Humility. It's something that everyone tries to achieve, but in the end fails miserably. When we think of our greatest role models and the "best Christians," we usually think of people that humbly serve others. This characteristic, escaping pride, is something that I have recently begun to strive for. But, according to my reliable human tendencies, I've been doing it for all the wrong reasons. I try to be humble so people will see me as a good, godly young woman. So others will compliment me on my extreme and profound humility. People. Does everything I do have to be for the benefit of man and myself? I am such a sinner! I am so prideful! Everything I do is for myself, and not for the God who reigns!
In the Old Testament, we see King Saul as one of the most arrogant, self-centered people of the Bible. Everything he said and did was because of his low self-esteem and need for attention. Even when he praised God, he was doing it for his own favor by the people of Israel. And because of that, God quickly lined up a replaacement for him: a young, humble boy named David. Yes, David had his share of sins, but after all he is a human. But more importantly, David sought to genuinely serve and praise the Lord. And because of that, he was titled "a man after God's own heart"! Of only I could have a heart like his.
There is a great difference between my life and David's, however. David reigned during the time before the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And because of this, I have an even greater duty to become humble. In fact, the entire reasoning behind my humbleness and servitude should not be just because a great man of God like David did, it should be solely based on the reason that my sweet Savior died for me!
Many Christians glaze over the fact that Christ died for us. I think it's because we've said it so much that it has lost its meaning. But if you think about it, His death should blow our minds with fascination and reverence! God knew that, in this world, there would continue to be proud, worrisome, wicked people that would compete for His glory. He knew that people like Saul, Lot, and Jezebel would continue to pollute His earth. Therefore, He sent His completely perfect Son into the world to die for all those wicked people. Us. He sent His Son to die for people like us. And this is where His Son comes into play: Jesus Christ. Jesus knew exactly what His mission on earth was to do, and He was humble enough to take on the task. I can hardly even sacrifice my sleep to serve someone; I can't even imagine sacrificing the rest of my life in order to serve someone!
Do you realize the gravity of the situation? The depth of Christ's humility? On the road to the cross, Christ was completely sinless. He was unfamiliar with any sin at all. He had no idea what it felt like to rebel against the Father or worship something else. And yet He willingly brought Himself to Jerusalem, let them beat Him and place Him on the cross, then willingly experienced the pain of all people. All people. Can you even imagine?! It was such a painful experience that He died because of the infestation of man's sin. I think we put too much weight on the physical torture of Christ, especially at Eastertime. Hardly ever do we think about the pain Christ must have endured as our black sins bore upon Him. How humble, and self-sacrificing, how loving! He indeed loves us.
Back to the whole humility thing... We now have the greatest example of humility right before us in the Gospels. Christ paid with His life as a ransom for us, if we'll only gratefully accept it and be willing to serve Him for the rest of our lives. But, thinking about it, how could we NOT willingly serve Him, after all He did for us? If I truly call myself a Christian, that means God has forgiven me and I've become a completely new creation. New! My focus should be completely on serving others in order to glorify God. It is the best way here on this earth to give God the glory He is due! The motives behind my kindness should not be self-glorification. It should be God-glorification. The sole reason behind what I do should be to bring attention back to what happened at the cross, so others can realize their dire, pried-drenched state. Only when I realize my true insignificance and self-helplessness will I truly find my purpose here on earth.
And once I realize that purpose, I am completely humbled. But I'm not saying that because I want you to think that I am so very humble and godly, but because I have been transformed. I want you to see, through my humility, how great the Father's love for us really is- and how much of a Savior He really is. Praise Him, not myself!
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