Humility

Philippians 2:3-8 (NIV)

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.  Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:  Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!

When you read this passage, you are reminded of the supreme example of humility—our Lord Jesus Christ.  Who else might you think of who exemplifies, as much as any human can exemplify, these characteristics of humility?  Who in your life has the same attitude as that of Jesus Christ?  While writing this I also wish to ask you if you think that others would name you as their example of humility, but that’s an inappropriate question because the mere fact that you might think this eliminates you as a humble person!

Humility is not putting yourself down but treating others with honor.  Exercising selflessness is simply focusing in on other peoples interests and not just your own.  How easy is it for you to focus on others’ interests?  How much time do you spend focusing on the interests of your spouse, your children, and, when you get together, with your friends and neighbors?

One of the characteristics of a great leader is humility.  Having the title of manager or director or even president in your company does not mean that you are a leader, at least an effective one.  Leaders lead people whereas all these titles mean that you supervise or manage projects and people, but not necessarily lead people.  Leaders direct their egos towards others and away from themselves.  David Packard, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard, was viewed as such a humble leader.  One of his quotes:  "You shouldn't gloat about anything you've done; you ought to keep going and find something better to do."

Humble people do not like drawing attention to themselves.  Does this describe you or are you someone who has to be the center of attention?  A humble person treats everyone else with respect and courtesy even those who are (bluntly) no use to him or her.  Does this describe you? 

Here’s another interesting example of humility.  I heard a pastor say this while officiating at a wedding ceremony.  Being half-humorous, half-serious, he spoke to the husband and told him to remember four words that will make his marriage strong: “You are right, honey”.  While drawing laughter, this little piece of advice was true wisdom as it was emphasizing humility on the part of the husband.

If you claim to be a Christian, being humble must be a main part of your persona.  You are to follow the example of Christ and He was humble during His time on earth.  I’ve emphasized this before, but “ is the only verse in the Bible where Jesus described Himself as a person and the two words He used were “gentle” and “humble”.  What must change in your life so that these two words describe you?  You can start first with prayer and asking the Lord to fill you with His Spirit where His nine fruits (Galatians 5:22-23) become evident in your day-to-day life.