Humility

This morning I encountered this post on humility, written by Dr. Groothuis, the lead philosophy professor that Tony and I had the opportunity to study under at Denver Seminary. In my experience, humility is a rarely addressed subject within Christian circles, most likely because of the challenge of teaching on it without violating it, as Groothuis points out.

I strongly encourage you to read the full post, but I leave you with a few highlights to consider and hopefully draw you in to the link itself:

• Without humility, others may hear of Christ from us, but they will not see him in us. He will remain more of a rumor than a reality.
• Humility is rooted not only in our being rescued from sin by the Savior; it is equally rooted in our position as creatures of the Creator. We are not the source of our own existence nor of any good that greets us. All is a gift from Another--the thunderous rush of the surging waves of the ocean, the luminous smile of a wife or husband, a good night's sleep, a moonlit night, a child's laughter. All is received by mere mortals. Adam and Eve in all their unfallen splendor owed worship and thanksgiving to their Maker. As do we.
• Our salvation was achieved through humility and for humility. Humility was the very instrument of redemption.
• If we understand the gospel and know who we are in Christ, we can trust the kindness of God himself instead of pridefully seeking the flattery and approval of others. We are free to be humble in Christ because we are completely at peace with him through his crucifixion and resurrection.
• Second, we should note what things particularly disturb us and then ask, "Am I bothered because this is evil and offense to God or am I upset because my pride is hurt?" Am I more outraged at not having my good deed applauded than I am over the fact that my friend was cheated by an employer? If so, my pride outweighs my humility. Andrew Murray puts it strongly: "All sharp and hasty judgments and utterances, so often excused under the plea of being outright and honest; all manifestations of temper and touchiness and irritation; all feelings of bitterness and estrangement--have their root in nothing but pride, that ever seeks itself."
• But humility comes when our self-esteem is grounded in God's gracious estimation of us rather than in the varying opinions of others.
• Humility is not optional for Christians. The humility of Jesus secured a salvation which makes humility both possible and necessary. It is not simply one virtue among many, but the root of all righteousness--because only humility puts us in our rightful place before the Creator and Redeemer. And only humility puts us in the ethical position to represent our Master with authenticity.

I hope you'll be encouraged by these truths as I am today.