God's Promise to The Humble

“Humility is the gateway into the grace and the favor of God.”
(Harold Warner)

 

Humility is a word that defines how we should submit and respond to trials, fear, rejection, and disappointment; not my will but yours God! So often we face situations and feel scared, inadequate, or inferior and react with pride and self-importance, or anger and aggression, rather than obeying and submitting to God and trusting that He has a greater plan; and in the end He always wins! I can think of times when I didn't act with humility because during the situation I wanted to do it my way. I have never liked being around prideful people, however pride has many symptoms that are often hard to see even in myself! Many times those who dislike pride the most are the ones who find it most difficult to be humble. Rachel Olsen says it perfect, "Humility can be defined as the absence of pride. In that sense, we can think of humility as what's left when our pretense is stripped away."

 "Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time." (1 Peter 5:5-7)

Our pride carries our worries, stresses, and daily struggles within instead of trusting God fully with our lives. We all have our crosses to bear, and we are called to take up our crosses daily and follow Him. But these crosses can crush us if we try to carry them ourselves! Trust and humility is the confidence that the mighty hand of God is not over you to crush you, but to care for you just like His promise says. When we cast all of our anxieties on God, it means that we trust in His promise that He will take care of us, and that He has the power and wisdom to put that care to work in the most glorious way. It takes faith, trust, and humility to completely submit to God and die to ourselves, because we can’t be full of God if we are full of ourselves!

"God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6)

I believe that nothing is hidden in God's eyes, and He is there for all of us who are struggling, in pain, or whom the world rejects. God is humble and He doesn't have favorites! He takes delight in blessing all of His children regardless of their wealth, fame, poverty, handicaps, or intelligence. Rather that react in a prideful manner just for self-approval or for the sake of popularity, God blesses those who are humble. I know that many times when I am not feeling as close to God as I would like, even when prayer, fellowship, and/or worshiping is not softening my heart, it's more than likely that I am just in need of a bit of painful humbling. There are so many times in my life that I need to (sincerely!) confess to Him and admit that I need to change; to be willing to do so! It takes humility to turn to God in repentance and recognize that He cares, and can handle all my anxieties and struggles. What I must realize is that I am dependent on God for everything good in my life, and that His recognition counts more than human praise. I need to be humble enough to release all pride.

"Obedience is the road to freedom, humility the road to pleasure, unity the road to personality." C.S Lewis

Linking up with Spiritual Sundays and The Beauty in His Grip