Biblical Holiness, Pt4: Making Humility Work

Holiness is a practice of faith. It is something we do. We can say that we are many things but real faith, in its traditional sense, relates to those things we decide to act on. Making humility work means both the practice of it and doing it with the right spirit.

False humility is a form of self or actual deception in many ways. Pride calls attention to ourselves and maintains our self-image (our social mask, who we want to be seen as). Many hide behind this facade of always being right, having it all together, or just needing to be seen as competent and in control. All of this hides our faults but also sets us up for a crash when we get violated. False humility also uses our faults to call attention to ourselves. In the end, we end up as the center of attention and we are not anymore willing to deal with our issues on this extreme as we were on the other (i.e. pride). The reward system in play is that we get attention, recognition, and acceptance from others. This is not bad or wrong, but when our joy is bound to the presence or absence of these, they tend to drive our sense of value. We want our sense of self, worth and value to be driven by God, not others.

True humility comes after we have addressed our inner self, the bad, the ugly, and the hidden. This means repentance to deal with arrogance/pride so that we can truly be free, and forgiveness to heal from the wounds we carry (the self-inflicted ones and wounds from others). Humility balances the ego so that we do not deal with our hurts and emotional wounds in a way that hinders our manifesting the love of God to others. Forgiveness and repentance place our sins and weaknesses before God as we pray for continued change and as we act on our sanctification. This spirit of humility seeks to please God and participate in his eternal plan as we engage life and live out our roles and callings within our community.

Humility works in the real world because it focuses on the value of all people, their history, experience, and wisdom. It does not hold one above another. Humility works because it focuses on the health and integrity of the community. Matthew chapter twenty records a conflict among the disciples about who is greater. Yeshua responded in vs 25-28:

“But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Making humility work in the real world requires that we get some things:

Get some skin: Refuse to be violated by the things that challenge your sense of self and incite shame or guilt to humiliate you. In the end, you are aiming to please God in all things, not people (Col 3:17). Don’t fall prey to a performance or approval trap. (Gal 1:10)

Get some backbone: Learn to speak out in a controlled, resolute, and sensible manner. Let your responses stay focused on who you are serving and how to please him most. Humility can take the focus off of people and get it back on how to serve God best. This is where our passion is best expressed. (Prov 10:19, Titus 2:7-8, 1 Peter 3:15)

With all your getting, get understanding: Learn to look at outcomes, cause and effect, and efficiency in making the will of God happen. Godly influence will stir people to good works and functions better than ego or threats. Make the outcomes attractive. Make the process easy, and the goal attainable. (Is 32:8, Heb 10:24-25).

Rav Calev Apostolic Messianic International-Gulf Coast Facebook, Parlor, Rumble