Biblical Holiness Pt3: Humility in a Broken World

Humility is that gracious aspect of our humanity that blends truth and love together to make the Word of God attractive, inviting, and relevant to others. It helps us to exhibit the love of God despite disagreements and care about people despite their imperfections. If we have failed to do this, we have failed to exhibit the primary truth of being in relationship with God. The biggest challenge is living out humility when others don’t. What happens when others do not play by the rules and people are constantly forcing their way in your space, over encroaching in your ministry, negating your input, ignoring you, and trying to shut you out of that place God equipped for you. We have “Karens and Daves”, the arm-chair theologians, the know-it-alls, control freaks, the overly spiritual, the “wanabees” who know the least but know it the loudest, and other types of people in our personal peanut gallery. It is hard enough dealing with our own pride, arrogance, and idiosyncrasies. Dealing with other people’s crusades, well intentioned politics, or lack of character challenges your hard-won spiritual momentum. Working with this dynamic is inevitable. The truth is that our sacred communities are directed at a heavenly goal, but often our methods can still mirror our mortality. Therefore, our understanding of humility must be able to function within the imperfections of the real world. In short, when your humility is challenged with people trying to rain on your parade or stomp on your dreams, you must have an answer.

Understand we are not promoting a humility that is passive or demeaning, we are promoting a humility that is resolute in God. Being lowly or humble is not about giving up your power or voice, it is about using it to achieve godly aims in godly ways. Be confident in God’s calling and election for you. He spoke purpose, blessing, and an anointing that equips you to be where you are and do what he called you to do. Our working definition of humility is having a godly view of self and others. Humiliation is a judgement of failure in your esteemed value by yourself or another.

For the Kingdom of God to be what God has ordained for it to be your person and voice must be present and active because part of his plan reflects you and what he is doing in you. Understand his past work and future impact of your investments. We are normally good at worshiping God but bad about appreciating our place in his unfolding plan. God’s purpose and mission for you is shared in some ways with others but you are unique. There is a place only you can stand. You are gifted in such a way that your absence leaves part of the vision undefended. No one can stand in the place God has specifically ordained for you. There will be some overlap with those who share your general anointing, but only you are equipped with the redeemed past necessary to stand in your God given space. Standing in your God given space supports the vision and also supports others that are shouldered around you. So when another steps out of bounds accidentally or intentionally and offends or negates you, don’t let your response come out of offense. Let your response come from your sense of honor for your past, your gift, and your God given purpose.

1. Honor your past. God redeemed you and gave you a testimony. Having an honest judgement of self involves seeing the larger picture. Seeing both good and bad over the longer term and not judging too harshly in an isolated moment brings balance. It means that our value and security as a person is not just based on the present, it is based on what God said we can be and do. Humility sees the value in both good and bad. Remember the serpent’s statement in the Garden of Eden that eating of the tree will make them as God knowing both good and evil. When we can appreciate both the good and bad and realize that both are transformative, constructive, and can be used by God in our journey to emulate him and grow spiritually, our life takes on new meaning. We have a greater freedom to explore and help others with our strengths and even our weaknesses. Some traumas in our past are not transformative and there is no good to appreciate. This can easily become a stopping point in our spiritual growth. It is important to understand that God is not responsible for the trauma, but his healing and restoration for your past has a purpose and is worth honoring. It is the truths that trauma brought us to that are of value. As we live life and invest in others, we give those hard won truths about God’s mercy, healing, and cleansing to many struggling people. God can make the memory of a trauma into the birthplace of miracles as we share our story and healing.

2. Honor your gift. The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge. A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men. He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbor cometh and searcheth (cross-examines) him (Prov 18:15-17). In these passages the getting of knowledge, the application of a gift, and the debating of understanding are coupled side by side. All three are needed in real life. Knowledge feeds the gift. The application of the gift further feeds knowledge and the ability to vet wisdom. This is God’s process in a nutshell. Sometimes God gifts us spiritually with a “talent”, sometimes we are naturally gifted, and other times we are gifted by the wisdom that comes with life, its failures, and challenges. The gifting of your person comes to expand the kingdom on many levels.

3. Honor your purpose and where God is bringing you in the future. The person you are today will not be the person of faith that God has ordained for your future. With every difficulty and trial new, stronger, more resolute faith is birthed in us as we trust in God. In our tomorrows we will be equipped to pray prayers we cannot pray today. We will be able to fight spiritual battles we cannot fight today. We will be used by God to go places and do things as we grow spiritually and God extends the boarders of our anointing and spiritual territory. Our struggle today is our faith and wisdom of tomorrow.

Humility and contention may seem to be contrary, but it is not. We are living in a growing and progressive online community and we are losing our ability to look another in the face and disagree honorably and with dignity. As a result many do not know how to argue and debate their position honorably and humiliation is the result as we make public spectacles of both winners and losers. Humility doesn’t lead us away from confrontation but helps us manage our way through it. Sometimes tough questions need to be asked, people need to be confronted, and difficult choices need to be made. The presence of contention, debate, or confrontation does not negate humility. Believe it or not all three can be done humbly. It is done in meekness, realizing that we are all imperfect, opinionated, and in need of sanctification. It is done with patience because the best truth and godly methods are uncovered in a process of exchanging ideas. It is done with the aim of fulfilling the purpose of God rather than proving who is right or in control. It is done with good team building where strategies are applied to try different viewpoints and approaches so that the sacred community can become a learning community.

Rav Calev Lehrer Apostolic Messianic International- Gulf Coast Region

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