He [the Lord] has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
MICAH 6:8 NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV)
Humus > Ground
humilis> low/close to ground
humilitas> lowliness, humility, humbleness, servility
HUMBLE / HUMILITY: not arrogant, someone who is not overly proud, someone who is not self-centered…. someone who keeps themself low, close to the ground, so to speak.
“Humility is the noble choice to forgo your status, deploy your resources or use your influence for the good of others before yourself. More simply, you could say the humble person is marked by a willingness to hold power in service of others.”
John Dickson, Humilitas, p. 24.
“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.”
CS Lewis
What if you could take a walk with God? Where would you go? What would you say? How would you act? I Can Only Imagine!
When we walk humbly with God, our hearts are centered on God and not ourselves…
We learn to adhere to Proverbs 3:5-6 by trusting in the Lord with all our hearts leaning not on our
own understanding. Walking humbly is remembering who’s in charge and releasing our way to God’s way. Most of all, the fastest way to humility is by serving others. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.”
(Mark 10:45). Do you have a major decision that you need to make soon or this coming year? Before you allow yourself to “take charge” of the decision, walk humbly with God. Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:29).
What do you need to release control over,
so you can walk humbly with God?
Dr. Lynn Brinkley, Campbell University Divinity School
…whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come
to be served, but to serve, and to give
his life as a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:43-45 (NIV)
When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable:
“When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited.
If so, the host who invited both of you will come
and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Luke 14:7-11 (NIV)
In your relationships with one another,
have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to
his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:5-11 (NIV)