Be Humble

God sets himself against the proud, but he shows favor to the humble.  So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you.

1 Peter 5:5-6  

We are all born to be selfish.  At the moment of birth our survival instinct kicks in and we aren’t concerned about anyone or anything but getting our way.  We will cry and scream until we get our diaper changed and we will fuss until we are snuggled to sleep.  Getting food is our main goal and we won’t stop crying until we get it.  We wake up at all hours of the night demanding our way without worrying about anyone else.  Even as toddlers and into young children we carry that selfishness with us.  Sharing toys is near impossible and doing something that we don’t want to do is a daily struggle.  So you can see where it is difficult to humble ourselves before God and others, but indeed, we are instructed to turn off our selfish button.    

God uses the humble, in fact, He favors the humble.  Moses was more humble than any other person on earth (Numbers 12:3) and he was used in a mighty way.  God loved him so much that he spoke to him face to face!  In this scripture above, it says that God is against the proud.  He opposes those who are prideful and cannot give Him complete control but He favors those who will set aside their own will and follow Him. The bible instructs us to humble ourselves.........so what does that look like?  

God isn’t using his authority and overstepping His boundaries like some might like to think.  He isn’t being selfish by asking us to be humble.  He just knows the future and He knows what is best for our life.  Humbling ourselves is submitting to God’s will.  We can’t begin to obey God without putting our desires aside.  Even legitimate goals and dreams that are not God breathed can bad for us!  God doesn’t always care what we want.  He is more concerned with the world and all of His people. Yes He loves us dearly, way more than we can understand, which is why we must trust that His will is best.  

Being humble is a daily choice and it takes hard work!  We must not lose sight of the end result of this demand from God.  He promises to give us strength to be humble and He promises to give us glory and honor in doing His will.  God would never ask us to give up something that He isn’t planning on replacing with something much better!  As a humble person keep a steady focus on God and let His will become your will!  Your life will improve and you will reap the many benefits of living the life made just for you!

Dear God,

Help me to put aside my selfish goals and dreams.  I want to live out the life you have planned for me.  Give me strength to put You first in my life and to submit my will to You.  

In Jesus' name I pray, Amen