HUMBLING ONESELF
Peace be with you in the name of Jesus who humbled Himself. Amen
Humility can be said as a noble inherent attribute of God and a good trait. Man, who was created
in the image and likeness of God, fell into the wallow of sin. Hence, God’s primary purpose
for man is that he should be saved and regain the likeness of God (Romans 8:29). In the
following message, we will be briefly meditating about humility, which is one of the likeness/
nature of God, the epitome of love. We pray and trust that this meditation would help us to
clothe ourselves with true humility, which is one of the likeness/trait of God.
in the image and likeness of God, fell into the wallow of sin. Hence, God’s primary purpose
for man is that he should be saved and regain the likeness of God (Romans 8:29). In the
following message, we will be briefly meditating about humility, which is one of the likeness/
nature of God, the epitome of love. We pray and trust that this meditation would help us to
clothe ourselves with true humility, which is one of the likeness/trait of God.
Humility - The Expression of God’s Love
Humility is the expression of God’s love. A person’s love is expressed in various dimensions.
Just like love is being expressed through different actions like giving, praying, helping etc.,
humility is also one among such expressions. God so loved the world that He gave us Jesus
(John 3:16). He made Himself of no reputation, took the form of a bond servant and became
obedient to the point of death - are not all these an expression of the love He had for us.
Similarly, He humbling Himself is also an expression of love and therefore humility is an
expression of godly love.
Just like love is being expressed through different actions like giving, praying, helping etc.,
humility is also one among such expressions. God so loved the world that He gave us Jesus
(John 3:16). He made Himself of no reputation, took the form of a bond servant and became
obedient to the point of death - are not all these an expression of the love He had for us.
Similarly, He humbling Himself is also an expression of love and therefore humility is an
expression of godly love.
In Zechariah 9:9, Prophet Zechariah prophesises about the characteristics of Jesus Christ as “He
is just, having salvation and lowly.” In Mathew 11:29, Jesus Himself tells “I am gentle and lowly
in heart”. We have been called to be perfect, just as our Father in heaven is perfect (Mathew
5:48). And what does the Lord require of us, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly
with God as we read in Micah 6:8. Apostle Peter exhorts us to be submissive to one another,
and be clothed with humility, (I Peter 5:5) and Paul expounds that in order to bear with one
another in love, we need to be with all lowliness, gentleness and long suffering (Ephesians 4:2,
Colossians 3:12-14). We can give without loving. But we cannot love without giving. Likewise,
without being humble, we cannot love. Hence, humility is indeed an expression of godly love.
is just, having salvation and lowly.” In Mathew 11:29, Jesus Himself tells “I am gentle and lowly
in heart”. We have been called to be perfect, just as our Father in heaven is perfect (Mathew
5:48). And what does the Lord require of us, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly
with God as we read in Micah 6:8. Apostle Peter exhorts us to be submissive to one another,
and be clothed with humility, (I Peter 5:5) and Paul expounds that in order to bear with one
another in love, we need to be with all lowliness, gentleness and long suffering (Ephesians 4:2,
Colossians 3:12-14). We can give without loving. But we cannot love without giving. Likewise,
without being humble, we cannot love. Hence, humility is indeed an expression of godly love.
Pride that God Resists – Humility that God Loves
Jesus said “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Mathew 28:18). “For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God” is what Paul says in Romans 13:1. Such a powerful and Almighty God has this wonderful character / nature of humility in Him. He also wants His children to be the same. When God Almighty who owns everything is full of humility, why does man, who is like a water bubble and vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away (James 4:14), be full of pride.?. Pride is a character/attribute of Satan and it’s ungodly. That’s why God resists the proud. The pride of a proud man will destroy him and pride is also not a godly character, because of which God resists pride. The humility of a humble man becomes the reason for his exaltation and there fore God gives grace to the humble. "Pride goes before destruction; and a haughty spirit before a fall" is what Proverbs 16:18 teaches us. While pride leads a man towards destruction and fall, humility leads one towards his exaltation (James 4: 6) and God’s grace (James 4: 10). Are not Satan, the tower of Babel and the Babylonian empire proofs of fall by pride?
What Is Humility?
