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A weekly column of the Robison Street Church of Christ, 301 Robison Street. Send your questions to P.O. Box 846, Edna, Texas 77957.
website - ednachurchofchrist.org We encourage your questions. All inquiries will be kept confidential
Humility Versus Pride
“It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glorious to seek one’s own glory” (Proverbs 25:27, ESV). The desire for personal glory, prestige, wealth, fame and power are not new. As so many have observed, we continue to live in a culture that is obsessed with self. If that weren’t true, then the media wouldn’t continually bombard us with ads and products designed to improve our physical appearance, or our influence on social media, or encourage lust for money, things, and an endless list of self-gratifying behaviors. In the Kingdom of God, pride and self-obsession aren’t helpful, but are hindrances (Matt. 5:3; 18:1-4). Let’s take a moment to reflect on humility, an important fundamental in the Christian faith.
It has been said that humility is the most elusive virtue. As soon as you think you possess it, you’ve lost it. Humility is possessing the quality or state of being humble and is often contrasted with pride, which is an excessive view of oneself (Prov. 11:2; 16:18; 29:23; 15:33). Interestingly, this virtue was despised among some ancient Greek philosophers because they thought it implied one was weak and worthless. But humility doesn’t mean one is worthless. Humility grows out of the awareness that all that we have and are comes from God (Acts 17:28). Because it springs from the idea that all we have comes from God, humility helps one develop a modest view of self rather than an inflated one (Gen. 1:26-27; John 3:16; 1 Tim. 2:4).
No one in Scripture nor the history of mankind has displayed humility like Jesus (Phil. 2:1-8). Authentic humility doesn’t produce pride and arrogance, but gratitude and service (Ps. 51:17; Mic. 6:8). As we will see next week, Scripture shows us that we cannot have a proper relationship with God, others, or with our own self without humility (Prov. 22:4; Jas. 4:10). Are you struggling with being humble? Jesus can show you the way.
– Phillip Stuckey – [email protected] “Come and see. Come and hear the good news of the Gospel. We meet at the corner of Robison and Church Streets on Sunday at 9:30 AM for Bible classes for all ages and 10:30 AM for worship and again at 6:00 PM for worship. We also meet on Wednesday at 7:00 PM for Bible classes for all ages.”
