Humility  

We come nearest to God when we are great in humility.

Have you ever considered the two words self-esteem and esteem.  In self-esteem we have an inordinately or exaggeratedly favorable impression of ourselves.  If we esteem we regard someone else highly or favorably.

There are nine traits that the apostle Paul calls the fruit of the Spirit.  It is impossible for us to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit without the key ingredient of humility.

Jesus was the best example of humility that we can emulate.  He was born into humble circumstances and into the most humble of places, a manger.  He was gentle and humble of heart and he served.  The promises of God toward those who are humble are that He will dwell with them and He will give them grace, lift them up, esteem them and exalt them.  We are to be humble in the midst of trials and humbly thankful for the blessings God gives us and we are to approach all relationships with humility.

When things are good in our lives we are to humbly receive these blessings from God.  When circumstances in our lives are difficult and people mistreat us we are to accept this humbly. 

In the past it was always hard for me to understand that our loving Father could allow bad things to happen.  What I learned through painful circumstances is that God loves me enough to allow these things to happen to make me a better person through circumstances and that it humbles me when I realize the work he is doing in me during those trying situations.

We humans have a tendency to lean toward selfish instead of selfless.  Most of the time when self gets involved we have a tendency to become selfish. Sometimes through God’s grace and mercy he will humble us through circumstances because He loves us and those are the times where we truly see humility.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I want to have a humble heart.  I often struggle with the “me” thing.  I ask that when I get too involved with “me” that you drop some humility on “me”. 

Scripture:  Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”  Luke 18:9-14