Humility or Passivity

SCRIPTURE

With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” [9]And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them, and he departed. Numbers 12:8-9

OBSERVATION

People mistake leadership humility for passivity. Moses was written of, described by God Himself as faithful (v7) and the meekest man in all the earth (v3). That is some high recognition! Yet people, I would imagine even close to Moses’ leadership, spoke against him.

APPLICATION

I want to be careful:

1. Watch my heart, not to grumble or have an internally, hidden grumbling spirit. Grumbling can sneak out in subtle ways. We could be caught graciously commenting with others after a decision is made ... “I think we should...” or “I wonder why Boss-man made that decision without input...”

2. I want to be a leader full of humility but have to recognize that there may be some who think I am passive. I’ve experienced this before. People don’t realize you are praying, considering, listening to them and others, before making decisions. Everyone is different in leadership processing and decision making to begin with. But I need to continue to be fine with people thinking I’m passive, when in heart I’m trying to humbly serve and lead well.

PRAYER

Thanks so much Lord...for this convicting and enlightening word! Please help me to listen to You, in all these circumstances I’m in - in my inner life, at home, in relationships, with church. Please speak to Me - but more so...help me to hear well and obey You promptly! Thank you for revealing Your heart and presence to me in such real, manifest ways!

P.S. - I pray for those who misunderstand or don’t know my heart. You deal with them. Gettum Lord :) in Your way, with Your heart!

Reflecting on Grace: Humility and Faith

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich…Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anythingas being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God…"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his crossdaily, and follow Me." (2 Corinthians 8:9; 3:5 and Luke 9:23)

Let's take a reflective look at humility and faith. We have repeatedly encountered these two relational realities. This is to be expected, since "God…gives grace to the humble"(James 4:6), and "we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand"(Romans 5:2).

In our first devotional study, humility and faith were evident. "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, thatyou through His poverty might become rich." In order for Jesus to rescue us from our desperate situation, He had to become poor. When He hung on the cross for us, He took the spiritual poverty of our sin and guilt upon Himself. What a humbling picture of our inborn spiritual condition. Basically, we had to agree with the Lord, humbling ourselves before Him, asking for His help. Additionally, faith was involved. We had to believe that through His death, we could become spiritually rich, that is, forgiven of sin and righteous in His sight.

Humility and faith were later seen as vital for walking in this new life in Christ. "Not that weare sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but oursufficiency is from God." The sufficiency we need for Christian living does not originate in us. Actually, we must not think of "anything as being from ourselves." How humbling to learn, even as born-again believers, that we need the Lord in everything. Then, how do we find the necessary resources? This is where faith applies. "Our sufficiency is from God."This is truth that we are to believe.

When we examined Christian discipleship, humility and faith again appeared. "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me" (Luke 9:23). Jesus' call to come and follow Him can only be received by those who will say, "No to self" and "Death to self." This is humiliating to the self-life, to think it is not good enough, to admit that it belongs on the cross. This is especially humbling when we see that these are to be our daily confessions. The rest of the discipleship issue is settled by faith, trusting in Jesus each step of every day.

Humility and Grace

Be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, but gives grace to thehumble." (1 Peter 5:5)

We have considered that humility and faith must be developing within our lives, if we are going to grow in grace. Let's take a few days to reconsider both, looking first at humility."God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

Pride leads the list of things that God despises. "These six things the LORD hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue" (Proverbs 6:16-17). God wants our lives to be edified; pride is destructive. "Pride goes before destruction, and ahaughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18). The Lord desires that people be established in truth; pride is deceptive. "The pride of your heart has deceived you" (Obadiah v. 3). It is God's will that we grow in things that are honorable; pride brings disgrace. "When pridecomes, then comes shame" (Proverbs 11:2). Our Lord does not want His name dishonored or our lives destroyed by pride.

On the other hand, humility is a character trait that God loves to develop in us. Note the terms God uses in His word to describe humility. "Better to be of a humble spirit with thelowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud" (Proverbs 16:19). The Lord reveals that it is better to be a humble person, who associates with modest people, than to partake of the wealth that the arrogant can often accumulate.

Also the Lord says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven"(Matthew 5:3). Here we are told that humility is a blessing, because the kingdom (the spiritual realm of God's rule and provision) is given to the humble.

Elsewhere God revealed, "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones" (Isaiah 57:15). Although our Lord is most fully revealed in His heavenly abode on high, He also dwells with the humble and the broken on earth below, bringing themspiritual revitalization.

Of course, we cannot manufacture humility. It is a relational reality that results from getting to know the Lord. Isaiah discovered this. "I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up…Then I said: 'Woe is me, for I am undone'!" (Isaiah 6:1, 5). When the Lord was revealed in all His glory, Isaiah responded in profound humility. This can happen in our lives, as we get into the Scriptures, seeking a deeper relationship with the Lord. As He is increasingly revealed to us, our response will be increasingly characterized by more humility.