Humility

Humility

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

Luke 18:14

IN WORD The worshipful heart will have its struggles. One of its greatest is combating the natural human desire to establish our own success, status, and security. We easily become self-focused, wanting to become good in order to represent God well. Have we forgotten? God is already represented well by Jesus—especially in the company of lepers, sinners, and thieves on a cross.

The selfward heart doesn’t get it. It can’t be transparent about its weaknesses and failures because it is too busy masking them. There is a personal reputation to maintain. The Godward heart, however, is busy with God’s reputation. It can easily confess sin and sickness, because it knows that God is glorified by His treatment of such things. The selfward soul runs around saying, “I’m doing my best for the glory of God.” The Godward soul can relax and proclaim, “God’s doing His wonderful work in the wreck that is me.”

Both perspectives come from good intentions. But deep in the heart of man is a reluctance to enhance God’s reputation at the expense of our own. We don’t want to own up to our weaknesses, failures, brokenness, and sin. We want to demonstrate God’s grace in our respectable lives. But God’s grace shows up best in the honesty of a tax collector like Zacchaeus or a prostitute who weeps for mercy. Honest souls know what’s inside of them. They alone can showcase a Savior.

IN DEED This parable isn’t just about Pharisees; it’s about all of us. Do you really want to worship God with every aspect of your being? Then let Him be your everything—your Savior, Healer, Provider, Judge, Refuge, and Strength. Acknowledging your ultimate dependence and need isn’t always easy. It will require honesty before Him and an honest testimony before the world. Will that reflect well on you? Probably not, but it will reflect incredibly well on Him. And that’s what worship is all about.

Humility is nothing else but a true knowledge and awareness of oneself as one really is.

—THE CLOUD OF UNKNOWING