Humility is the fear of the Lord; it’s wages are riches and honour and life.
I wonder what you strive for, hope for, or dream about? If you are anything like me, you long to be recognised, respected and honoured. Perhaps you long for the security of riches, or to have greater control over life and death?
None of these desires are in themself wrong. What is often wrong is the way to them, or our expectations of how reality will unfold. Life with God is contrary to life in this world. Yet how much have we allowed for the ways of this world to seep into our heart and mould our view of how life should be?
Humility is one of the key characteristics we are called to embody as Christians; knowing who we are before our Lord and King – revering who He is and trusting His ways above ourselves. Through choosing to abide in Him we will ultimately gain life, honour and riches. Jesus is our greatest example of this:
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
(Philippians 2:5-11)