TODAY IS…

a good day to practice humility.

“For the Lord takes delight in His people; He crowns the humble with victory.”  Psalm 149:4 NIV

When God decided it was time to fulfill His promise to offer salvation to the world through His Son, Jesus Christ, He could have introduced Him in any manner He chose. After all, He is the creator of all that we see. Producing a “king” riding in a chariot of fire, throwing lightning bolts and demanding submission and obedience under threat of immediate death would have been a simple matter for the One who created everything and would have been quite something to see, wouldn’t it?

We all know that this is not the way it happened.

Although many wished that it was, God instead selected a peasant girl of pure heart to deliver His beloved Son to the world. He was raised simply until it was time for Him to begin His work and to fulfill His purpose.

He remained humble.

He was gentle.

He was kind.

He exhibited a love for humans that far exceeded the love they showed one another or themselves.

Since God could have given the world a king who better fit the image of a king, why do you suppose He didn’t?

Because, “The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God…” (Hebrews 1:3 NLT).

Therefore God’s very own character, the essence of our Creator, is that He is loving, kind, gentle and humble. It would only stand to reason that He would want all of us to be that way as well.

Humility is not the act of making oneself less than everyone else. It is simply the act of not making oneself more.

Humility is recognizing that whatever talents or abilities we have that are unique to us are gifts from God and should be used for the betterment of those around us.

Humility is service to others and it is the ability to see the image of God in every man and woman we meet.

Jesus said, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:29 NIV).

In the church at Ephesus, Paul urged them to “…live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (Ephesians 4:1-2 NIV).

And so, we should all take heed of what the two most powerful teachers in the history of Christianity had to say: Being humble does not make you less of a person.

It makes you more like Jesus Christ.

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Taken from “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”, (C) 2013 Tony Casson