“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” James 4:6 (ESV) What a huge encouragement to know that humility brings God’s favor to our lives! This is one of God’s most prominent promises in the Bible; this verse is a quote from the Old Testament in Proverbs 3:34.
The worldly approach to success is to promote oneself, defeat others, exalt our abilities, etc. But God wants us to humble us so that it is God who is the supreme worker in our lives. If we cling to pride or boastfulness God actually opposes us. Instead, we should adopt an attitude of the heart that reflects who we are before God, which is the definition of humility. If we have a good grip on the immensity and perfection of God, and if we have an understanding of the corruption mixed up inside us, we should be able to abide in humility.
Being humble does not mean always belittling ourselves; we shouldn’t confuse humility with self-rejection. And, when appropriate, it is okay to discuss our abilities but God wants us to do this with humility. When we speak and act with humility, we do not have to fear that we will lose out because we are not promoting ourselves. God wants to bless us if we are willing to be humble; his blessing is better than blessings from others.
The challenge is to examine our lives and learn how to exhibit humility in every area. Fortunately, we will have opportunities to learn humility for the rest of our lives!
Where might you have room for improvement in the area of humility? Do you have faith that God will favor you if you are humble? Does this encourage you?
