Humility

I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence;I possess knowledge and discretion.To fear the LORD is to hate evil;I hate pride and arrogance,evil behavior and perverse speech.

Proverbs 8:12-13 (NIV)

In this proverb, wisdom says it hates pride. That’s good. Pride always causes trouble and is a sign of foolishness. So then if pride is out of sync with wisdom, humility is in sync. Let me tell you a story.

A small Christian college was having financial difficulties. One day a very wealthy man came on the campus, found a white-haired man in overalls painting a wall, and asked if he could see the college president. The painter pointed out a house on campus and said he was sure the president could be seen there at noon.

At the designated time, the visitor knocked at the president’s door and was admitted by the same man he had met in overalls, but now he was in a suit. As the visitor accepted an invitation to come in, he realized this man was the college president. He asked a number of questions about the needs of the college and told the president he would be sending a small donation. Two days later a check arrived for fifty thousand dollars. The donor had been touched by the humility of a man who was fitted for his position as college president but not too proud to put on the clothes of a workman and do a job that needed to be done. This is a picture of humility.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Why is it that humility is so endearing when we see it in others, but it is hard to accomplish in ourselves? Maybe it’s because we are not bowing and humbling ourselves before our God. When we do that, somehow it eases our need to hold so tightly to our rights and to have the last word in a dispute. Are you in a stalemate with your husband; has a friend offended you; has someone broken a promise? It’s been said, “It’s better to bow than to break.” Take God’s advice on this, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4:10, NKJV).

One Year Bible Reading

Exodus 28:1-43; Matthew 25:31–26:13; Psalm 31:9-18; Proverbs 8:12-13