Grace To The Humble

Grace to the Humble

Read: Luke 18:9-14

“Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Luke 18:14

“If you lay yourself at Christ’s feet, He will take you into His arms.”

—William Bridge

IN WORD Peter surely thought of these words of Jesus when he penned his first letter. “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time,” Peter urged (5:5-6). He probably also remembered disputes the disciples had over who was the greatest, or his own unfounded brashness about his devotion to Christ. But years later, Jesus’ words had finally sunk in.

Have we allowed them to sink in as well? Think about what this verse means. Not only is it an indictment of pride, it is also a remarkable encouragement to those who have allowed God to strip them of self-sufficiency. We may have walked a painful path when God began removing our false securities, but when He does so, He is there to support us.

IN DEED Many Christians go through an agonizing removal of pride. Peter did—he sank in the water when he took his eyes off Jesus, his fishing expertise was bested by the words of a carpenter, and he three times denied the Savior to whom he had just sworn undying allegiance. We are likewise stripped of self-sufficiency. God must do this to us, in fact, if we are to learn to lean on Him. Just as Peter learned this lesson well and urged others to count on God’s grace to the humble, so must we.

This is the amazing mercy of our God: When we getto the helpless, hopeless end of ourselves, He is there. And not only is He there, He exalts us! He lifts us up, comforts us, and blesses us with the treasures of the kingdom and the gift of His Spirit. By undoing our pride, He equips us to serve Him; and there is no greater pleasure than serving Him. There is no higher calling and no more certain exaltation.