Humility

 

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:1-4 ESV).

 

I am writing this devotional on the day after my birthday though it won’t be published until tomorrow, August 4th. My birthday this year was quite wonderful. All the kids and their families were with me, either in person or virtually. So many people sent their well-wishes. I was again reminded how God has blessed me so richly. However, browsing through the posts on social media this morning I found a meme that I didn’t capture, though it resonated with me. I’ve found a similar picture and attached it to this writing. Clearly you can see it is an open grave. Judging by the length of the shovel it has not been finished. I’m guessing it will need to go another two or three feet deeper. The key was in the accompanying text in the caption I read. The author wrote of the good and bad, poor and rich moments of their life; and, then simply ended by reminding the readers that we all end up in the same size grave.

 

A simple but effective, way of communicating the truth of the need for humility in life. Of course, not all graves are the “same.” We’ve been to enough cemeteries to know that. Some folks are buried in unmarked, long forgotten graves; and, others are gently laid in grand mausoleums. However, the end is the same. The grave has no respect of person or position. With that thought in mind, the author simply said, “Be humble.”

 

That prompted my thought for today. Humility is often characterized as genuine gratitude and a lack of arrogance, a modest view of one’s self. However, the biblical definition of humility goes beyond this. Humility is a critical and continuous emphasis of godliness in the Bible, as we are called upon to be humble followers of Christ and trust in the wisdom and salvation of God. We should be humble before our creator for the gift of life we have been given. Biblical humility is grounded in the nature of God. Humility and meekness are often interrelated as both are righteous traits for serving the will of God. It is no wonder that the Apostle Paul takes such care to instruct his readers in Philippi to behave with humility toward others in our reading today: Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves (v. 3). A great reminder for all of us… stay humble. “But for the grace of God” should be our focal thought everday.