The question on the table tonight is this, “It seems in our culture that humility is often viewed as weakness. Do you agree or disagree? Why?” (Question taken from the Gathering Place, page 257.) My answer to this question is “agree.” If I could simply define humility, I would define it as the words of Paul in Philippians 2:3, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility consider others as better than yourself” (NIV). The realization of pride is found in the pervasive nature of vanity and the manifestation of swollen conceit. It is pride and the love of self that considers humility weakness. Pawns in the hand of the devil, those swollen with conceit see the inadequacies of the weak in their mind’s eye as a stepping stone. “As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on thing and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down you cannot see something that is above you.” (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity ). Kim Wagner, author of Fierce woman: the power of a soft warrior, speaks of the destructively fierce woman as someone who “walks in arrogance and pride but is blind to her lack of humility. She views meek behavior as a sign of weakness. She sincerely believes her personal conflicts stem from others’ ineptness, lack of spirituality, or inferior behavior.”
“At the top of Paul’s description for godless [people] men is “love of self.” Rather than loving God and having Him be the center, men are going to continue to love themselves, and live arrogant, proud, pleasure-filled lives(2 Timothy 3:1-4). We live in a culture that says, “Live for yourself; its’ all about YOU!” So how can you and I be different? How can we determine to not allow our views, ideas, and concepts of God to be lower than they ought? I believe that before we can ever begin to see God for who He is, we must think rightly about ourselves. R.C. Sproul, in his book The Holiness of God, says it this way, “Men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their significance, until they have contrasted themselves with the Majesty of God.” (The Gathering Place, page 34).
Dear Jesus, Your Word says that I am not to conform to the patterns of this world but that I am to be transformed by the power of Your Word. Please keep me from turning to things that cultivate vanity in my heart. Help me to keep my eyes on You through Your Word. You died for me that I might live for you. Help me not to think more highly of myself than I ought (Romans 12:1-4). In You, Amen.
Fifty2Days 