Being Humble

What Does It Mean To Be Humble

What does it mean to be humble.  Well, being humble is the exact opposite of being prideful.  Pride is when we think too highly of ourselves and seek to glorify our own self instead of seeking to give God all the glory for whatever he does with our life.  Everything we have comes from God.  All our gifts, talents, or intellectual abilities such as wisdom and knowledge, have all been given to us by God, so we have nothing to boast about.  

Romans 12:3: For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.  That means we should not think we are anything great and wonderful in ourselves because we are absolutely nothing without God. All our ability we have, all the material blessings we have, our families, our home, everything, has been given to us by God, and we should be humble and thank him for his good gifts he gave us.  

James 1:17: Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 

1 Peter 4:11: If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Also, the bible teaches that we should not praise ourselves, but instead let other people praise us.  Proverbs 27:2: Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.  If you are praising yourself that is called bragging, but we should not brag about ourselves, but when other people praise us that is okay.  Other people can encourage us and help us to do more for God’s glory.

Being humble is also like being a little child.  In the same way that a child trusts his mother and father to take care of him, a humble persons trusts in God to take care of him.  Matthew 18:4: Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  A proud person would say “I can do this on my own, I don’t need God,” but a humble person would trust in the Lord to help him and guide him and show him what to do, for Jesus even says that without him we can do nothing.  

John 15:5: I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bright forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.  

On the other hand, God calls the proud and boastful people wicked.  Psalm 10:3-4: For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.  4: The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.  (Abhorreth means to hate.) 

The bible also teaches us that if we get too prideful and think too much of ourselves, that God will abase us (abase means to bring down), but if we are humble, then God will exalt us (lift us up).

Luke 14:7: And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them.

8: When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him;

9: And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.

10: But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher; then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.

11: For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

So if we humble ourselves before God by going to him in prayer and seeking his will, seeking him to be glorified in our life and admitting that we need him and can’t do anything without him, then the bible says he will lift us up. 

James 4:10: Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.  

God also says that he will give us good success.  Psalms 1:3: And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doth shall prosper.  Then when God gives us good success, we can thank him and glorify him through it, knowing that he is the one who did it through us.  If we are humble and depend on God instead of ourself, then he will give us grace to help us.  James 4:6: But he giveth more grace.  Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.  I Peter 5:5: Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder.  Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

Another thing proud people like to do is sound a trumpet before them so they can be seen of men.  Sounding a trumpet is like saying to everyone, look at me, look how great I am.  

Matthew 6:1: Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them; otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.  2: Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men.  Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

We should do everything we do for God’s glory and not to be seen of men.  Of course, we will be seen of men in some things, but that doesn’t mean we should do it to be seen of men.  Whatever we do we should do it as if God is the only one watching and he is the only one we are trying to please.  But when we are doing everything we do as if God is the only one watching, people will actually see our good works and glorify God. It is what the bible says is letting our light shine to men.  

Matthew 5:15-16: Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

16: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

God hates pride.  Psalm 8:13: The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.  Arrogancy means bragging and thinking you are better than other people.  

Proverbs 16:18: Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.  Haughty spirit means the same thing as arrogancy.

And lastly, I would like to say that all my grandchildren have been given special gifts and talents from the Lord, and I pray everything you do you will do for God’s glory so that the name of Christ will be magnified through your lives.  By being humble with your special gifts, people will know that you love God and you will be letting your light shine.  I Corinthians 10:31: Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Colossians 3:23: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.