Throughout God’s word, the themes of pride and humility come up over and over again. Pride is sin, while humility is necessary to be pleasing to God (James 4:6). Because these themes are so common in the Bible and so critical to the life of a faithful Christian, we should regularly consider whether or not we are humble.
Being humble requires us to be selfless. In Philippians 2:3, Paul wrote, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.” A humble Christian considers others’ needs as more important than their own. How humble are we?
Being humble requires us to obey God willingly. In the following few verses, Paul tells us that Jesus “humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death” (Philippians 2:8). Jesus chose to obey God over everything else. He did not choose His comfort but found perfect comfort in His obedience. How humble are we?
Being humble requires our sacrifice. Christ’s humility led Him to “death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). God will not ask us to make the sacrifice that Christ made for our sins, but true humility will require us to give up, set aside, and even sacrifice things in our lives. How humble are we?
Pride prevents a person from submitting to God’s will, while humility opens the door for God to change a person’s eternal life. How humble are we?
Matt Langfield