REACHING HIGHER BY GETTING LOWER

BIBLE PASSAGE(s):
Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed
with humility, for “God resists the proud, but gives grace to
the humble”.
(1 Peter 5:5b)
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
(James 4:10)

MEDITATION:
When you think of a boss, what thoughts do you have? Chances are
you might think of someone with a huge ego who is unwilling to listen
to those beneath him. He or she lacks understanding of everything
required to complete a task.

Now, compare those thoughts with the ones you have of a leader. Your
thoughts are quite different aren’t they? Bosses boss, but leaders lead.
A leader is someone who is not driven by ego but by a team spirit of all
people working together to complete a project. The ‘team’ is fortunate
when it has a leader who welcomes their input and understands the
magnitude of the task.

There is a major difference between bosses and leaders – it’s called humility.
Humility is a virtue that God wants to see in all believers. He loves those who
are humble in their thoughts about themselves, but are lofty in their thoughts
about Jesus. Humility is attainable when we come to know Jesus and receive
His life-changing power.

When we are humble, we realize that we can accomplish nothing without
the Spirit of God active and moving within us. We have to come to the end
of ourselves if we ever expect to give the Lord His rightful place in our lives.

Becoming humble defies everything the world tries to teach us about being
our own person. However, humility is what creates a favorable relationship
with the Trinity. When we are humble, we receive God’s grace and the Lord
will lift us up! We are never lifted up until we are cast down before Him.

If God resists the proud, then by default He embraces the humble. Our
egos must go, and ‘self’ must be eliminated if we expect God to lift us up
for His service and His calling. God is not interested in our flesh, He is
interested in our ‘spirit person’ being totally dedicated to Him. God has
an interest in the natural person being in subjection to the things of God.

When we are humble, the world may view us as being at our lowest
position, but the good news is, this is when God lifts us up. I think
we could all agree that being lifted up by God surpasses (by a large
margin) being lifted up by the world.

Humility makes it possible for us to have a desire to do God’s Will,
and to take no personal pride in what we do. We choose instead to
give Him all the glory for anything that we accomplish. Why does
He deserve the praise? Because He provides us with the abilities to
follow His plan for our lives.

ACTION:
Questions to ask ourselves:
    – Would I like to receive God’s grace and be lifted up by Jesus?
    – Have I lowered myself in the eyes of the world so the Lord can lift me up?
    – Have I humbled myself? Does the Lord need to humble me?
    – When people give me praise for things I’ve done, do I bask
       in the praise and let it feed my ego, or do I redirect all praise
       to the Lord who made it all possible?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your promise of grace to those who
are humble. Help me to set aside my selfishness, egotism, and arrogant
pride so I can become humble and receive Your grace. Thank You Jesus
for Your promise to lift up those who are humble in Your sight. You know
when we are truly humble and when we are not. Help me to be humble in
Your sight so I can be lifted up by You. I know that when you are lifting me
up, I can get through anything that tries to bring me down. Teach me to die
to myself so that I can answer Your call to service. Remind me that humility
is not a weakness, it is strength under control.”

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