The God who had universal authority and power, humbled Himself, made Himself of no
reputation, tasted death and went down unto Hell, because HE loved those who were pushed
unto hell, with an unconditional love, so as to transform them like or equal to Himself, not
because of external compulsions but driven by godly love alone. This godly action can be called
as humility. The expression of such a perfect love is humility. But for the Cross, there is no other
example in this world, to describe humility. Any action that reflects the likeness of the cross is
humility; all men, whose actions reflect the likeness of cross, are humble people.
reputation, tasted death and went down unto Hell, because HE loved those who were pushed
unto hell, with an unconditional love, so as to transform them like or equal to Himself, not
because of external compulsions but driven by godly love alone. This godly action can be called
as humility. The expression of such a perfect love is humility. But for the Cross, there is no other
example in this world, to describe humility. Any action that reflects the likeness of the cross is
humility; all men, whose actions reflect the likeness of cross, are humble people.
Humbleness is not necessarily Humility
Just like the saying, “if needed, he will even hold one’s feet”, holding on to one’s feet only during
a time of need and later, strangling one’s neck, is not humility. Being humble because of
circumstances or urgent needs is not humility; rather it is submission or pleading. For example,
when someone needs money or a job, it is a practice to humbly request or if needed, plead a
person who is in a position to give them. Such a practice is not humility. A man owed his
master ten thousand rupees/dollars and as he was not able to pay back, his master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt (Mathew 18: 24-25).
At this, the man who was indebted fell on his knees before the master and begged to be
patient with him (Mathew 18:26). The master took pity on him, cancelled the debt and let him
go (Mathew 18:27). Because the man owing ten thousand rupees/dollars fell on his knees before his master, can he be considered a humble man? No, not at all. The reason being, on his way back
home as a happy man whose entire debt was cancelled, he found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a hundred rupees/dollars only. He grabbed him and choked him demanding to pay
back the money. The servant fell to his knees and begged him to be patient with him. But, the
man, for whom ten thousand rupees/dollars debt was forgiven, refuses to show mercy and behaves arrogantly to his fellow servant who just owed him hundred rupees. Hence, not all people who exhibit humbleness because of their compelling circumstances, can be called humble. For, if
the man whose ten thousand rupees debt was forgiven, was truly humble, he would have
definitely forgiven the man who owed him 100 rupees/dollars. Because, people full of humility not
only show mercy but are also full of love. It is this love and mercy that we see in Jesus the Lord
on the cross. Furthermore, some people would be ready to do any mean or wretchless action,
if they are to get money or position. They would act and showcase as if they were humble and
meek and accomplish what they want. We should not be deceived by believing that all
such actions mean humility.
a time of need and later, strangling one’s neck, is not humility. Being humble because of
circumstances or urgent needs is not humility; rather it is submission or pleading. For example,
when someone needs money or a job, it is a practice to humbly request or if needed, plead a
person who is in a position to give them. Such a practice is not humility. A man owed his
master ten thousand rupees/dollars and as he was not able to pay back, his master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt (Mathew 18: 24-25).
At this, the man who was indebted fell on his knees before the master and begged to be
patient with him (Mathew 18:26). The master took pity on him, cancelled the debt and let him
go (Mathew 18:27). Because the man owing ten thousand rupees/dollars fell on his knees before his master, can he be considered a humble man? No, not at all. The reason being, on his way back
home as a happy man whose entire debt was cancelled, he found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a hundred rupees/dollars only. He grabbed him and choked him demanding to pay
back the money. The servant fell to his knees and begged him to be patient with him. But, the
man, for whom ten thousand rupees/dollars debt was forgiven, refuses to show mercy and behaves arrogantly to his fellow servant who just owed him hundred rupees. Hence, not all people who exhibit humbleness because of their compelling circumstances, can be called humble. For, if
the man whose ten thousand rupees debt was forgiven, was truly humble, he would have
definitely forgiven the man who owed him 100 rupees/dollars. Because, people full of humility not
only show mercy but are also full of love. It is this love and mercy that we see in Jesus the Lord
on the cross. Furthermore, some people would be ready to do any mean or wretchless action,
if they are to get money or position. They would act and showcase as if they were humble and
meek and accomplish what they want. We should not be deceived by believing that all
such actions mean humility.
