“Humility is key”. This phrase has been said and the topic taught repeatedly by my Pastor over the years (http://www.pastoredcollins.org/). As time marches on and I observe the lives of those around me, as well as my own of course, I have come to realize the immense truth behind these words. A supporting phrase also often heard from the pulpit is, “Arrogance is unteachable”. If we cannot be taught, what hope do we have of learning how to live for God?

For some time now I have been asking the Lord to increase my humility. Despite my daily request, though, I often fail to see the fruit of humility in my life. In addition, the sins which hinder me can, more often than not, be traced back to a root of arrogance. I have often wondered why He does not bless me with more humility. One day as I expressed my frustration to God regarding my seemingly unanswered prayers, He brought to mind some verses, many verses actually, ones that I had read countless times. As I read through them, it became obvious that my own arrogance had, in effect, blinded me from the truth on this matter.

See, the Bible makes it quite clear that we have to do more than simply ask for humility, we must humble ourselves. One may ask, “How can I humble myself without humility?” It is the same idea as with physical conditioning; to obtain strength, you must do strengthening exercises and to gain flexibility, you must do flexibility exercises. So, in order to be granted humility, we must humble ourselves. We do so by:

Approaching the Lord as a child, with trust, fear, and respect.

Matthew 18:4 “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Showing love to others.

Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”

1 Corinthians 13:4 “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant”

Humbling ourselves the way Jesus Christ did.

Matthew 26:39 “And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

Philippians 2:8 “And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Aha! There it is, the crux of the matter. We humble ourselves before the Lord by being obedient to Him. This humble obedience is an expression of our love and gratitude for Him, the One who both created and saved us.

John 14:15  “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

John 14:23-24 “ Jesus answered him, ‘If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.  Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.”

So, if we lack obedience to the Lord, it would seem that we lack love for Him as well. Ouch, right? Love, obedience, and humility are both shown and grow by our daily righteous decisions. Will He give us the power to make them? Absolutely. Will He convict us when we start to head off the righteous path? Sure will. In the end, however, it is our choice. We are commanded to control our thoughts (2 Corinthians 10:5), words (Ephesians 4:29), and actions (Titus 3:8).

As I was reading the other day, the Lord gave me a very cool application between verses which show that we must humble ourselves as the Lord did, as He is our example.

1 Peter 5:6 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you”

Philippians 2:8-9 “And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name”

So, we are to follow in His footsteps, humbling ourselves to God by obeying His commands and living for Him. When we do so, we will be blessed by God.

James 1:22 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

Proverbs 22:4 “The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.”

The takeaway is this; humility is the key to success (glorifying God) in the spiritual life and obedience is the key to humility.