“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4:10).
Here is the main point of this section in James 4. This is not a suggestion. This is not just good advice. This is not just the opinion of a follower of Christ. This is straight from the mouth of the one who humbled Himself before all mankind and God the Father.
In Matthew 23:12 Jesus states, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” Truer words have never been spoken. Jesus is speaking these words because arrogance and pride have been man’s downfall from the beginning.
Eve ate of the fruit because she knew that it would make her wise and she was tempted into thinking that God would not keep His word. That is no different than us. We think we can do whatever we like and there will be no punishment for our disobedience. We think we can act however we feel and there will be no consequences to those actions.
That is pride. That is arrogance to think that we know best. It is putting ourselves above where we should be. It is exalting ourselves when we think we know what is best. When we take God out of the picture and do what our flesh desires, there is no humility in that.
There is no humility when we go after the things of this world. It is not reliance on our Lord and Savior when we make decisions based upon our flesh instead of on what God commands. When all is said and done and Jesus comes back for His sheep, those that have humbled themselves before Christ will be exalted with Christ. But those that exalt themselves now will be humiliated in hell for eternity.
David says in Psalm 51:17, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart.” All God wants from us is humility, not arrogance and pride. Jesus displayed His humility when He left heaven to come to Earth and take our punishment and die in our place. That, my friend, is humility.
Jesus said in John 15:13, “Greater love has no man than this: that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Jesus laid down His life for you and for me. That is humility.
How do we humble ourselves before a holy and righteous God who knows our heart? Here are five ways:
1. Confess your arrogance and ask for true humility.
2. Confess your secret sins and ask for forgiveness.
3. Confess that all of this is too big for you and that you need help.
4. Confess your need for mercy and grace.
5. Confess your desperateness for help right now.
Go to the One who is able to give you what you so desperately need. {eoa}
Jody Burkeen is the founder and president of MAN UP! Gods Way Ministries. This ministry was birthed out of a desire to change the way Christian men “do” Christianity. Jody’s self-described “Damascus Road Transformation” led him on a journey to search the Scriptures to find what he had been missing his whole life, which was Jesus Christ. In this journey, the Word of God took over in a way he never expected. Searching for men in the church to help him in his walk, he found very little help. What he did find was men who needed the same kind of help he did.
For the original article, visit manupgodsway.org.
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