Gratitude is not necessarily Humility
Some people, by virtue of their past struggles and the support they received from others to
come up in life, will not forget their past, and therefore to a large extent, behave humbly and
meekly. This is just a sense of gratitude. It can be said that gratitude helps us to walk in
meekness or it drives us towards humility. People with gratitude are likely to show faithfulness
and good behavior to only those from whom they received goodness, whereas to others, there
is a likelihood of them being arrogant. At times, we also see people who receive goodness, but
forget the good acts of those who helped them, and be ungrateful and betray them. Those with
a loving heart will in all circumstances and to all people act with humility. People whose hearts are filled with Christ’s love have an inherent quality of humility in them. The man to whom ten
thousand rupees was forgiven, had neither love nor humility nor at least, thankfulness in him.
If only he had that sense of his great debt being forgiven, would he not have forgiven someone
who owed him just 100 rupees/dollars…? He is a wicked man who denies giving others freely, what he has freely received (Mathew 10:8). The Bible teaches to “be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you”. (Ephesians 4:32).
come up in life, will not forget their past, and therefore to a large extent, behave humbly and
meekly. This is just a sense of gratitude. It can be said that gratitude helps us to walk in
meekness or it drives us towards humility. People with gratitude are likely to show faithfulness
and good behavior to only those from whom they received goodness, whereas to others, there
is a likelihood of them being arrogant. At times, we also see people who receive goodness, but
forget the good acts of those who helped them, and be ungrateful and betray them. Those with
a loving heart will in all circumstances and to all people act with humility. People whose hearts are filled with Christ’s love have an inherent quality of humility in them. The man to whom ten
thousand rupees was forgiven, had neither love nor humility nor at least, thankfulness in him.
If only he had that sense of his great debt being forgiven, would he not have forgiven someone
who owed him just 100 rupees/dollars…? He is a wicked man who denies giving others freely, what he has freely received (Mathew 10:8). The Bible teaches to “be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you”. (Ephesians 4:32).
Because some people act meekly, we perceive them to be humble. For example, when every body else is sitting on a chair and one person sits on the floor, can the man who sits on the floor be called a humble person…? We cannot completely designate those who wear simple clothes and jewelry as humble people or those who wear extravagant clothes as people who are not humble or are proud.
Humbling Oneself
We have meditated in the previous section, about what is and what is not humility. We now
move on to an important section on the meaning and importance of ‘humbling oneself’. It is said in Luke 14:11, that whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted and in Hebrews 5:5 that Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was God the father who glorified Him. In these verses, the word “Himself” is a very important one. The verse does not say – he who “humbles” will be exalted or he who “exalts” will be humbled. Rather it is said he who “humbles himself” and “exalts himself”. When the word “he himself” is used, does it not mean that besides the person himself, there are/will be chances for someone or something that can exalt or humble a person...? Therefore, a person humbling himself is different and a person who is humbled by a forceful circumstance or another person is a
different case. Similar is the case when a person exalts himself which is different from a
person being exalted by someone else. Who will humble himself ? The one who has great love.
Who will exalt himself ? Only those who are filled with pride and arrogance. Those who humble
themselves are a great blessing, while those who exalt themselves are very dangerous. God
wishes that we should always humble ourselves or walk in humility. Because humility is a godly
character. Such people will be lifted up by God himself at the right time.
move on to an important section on the meaning and importance of ‘humbling oneself’. It is said in Luke 14:11, that whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted and in Hebrews 5:5 that Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was God the father who glorified Him. In these verses, the word “Himself” is a very important one. The verse does not say – he who “humbles” will be exalted or he who “exalts” will be humbled. Rather it is said he who “humbles himself” and “exalts himself”. When the word “he himself” is used, does it not mean that besides the person himself, there are/will be chances for someone or something that can exalt or humble a person...? Therefore, a person humbling himself is different and a person who is humbled by a forceful circumstance or another person is a
different case. Similar is the case when a person exalts himself which is different from a
person being exalted by someone else. Who will humble himself ? The one who has great love.
Who will exalt himself ? Only those who are filled with pride and arrogance. Those who humble
themselves are a great blessing, while those who exalt themselves are very dangerous. God
wishes that we should always humble ourselves or walk in humility. Because humility is a godly
character. Such people will be lifted up by God himself at the right time.
