October 20th, 2022
by Gregory Stansel
by Gregory Stansel
For the longest time I have prayed for humility, but I never really knew what that meant. I mean, simply because I own a dictionary, I knew the definition but never understood how that fit into my life. I have heard it preached in the pulpits and taught in Sunday schools, but I always missed the application in my life. Recently I ran across this verse in a book and it really struck me, bringing me back to my quest for humility, and I believe it is good for me to share it here. Before I get started, however, I am not claiming that this covers all aspects of humility, but our humble response to God. I believe that if we can begin to understand our humble standing before God, then we can begin to understand how we should respond to man with humility.
We all want to be humble, following in the footsteps of Christ, but are we aware of what that means for our daily lives? First Peter 5:6-7 sums it up quite nicely for us: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” What is Peter telling us? Simply this, to give our every anxiety over to Him. Now, handing over every anxiety does not mean every large, massive problem in our lives that conveniently drives us to prayer, but every aspect of our lives.
Now letʼs think on this a minute. What gives me anxiety (i.e., a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome - Oxford American Dictionary)? Worrying that I am a good husband? A good father? A good student? Nervous that my income is not sufficient for the bills coming up and the food for tomorrow? Uneasy about putting my son on the school bus on the first day of kindergarden? Wondering if my sermon was pleasing to the congregationʼs ears? How about being uncertain about death?
Humility is defined as “a modest or low view of oneʼs own importance.” God does not want us to think lowly of ourselves, but to understand that He alone is our hope and our salvation. Humility is knowing that it is only by the strength of the Holy Spirit that we can weather the storms of life, knowing that God cares for us and at the proper time he will exalt us. Humility is knowing that we can never work our way into Godʼs presence, but it is only by the blood of Christ that we are saved.
John the Baptist is the epitome of humility, just read what we said in John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” By our human standards, John had every right to scream out, “I am the forerunner! I am the one that pointed Christ out! I preached repentance!” Instead, he just bowed and backed away, knowing that his purpose was to glorify God, not himself.
Humility is at the heart of all, for our very next breath of air is an event with an uncertain outcome. Our six figure paychecks (or a few less zeros) and stylish cars (maybe drop stylish) and trucks could be gone in an instant. Our very children could be stripped from our hands (Job 1) and our health could diminish before we know it (Job 2). What is humility? It is a response to Godʼs grace.
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:6-7
We all want to be humble, following in the footsteps of Christ, but are we aware of what that means for our daily lives? First Peter 5:6-7 sums it up quite nicely for us: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” What is Peter telling us? Simply this, to give our every anxiety over to Him. Now, handing over every anxiety does not mean every large, massive problem in our lives that conveniently drives us to prayer, but every aspect of our lives.
Now letʼs think on this a minute. What gives me anxiety (i.e., a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome - Oxford American Dictionary)? Worrying that I am a good husband? A good father? A good student? Nervous that my income is not sufficient for the bills coming up and the food for tomorrow? Uneasy about putting my son on the school bus on the first day of kindergarden? Wondering if my sermon was pleasing to the congregationʼs ears? How about being uncertain about death?
Humility is defined as “a modest or low view of oneʼs own importance.” God does not want us to think lowly of ourselves, but to understand that He alone is our hope and our salvation. Humility is knowing that it is only by the strength of the Holy Spirit that we can weather the storms of life, knowing that God cares for us and at the proper time he will exalt us. Humility is knowing that we can never work our way into Godʼs presence, but it is only by the blood of Christ that we are saved.
John the Baptist is the epitome of humility, just read what we said in John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” By our human standards, John had every right to scream out, “I am the forerunner! I am the one that pointed Christ out! I preached repentance!” Instead, he just bowed and backed away, knowing that his purpose was to glorify God, not himself.
Humility is at the heart of all, for our very next breath of air is an event with an uncertain outcome. Our six figure paychecks (or a few less zeros) and stylish cars (maybe drop stylish) and trucks could be gone in an instant. Our very children could be stripped from our hands (Job 1) and our health could diminish before we know it (Job 2). What is humility? It is a response to Godʼs grace.
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:6-7
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