Good grief. I haven’t posted on here for like two months now. I suppose I’ve posted a few songs, and that paper, but I haven’t actually *posted* for a record setting amount of time. Well, I’m in a weird mood today. I feel that I can now slip easily back into posting again. So we’ll see how things go. I’m feeling good right now, but I don’t suppose that means I’ll be feeling like posting in three days. Time shall tell.
Sometimes it’s hard to know what exactly we’re supposed to be as Christians. In fact, I think a lot of people forget that we *are* to be something as Christians. That we don’t look like everyone else. We here cliche’s thrown around about how we’re supposed to be ‘humble’ and ‘pure in heart’ and how we’re to ‘love’ and be ‘gentle’ and ‘kind’. But have you ever stopped to think about what those things actually are? About what they actually mean, and what they look like? It helps me to read and ponder such things, so I am going to do a few posts on different attributes of the Christian. I’m not claiming authority on how you should practically work these out here. I’m merely spending some time as I write thinking and pulling together what these things actually mean. Writing helps me to think. So that’s what I’m doing.
The first thing I’d like to think about is humility. This one has gotten butchered by our culture, I think. We have come to think that someone who is humble goes around constantly bad-mouthing themselves and saying ‘modestly’ that "Oh, I’m not really that good at this thing." Or perhpas "No, I’m not really humble," or "Oh, no, what I did really wasn’t very good at all." There is one thing that I would like to state in a negative sense, and that is the fact that I very strongly am inclined towards thinking that such is NOT humility. Regardless of what IS humility, I think it is very safe to say that such is not.
Humility is something that is connected to God. It is knowing your place in God’s order of things. It is submission to those in authority over you with all good will and readiness, and it is willingness to listen to those under your authority and take input and criticism. He will find the grain of truth in all criticism, but he will not accept sharp and unreasonable accusation as true. The humble man is always ready to admit his wrongs and ready to take responsibility if he falls short or makes a mistake. He never thinks in terms of proving himself right or others wrong, but finding the truth. He is always very ready to admit that he is quite possibly wrong in some matter of doctrine or practice, and is willing to adjust and learn. He has an open heart, one that seeks to find what is good and noble; he seeks to learn and not to ‘teach the ignorant’ or ‘convince and enlighten the stubborn.’ He never debates, but asks questions and seeks what is true and helpful.
Humility is recognizing that God is God and man is man. It is a realization that God does not judge comparatively with other men, but absolutely according to the law. He knows that though he be most righteous among men, it is nothing compared to the majesty and holiness of God. He is not presumptuous, neither does he flaunt his strength in other’s faces. Instead of displaying his righteousness and strength and wisdom for others to see and praise, he uses all of his power to bring others to a greater understanding of God, to a greater love of other people, and ultimately to a greater love of God. He does not reject the praise of man as false when such is given him, but he holds that praise of no account before God; for will God judge according to earthly praise?
I think this is an important point to emphasize. It goes along with my negative statement of what humility is not. It is not a denial of all earthly worth, for that is falsity and untruth. It is never a good thing to lie, or communicate untruth about ones person or achievements. What we must realize, though, is what our achievements are worth before God. It is never wrong to accept the praise of men, but it is most emphatically bad to think that such praise commends us to God. If praise is falsly given, it is of course in no wise wrong to refuse and rebuke such praise. But we must be concerned with the objective opinion of God, not the subjective opinions of men. For what does it matter if men praise or slander you, as long as the will of God is accomplished?
” Or perhpas “No, I’m not really humble,” or “Oh, no, what I did really wasn’t very good at all.” There is one thing that I would like to state in a negative sense, and that is the fact that I very strongly am inclined towards thinking that such is NOT humility.
I think this is an important point to emphasize.”
Excellent point. Thanks for posting.