humility

I’ve been studying the book of Philippians for the past few months.

As I linger and tarry in God’s word, He reveals treasures to me that would be overlooked with a fast read. Because of this slower pace, I have fallen in love with Bible study all over again.
Please pray for wisdom and reflect on the following passage from Philippians:

3 Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. 4 Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

5 Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God
as something to be used for His own advantage. 7 Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, 8 He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross. Philippians 2:3-8

 

Rivalry, humbleness, or conceit.

These three words from verse 3 caught my attention.

Rivalry: in the Greek, eritheia. which means  electioneering or intriguing for office, a desire to put one’s self forward, a partisan and fractious spirit which does not disdain low arts.  Imagine that. This word also means a spinner, a weaver, and one who contends with God. Wow! So much for a little friendly rivalry. If you have an attitude of rivalry, your eyes are on others, and how you can one-up them, not help them. God tells us to do nothing out of rivalry.
Conceit: in the Greek, kenodoxia, which means empty glory, groundless self-esteem. This glory is empty because it is based on works of the flesh. There is no chasing after glory for God, it’s all about self.  If you have an attitude of conceit, you are focused on yourself, and how you can make yourself look better. God says to do nothing out of conceit.
Humbleness: in the Greek, tapeinophrosyn, which means having a humble opinion of oneself, humbleness of mind, a deep sense of one’s moral littleness. A humble person has an accurate view of self, therefore they also have an accurate view of God. If you have an attitude of humbleness, your eyes on God, and how you can bring Him glory. God asks us do everything with an attitude of humbleness.

How can we take on an attitude of humbleness?

Verse 8 contains the key. Obedience. In the Greek, obedience means to attentively listen, to hear, to obey. Humbleness is not thinking poorly of yourself, or thinking of yourself at all. Humbleness is thinking about God, listening to what He says, and obeying His Word.
So we have a choice: rivalry, conceit, or humility. Only one will work for our good and God’s glory. Let’s follow Jesus example, humble ourselves in obedience to the Lord today.
  1. Is there something you are struggling with today? Are you insisting on your own way instead of God’s way? Remember he is the Way. How can you humble yourself in this struggle and obey God?
  2. Is there a rival in your life, someone you’d enjoy taking down a few pegs so you can grab some glory for yourself? Confess it and get out of the fight. Pray and ask for God’s will to be done. Work with all your heart to see God glorified in this situation.

If you have any thoughts or comments, please share them below. I’d love to hear from you!

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Journey Like the Magi

 

405px-The_visit_of_the_wise-men-2“We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:2

Three mysterious Magi appear in King Herod’s court asking about a new king. I can just imagine that despite their road-weary condition, their entourage commands attention and awe. Don’t you want to know more about these three who journey the farthest to find Jesus? I’ve often wondered about their lives. How could they take so much time to go find this new king? Did they leave families behind? Who instilled the faith in their lives that they needed to drop everything and embark on this life-changing journey as soon as they saw the star in the sky?

Recently, I attended a beautiful Advent retreat at Sustainable Faith Indy. During the “first movement” of the retreat, we were directed to reflect on the Magi and their part in the Christmas story: DSC_5787

First of all, I am struck by the Wise Men’s simple faith. They saw the star and they acted on it. Actually, they were compelled to follow it. An important point that I’ve often overlooked in the past is that in order for them to see, they had to be looking.Their eyes were to the sky and they were alert, watching and waiting.

Even though I’m not a professional astronomer as the Magi probably were, I can be a professional follower of Jesus. I can lift my eyes off of myself and be watching for glimpses of the sacred in the everyday as I live my life. God will guide me, too, as I navigate the journey of my life.

What really stands out to me from their story, however, is that the Magi are the perfect combination of humbleness and boldness. If they were  humble but not bold, they never would have found Jesus. If they were bold but not humble, they never would have worshipped him. They needed both attributes, and so do we.

God tells us in Isaiah 66:2 “This is the one I esteem he who is humble and contrite of spirit and trembles at my word.” He also tells us in Proverbs 28:1 “The righteous are as bold as a lion.”

God is constantly looking for those he can use to partner with Him in His work. To do that we need the boldness to step out and do what He is asking us to do. And we also need a humble spirit — one that is not filled with myself, but filled with the Holy Spirit. Don’t, however, confuse humbleness with timidity. The are two different things. We can have a skewed sense of humbleness that tells us “I’’m not good enough, smart enough, rich enough to do this.” And then we do nothing, because we believe a lie. We need to have the boldness to take that step and know that God will come through and equip us to what He has called us to do.

This Christmas let’s follow in the steps of the Magi. Let’s look up, and act with a humble, bold spirit to follow God on the journey He has for us in the upcoming year. Where is He leading you?

Merry Christmas!