https://odb.org/2025/05/06/humble-honor
Luke 14:7–11 (NIV): 7 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. 11 For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
I always thought of this concept of humility, as taught by Jesus, is for us to be humble now in order to be honoured in heaven as those who are last will be first in the kingdom of God. But when we read Luke 14 above, we will see that this principle also applies here on earth. Meaning to say if we are humble at the beginning, we will be honoured or exalted in the end while still on earth. Or one of the ways to achieve honour is humility. This is also in line with another teaching of Jesus where He taught that if we are faithful in little, we will be given more. In a way, it also means that we are not to look down on our humble beginnings as one day we will achieve much for God. Start small in serving Him. Eventually, we will be doing mighty works for Jesus.
A great example is King David. He was the youngest in his family of seven brothers and two sisters, and among the males, he was chosen to be the next King of Israel despite his youth and his then scrawny appearance. It is from this narrative that came the famous expression – “While men look at the appearance, God looks at the heart.” David had humble beginnings. Yet because of that, God exalted him as he grew up, and he eventually became the greatest King Israel ever had, so much so that Jesus Christ traced His geneology to David. Jesus, the Son of God, the second Yahweh, the Son of Man, was proud to be from the House of David.
What does this mean to us? Like we started in an organisation as a fresh graduate right at the bottom, we will one day rise to the top if we hone our skills and be good at what we do. We may become senior management one day. Don’t despise our humble beginnings. Or we may start a business with little revenue and sales at the beginning. But one day, we will have revenues exceeding a million MYR a year and then a million a month. Similarly, we may serve God as ushers or, like some of us, in the early days, we started by cleaning toilets. But one day, we will do much more for God, leading missions, setting up outreaches, opening churches, leading and discipling hundreds in the Kingdom of God. Don’t despise our humble beginnings. It is from our humility that God will raise us up and exalt and honour us one day!
Ronnie's Thoughts 