the resurrected Christ. That is the body we place our hope of glory on.

Humility is also important for us as God Himself loves the humble. In James 4:6, he writes that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. This is evident in Psalms 136:6 – though the LORD is high, He regards the lowly, but the haughty He knows from afar. In Proverbs 3:34, it is written that towards the scorners, He is scornful but to the humble He gives favour. In Matthew 23:12, Jesus Himself said, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Let’s all be humble before God and man. The LORD will be proud of us. Jesus will be delighted. Most importantly, it is easier to gain cooperation and trust if we are humble.