Humility #1—Restful Humility

It makes sense, doesn’t it, that finite human beings should be humble. The Bible indicates this and is full of examples of people who were and who weren’t. Humility is absolutely necessary to being a disciple of Jesus, because it takes humility to trust God as he did and to obey God as he did. The deity of the Bible, unlike any other deity we might imagine, works for those who hope in him. So humility is even a part of hope. Humility seems to be much more valuable in God’s eyes than hubris. Considering the following promises will help us fine tune our faith for those times when we begin to think more highly of ourselves than we should.

Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am meek and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is pleasant, and my load is light. Matthew 11:28–30

Pride goes before a fall because we try to pull our loads in ways that will make someone think we are wonderfully capable. We experience a certain perverse pleasure as we strain in the traces. But we become weary under these loads and eventually stumble, destroying ourselves and whatever load we were pulling. Jesus promises rest to our souls if we will humble ourselves and learn from him. When Satan tested him, Jesus humbly resisted him, declaring his reliance for success on the Father’s grace.  When we imitate Jesus we will lose the burden of self-reliance. We will no longer be burdened by the weight of public opinion. We will no longer be encumbered by the weight of self-importance. We will no longer be discouraged by the reality of our inability to achieve our purposes alone. Humility results in rest because Jesus reveals the Father’s grace to humble people, and demonstrates in his own life how satisfying the Father’s help is. Then Jesus stays with us, requiring only that we go to the Father through him.

Humble Master, apart from you I can do nothing. Grant me the humility necessary to hook up with you, learn from you, and enjoy living by faith in the One who loved me and gave himself for me. Amen.