On Humility

Let nothing be done out of strife or conceit, but in humility let each esteem the other better than himself                                                                         Philippians 2:3

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will  Romans 12:2

“The more you know, the more humble you become…”                                                  Albert Einstein

As I understand it, the way of Christianity is the way of humility. That is, we recognize that our salvation is not about our own good doctrine or beliefs, or even our good works. It is about the recognition that we are unable to save ourselves. Further, the way of Jesus is that of loving him, and loving one another as ourselves, which was God’s plan all along. The Christian faith (i.e. following Jesus) is about a change of heart, in that we look at the world and its people differently. We now see people (as best we can) through the eyes of a loving Jesus.

If we view the world in this way we begin to ask, “how can I treat this person before me as a loved child of God?” All of God’s creation is precious in his sight. One tribe or nation is not favored, but true wisdom is to see that God sees his creation in a way that we must humbly conform ourselves to. We need to see the world the way that God does. Simple, right? Easy? No.  

This is a simple yet profound mindset. It takes us away from the self-serving mindset that we are all born with. We are, indeed, transformed in our heart, by the renewing of our mind. Yes, simple, but not easy. Humility is the beginning of wisdom. When we know that we cannot save ourselves, we are free to trust Jesus to save us.

He does for us what we cannot do for ourselves.

Prayer: Lord, your plans are simple, but not easy. Help us to conform to your worldview, Amen