Choosing Humility

 

We all know them, those people full of talk but never do anything. That is one way to describe arrogance. Another is a sort of false pride that thinks we are good at something but are mediocre at best. Arrogant people can also be filled with a sense of self-importance that makes them the authority on everything to the point that they disregard all other ideas and opinions. Arrogance is an attitude of deep pride, but also an action, usually more verbal than doing much of anything else. Arrogance thinks it knows all and therefore listens to no one. It has no place in those who belong to Christ and in whom the Holy Spirit dwells.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant. (1 Corinthians 13:4)

In reviewing my attitudes from past days, arrogance also thinks I am smarter than people of other nationalities, know more than the average person does, can discern truth from error that other people miss, am better at many skills . . . and the list goes on. God had much to do to change such foolishness (and even that statement smacks of arrogance).

In that vein, what puts arrogance out of a person? Paul wrote a strong rebuke to the Corinthian Christians. It may have helped. He said to them who thought they knew it all:

Some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. (1 Corinthians 4:18–20)

They had a sinful person in their midst and rather than dealing with that sin, they were proud of their tolerance. Paul said to them, “And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.” (1 Corinthians 5:2)

This says such an attitude can be subtle. It also blinds people to reality. The OT authors knew better. Many of them denounced arrogant attitudes and actions. One of them said:

For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. (Malachi 4:1)

It would be arrogant of me to think that this is happening all over the world right now as we see thousands affected by wildfires. God knows the human heart and has pity on the helpless. Yet we are seeing the horror of destruction by fire and aware that God can use it — either to judge or to draw people to Himself. I cannot know what He is doing, only that He does not want any arrogance in my heart.

He uses another way to humble me — my failure to live as I know I should, failure to be loving to others, failure to deal with my own sin, feeling my weakness and inability and gasping for His help when He seems to have abandoned me. I know He never does that, but He lets me know what my life would be like without Him. I have no excuse for pride and arrogance.

PRAY: Today is a weekly prayer day with a group of women who are learning to care deeply about one another’s concerns and are praying daily for expressed needs. We struggle with temptation, especially the temptation to quit praying. Jesus, our enemy does not like it, but You have defeated Satan and given us overcoming power, not so we can boast but so we can trust You with everything. I need a strong dose of that trust today. Living in the power of love brings out how unable I am to do this without Your incredible Spirit to fill and guide me, and keep me from the sin of arrogance.

PONDER: Consider what Proverbs 8:13; 11:2; and 29:23 say about the outcome of pride and the value of humility.

 

 

Pride exalts me; love exalts others

 

A neighbor talks continually, mostly about her activities, likes and dislikes, and opinions. She is not fun to be with. However, I suspect the biggest reason she bugs me is that she reminds me of myself. I can be like that too.

An inflated view of self does not necessarily go for the center of every conversation talking about self or bragging. It can subtly resent those who do not acknowledge me about my accomplishments or take any interest in what I have to say. God says . . .

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant (1 Corinthians 13:4)

Love does not boast because boasting is exalting me at the expense of others, trying to make me look good and putting them down as lesser in some way. It can spawn jealousy and create great rifts between people who are gifted, believe in Jesus, and could be using their gifts to bless others rather than indulging in gaining praises for themselves.

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them . . . . (Romans 12:3–6)

This statement comes in the context of spiritual gifts. The Christians at Corinth had become spiritual show-offs where each one vied for attention and prominence. Their worship services were chaotic resulting in Paul’s rebuke in chapter 14:

What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, (1 Corinthians 14:26–33)

He concluded by saying, “But all things should be done decently and in order.” (1 Corinthians 14:40)

This lack of love violates God’s goal to transform us into the image of His Son. He says:

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. (Philippians 2:3–8)

Boasting about my spiritual gifts or anything else is senseless. I did nothing to earn anything and they are not a reflection of me, but of God’s grace. “What do I have that I did not receive? If then I received it, why do I boast as if I did not receive it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7)

PRAY: Jesus, I know that feelings of superiority can produce boasting, but so can feelings of inferiority, as if boasting will make it go away. However, love requires humility and sometimes humility does not feel good. This indicates pride licking at my wounds rather than rejoicing in the fact that I deeply need You for everything. Help me to daily acknowledge total dependence on Your grace and praise You that I even can live and breathe, never mind exercise any gifts that You have entrusted to me. Forgive me for letting my pride keep me from loving and considering the needs of others.

PONDER: Compare Proverbs 16:18 with 18:12. What does God tell me about the danger of pride and what He wants for me instead?