The Humility of David
In order to save his sheep, David killed the bear and the lion (I Samuel 17:36). In order to save
Israelites from Philistines, he killed Goliath (I Samuel 17:51). To marry Michal, the daughter of
King Saul, though only one hundred foreskins of the Philistines were asked as a dowry, David
killed two hundred men of the Philistines and gave 200 foreskins as a dowry (I Samuel 18:27).
But David did not kill Saul, who wanted to take revenge on him. David, who had won several
battles, had to face inexpressible hardships because of Saul and had several opportunities to
easily kill him. But yet, David did not dare to protect himself by killing Saul or even attempt to
at least confront him. David, who was a mighty warrior when compared to Saul, ran to forests,
mountains and caves to hide himself whenever Saul came to kill him. Why...? Was David afraid
or was he a coward…? No, not at all. Because of the zeal and honor he had for God, he chose
not to stretch out his hand against Saul, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord and thus humbled
himself before God stating that it is God who judges. The outcome…David was exalted through
God’s testimony of him as “a man after God’s own heart”.
We can see several examples of people who humbled themselves in the Bible and the church
history such as in Hebrews 11:24-26, Moses humbled himself, Mathew 8 and Luke 7 speaks
about the centurion who humbled himself.
Israelites from Philistines, he killed Goliath (I Samuel 17:51). To marry Michal, the daughter of
King Saul, though only one hundred foreskins of the Philistines were asked as a dowry, David
killed two hundred men of the Philistines and gave 200 foreskins as a dowry (I Samuel 18:27).
But David did not kill Saul, who wanted to take revenge on him. David, who had won several
battles, had to face inexpressible hardships because of Saul and had several opportunities to
easily kill him. But yet, David did not dare to protect himself by killing Saul or even attempt to
at least confront him. David, who was a mighty warrior when compared to Saul, ran to forests,
mountains and caves to hide himself whenever Saul came to kill him. Why...? Was David afraid
or was he a coward…? No, not at all. Because of the zeal and honor he had for God, he chose
not to stretch out his hand against Saul, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord and thus humbled
himself before God stating that it is God who judges. The outcome…David was exalted through
God’s testimony of him as “a man after God’s own heart”.
We can see several examples of people who humbled themselves in the Bible and the church
history such as in Hebrews 11:24-26, Moses humbled himself, Mathew 8 and Luke 7 speaks
about the centurion who humbled himself.
Humility that God Recognizes
God should recognize that we are humbling ourselves. We read in I Kings 21 about King Ahab
who kills Naboth and grabs his vineyard. The word of the Lord comes against King Ahab and is
being revealed through Elijah. When Ahab heard the words of Elijah, he tore his clothes and
put sackcloth on his body, fasted and went about mourning (I Kings 21:27). And the word of the
Lord came to Elijah saying, “See how Ahab has humbled himself before Me” (I Kings 21:28). Only
after God’s recognition of Ahab’s humbling himself before God, was he shown God’s mercy and
exempted from the destined calamity. Our humility should be such that it is recognized by God.
We should not think for ourselves that we are humble and therefore deceive ourselves. Let us
be alert.
who kills Naboth and grabs his vineyard. The word of the Lord comes against King Ahab and is
being revealed through Elijah. When Ahab heard the words of Elijah, he tore his clothes and
put sackcloth on his body, fasted and went about mourning (I Kings 21:27). And the word of the
Lord came to Elijah saying, “See how Ahab has humbled himself before Me” (I Kings 21:28). Only
after God’s recognition of Ahab’s humbling himself before God, was he shown God’s mercy and
exempted from the destined calamity. Our humility should be such that it is recognized by God.
We should not think for ourselves that we are humble and therefore deceive ourselves. Let us
be alert.
The God who saves us from being proud
1. By caring for us - God earnestly cares for us that we should not be proud but rather walk in humility. He plays an important role in protecting us from being destroyed by pride.
2. Being our model - God not only preaches about pride-humility, but also is good role model for us. He calls upon us to learn from Him (Mathew 11:29).
3. Sets an example - “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you” (John 13:14-15) is what Jesus tells His disciples.
4. Averts circumstances that bring pride - In order to not provide a room for the Israelites to claim glory for itself against God, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me”, God asks Gideon to send away the excess 32,000 people and then He fights the battle with just 300 men and gives victory to the Israelites (Jud 7:2).
