Humility!

Humility!

1 Peter 5:6 AMP

[6] Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride], so that He may exalt you [to a place of honor in His service] at the appropriate time.

John 3:30 AMP

[30] He must increase [in prominence], but I must decrease. 

There should be two ways to arrive at the destination called humility. It is either forced or self-done. The natural man is filled with sense of his own importance, which could be through the deceitfulness of riches, wealth, connections, influence or other earthly realities that may come. However, as we now know, there is nothing this earth can give man that can measure up to the riches of God's grace that are at man's disposal. There is nothing this earth can give you that will be adequate compensation for missing out on the abundance that heaven has. This is why God makes it quite clear that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. I cannot come to God on my own terms, and still expect to arrive at the same conclusion as someone who is fully submitted to God. This is where my personal decision matters. I must not wait for God to do it; it has much more value when I do it of my own freewill, based on my personal encounter with the God who wants to bless me beyond my imagination.

For Peter who wrote the first verse above, he would also know firsthand the impact of humility, as well as the danger of pride. He walked with men like Judas Iscariot, as well as the sons of Zebedee, who wanted the positions of prominence in the kingdom of God. There had been arguments among the disciples who was the greatest. Pride does not regard anointing as anything special, as long as it can find a way to penetrate a man's heart. Pride does not regard boundaries, as long as it finds a willing and ready heart for its suggestions. John the Baptist, who spoke the words of the second verse above, knew his assignment, and was not interested in any suggestion to the contrary. He knew what he was sent to do, and he did such a good job that people actually thought he was the Christ but at all times, he made sure to point men in the direction of the Saviour. What successes or achievements have I acquired that have made me think of myself more highly than I ought to? 

What does a man hold that was not given to him by God? If indeed it was given, and not earned or deserved, where is the place for pride? The counsel by Peter here is that I must take steps to keep myself humble under God's mighty hand, so that, at His own time and in His own way, He may exalt me to a place of honor in His service. Note the key words here, one of which is His timing. When it is time for Him to act, you do not want to be on the wrong side of His anger. When it is time for Him to act, there is no force on earth that can contend with or hinder Him. When He lifts you up, who can bring you down? When He says it is not time, all the efforts of men to lift you up will end up in disgrace. John the Baptist understood this and was ready to decrease, so that God would increase. That must be my default setting. I cannot deal with God on His terms and end up in disgrace. If I let Him work, His work in me will cause men to reckon with me. Who else can do this? He waits for you and I. God's time of favour is here.