Mark Kelley
Philippians 2:1-11, Genesis 9:6
Humility is the trickiest Biblical value to develop. A church once gave a man a special pin that because he was the “most humble man in our church.” He wore the pin to church the next week, so they took it away. Just as soon as we think we have learned humility, we become open to pride.
Humility is not thinking less of oneself; it is thinking of oneself less often. You do not become humble by putting yourself down. You grow in humility when you “value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:3-4, NIV).
In today’s strife-ridden world, we become God’s agents when we strive to remember that even those we believe are wrong on an issue have value to God, and to us. We point people to Jesus when respond to them as reflections of God’s image.
Jesus showed us that the ultimate level of humility is serving people. Philippians 2 summarizes Jesus’ time on earth by saying that Jesus did not demand his rights, or even expect fair treatment. Instead, he served the people around him and became humble enough to die for those who opposed him.
As we value others enough to serve them, we become more like Jesus, and increasingly humble.
REFLECTION
- Why does God value humility in the lives of his followers?
- What attitudes keep me from valuing all people?
- Who can I serve today?