5. Focus on the blesser and not the blessings - When you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your
silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; God warns the Israelites that their hearts should not be filled with pride. He asks them “not to forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.” He counsels them to bless God and keep His commandments (Deuteronomy 8: 1-17).
silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; God warns the Israelites that their hearts should not be filled with pride. He asks them “not to forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.” He counsels them to bless God and keep His commandments (Deuteronomy 8: 1-17).
6. Allows a blessed thorn in our flesh - Paul in II Cor 12:7 says that in order that he should not exalt himself above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was
given to him, which was a messenger of Satan to buffet him. Therefore, we understand that, even if we are given a thorn in our flesh, it is for our blessing. To ensure that the very blessings that God gives us do not become a reason for our destruction, He permits a thorn in us for the
purpose of protecting us. We could be having such a blessed thorn in us. But we ourselves should not become that thorn.
given to him, which was a messenger of Satan to buffet him. Therefore, we understand that, even if we are given a thorn in our flesh, it is for our blessing. To ensure that the very blessings that God gives us do not become a reason for our destruction, He permits a thorn in us for the
purpose of protecting us. We could be having such a blessed thorn in us. But we ourselves should not become that thorn.
How Humility results in our Exaltation
I am sharing below a parable that the Holy Spirit taught me during my personal prayer time, on how our value gets higher when we humble ourselves more and more. When we humble ourselves completely saying, “Lord… I am an empty vessel and I can do nothing”, and in spite of having everything, when we realize that we are a “zero (0)”, the Lord Jesus, who is the One (1) who does great wonders (Psalm 136:4) comes and stands close to us. Yes, when we, just like Jesus did, empty ourselves ie., make ourselves a “0” and humble ourselves, He who alone does great wonders comes and stands close to us….
Then my value increases from “0” to “10”. With Christ, who continues to stand close to us, when we humble ourselves further and further, that is “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30), our value continues to increase more and more.
How…? Now, let us take that our value is “10” at present. When we continue to humble ourselves, God adds one more “0” to us. Hence, my value increases from “10” to “100”. 10 + 0 = 100. In a similar way, when we continue to humble ourselves more and more, in a state where He should increase and I should decrease, God continues to add zeroes to us. Hence, our value continues to increase as 1000, 10000, 100000...Our true credentials before God, is a heartfelt acknowledgement that all what I have is only because of God’s grace and with a whole heart
realising that I am an unworthy empty vessel. Walking in our day to day life based on this realization and knowledge that I am unworthy is the only worth that we have.
realising that I am an unworthy empty vessel. Walking in our day to day life based on this realization and knowledge that I am unworthy is the only worth that we have.
Our humility should not be hypocritical. Our humility should be acknowledged by God. It is not about people testifying about us saying that we are humble, but rather it is God who should testify. Therefore, when God acknowledges our humility, a zero gets added to us, and as a result our value increases. For example, let us consider that my worth is 1000. When I behave arrogantly, because of my name, fame and power in the society, and despise and mistreat the people around me who have a value of 10, 100, my value will become stagnant at 1000. God will warn, and if we repent and rectify, our value might continue to be the same. Otherwise, a zero will be removed from 1000, thereby making it a reduced value of 100, means the provision of God’s grace will be stopped first and removed later as in the case of King Saul. If the same situation persists, we might get destroyed in the end, because God resists the proud. Similar were the downfall of Satan and Nebuchadnezzar. He provides grace to the humble. Thus, the measure of exaltation or blessing is related to how much we humble ourselves in a God acknowledging manner.
God exalts only a person who humbles himself. There are people who are humbled by a circumstance or those who out of remorse for their sins, repent and are humbled; for such people, more than saying that God exalts the humble, the truth is God showers His mercy and grace and blesses them. God exalts those who humble themselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt them in due time (I Peter 5:6) and for those who humble themselves and step down from a higher position that they already have for the sake of a noble purpose. We desire to attain a higher position in life. But do we have the mind of Christ, where for the sake of a noble cause or if needed, step down from our positions by humbling ourselves? As we have a desire to be lifted high in life, do we also have the mind to step down by lowering ourselves?
Phil 2: 6-11…..Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.