There are three things that should motivate me to be humble. Humility is the only normal way for me to live as a
man. This healthy desire to take a rightful place under God moves the angels in heaven, just as it did Adam and
Eve when they were freshly created and Jesus when he lived as the carpenter from Galilee. Humility also gives
me hope as a sinner. It appeals to us humans in our fallen condition and points out the only way to return to our
right place in God’s creation. Finally, humility strengthens me as a saint. Grace teaches us that as we lose
ourselves in the overwhelming greatness of God’s love, humility before Him is caught up in everlasting
blessedness and worship.
Sadly, Christians have focused almost all of their attention on that second motive, on why sinners need to humble
themselves. Some people have even gone so far as to say that it’s a good thing for Christians to keep on sinning,
to keep them humble. How foolish, and how sad! Others have thought that the secret of humility is to walk
around with dark clouds of condemnation hanging over their heads. These misunderstandings have robbed God’s
children of their inheritance. Too many of us don’t realize how wonderful and natural it is to become nothing, so
that Jesus can be our All in All! We haven’t been taught that it isn’t sin that humbles us the most, but grace. Who
are those who will bow down the lowest at Jesus’ feet? It will be the men and women whom He has led out of
their sinfulness and filled with awe at their glorious God as their Creator and Redeemer.
In the thoughts that follow I have chosen to focus attention almost exclusively on the humility that is fitting for
redeemed people. I assume that most of you already understand that a sinner should be humble. But even more
importantly, I believe that if you are to experience Jesus in His Fullness, you need to understand thoroughly your
own need for humility. If Jesus is your example, your pattern, then you need to know what motivated Him to be
humble. If we are going to take our stand with Jesus, we need to be on the same ground He’s standing on. That’s
where we’ll grow to become more like Him. If we are going to become humble before God and our fellow man—if
humility is to become our joy—we can’t think that humility is just a sense of shame for our sin. We also have to
understand it separate and apart from all sin as a covering with the beauty and blessedness of heaven and of
Jesus Himself.
Just as Jesus found His glory in taking the form of a servant, He has also told us, “The greatest among you must
be a servant” (Matt. 23:11). He simply was teaching us the truth. Nothing is so wonderful and godly as being the
servant and helper of all! The faithful servant who recognizes his or her position finds a real pleasure in meeting
the needs and desires of the Master or His guests. When we see that humility is something far deeper than just
feeling sorry for sin and accept it as taking part in the life and heart of Jesus, we will begin to see it as our true
nobility. We will begin to see that being servants of all is the highest fulfillment of our destiny, as human beings
created in the image of God.
When I look at my own experience, along with that of other Christians I have known throughout the world, I am
amazed how little humility is sought after as the distinguishing feature of being Jesus’ disciple. In the activities
of daily life in the home and with others, and in the more special fellowship with Christians as we work for Jesus,
there is far too much evidence that humility is not held up as the highest character trait to seek after. People
don’t seem to realize that humility is the only root out of which other good character traits can grow. It is the
one indispensable condition of true fellowship with Jesus. Unfortunately, people looking for a deeper holiness
have not always pursued it with increased humility. Test your heart to see whether meekness and lowliness are
the main ways you are seeking to follow the meek, humble Lamb of God!
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