I’ve been wanting to write about humility for a while now, but I didn’t really know how. As C.J. Mahaney once wrote, “If I met someone presuming to have something to say about humility, automatically I’d think him unqualified to speak on the subject.*”  My prayer, though, is that you won’t view this post as instruction from one who is a master at resisting pride and remaining humble. I’m not. Instead, look at these words as a message of encouragement from someone who must daily battle against pride in his own life. I’m not perfect, and I won’t claim to be.

“(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)”

                       -Numbers 12:3

If we want an example of humility, we needn’t look further than the life of Moses. I know I mention him often, but few men in history have ever been used by God so mightily as he was. In spite of that, the Scripture tells us that he really wasn’t anything special. In Exodus 4, Moses himself even admitted to his poor social skills and begged God to pick someone else to lead Israel in their Exodus from Egypt. Yet the Lord chose him anyway because He knew that Moses wouldn’t seek to steal the glory that only God deserved. It is no less true today that the Lord will only use a vessel that He knows will redirect any glory it receives to the One Who truly deserves it. 

I don’t know about you, but many times I’ve found myself longing to be used by God for selfish reasons. How many times do we ask God to use us for the sole purpose of being noticed by others for our “commitment to God”, and yet somehow find ourself surprised when He doesn’t use us in the way we thought He would! The truth is, selfish motives indicate a prideful heart which is rarely used by God to accomplish anything (1 Peter 5:5). 

“For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.”

                          -Galatians 6:3

Contrary to what you’ll hear from many people today, humility doesn’t require a person viewing himself as less than he truly is. No, humility is assessing yourself properly in the light of Who God is and what He has done. When we do that, we’ll see that anything we have ever, will ever, or could ever do falls amazingly short. Isaac Watts said it best when he wrote, “When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died, my richest gain I count but loss and pour contempt on all my pride.**”

*C.J. Mahaney in his book, “Humility: True Greatness”

** Isaac Watts in his hymn, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”