Humility in Christ
The American Dream…have you heard of it? In its simplest form, it is the idea that if you just work hard enough, you can have everything your heart desires and be wealthy and never want.
Oftentimes, this idea leads to the vice of pride because everything we begin to do is for other people: to prove we are smart, clever, rich, etc. Or that we did it all ourselves! Everything we have, we worked for - no breaks, no help, just grit and determination. I’m sure you’ve heard some variation of that “humble brag” when someone hits it big.
But in Christ, everything we do is because of God and apart from the Lord we have nothing (John 3:27 AMP John replied, “A man can receive nothing [he can claim nothing at all] unless it has been granted to him from heaven [for there is no other source than the sovereign will of God]). And if you keep reading scripture, you see that serving the Lord is a constant plate of humble pie because it’s not about you. For this reason, your flesh/ego must die:
Ephesians 4:1-3 NKJV (emphasis added)
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Zechariah 4:6 KJV (emphasis added)
Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.
Ecclesiastes 9:11 NKJV
11 I returned and saw under the sun that—
The race is not to the swift,
Nor the battle to the strong,
Nor bread to the wise,
Nor riches to men of understanding,
Nor favor to men of skill;
But time and chance happen to them all.
Based on the scriptures above, we see that in order to love people and share the gospel, one cannot think it is of their own power. Additionally, you can’t brag in yourself because the love of God and the anointing has nothing to do with your abilities. It doesn’t matter if you have money, if you can bench press a thousand pounds, or if you’re the smartest in the room. It is by His Spirit, His Omnipotence, His Omniscience that we are equipped to work in the Kingdom.
In fact in John, we see that we are told that our ego MUST decrease:
John 3:30 NKJV
He must increase, but I must decrease.
So going back to the earlier example of the American Dream, it causes disappointment. If you put all your stock in your own abilities and come up short, you’ll feel pretty low. Yet, in our relationship with God, it’s not our abilities or hard work. The only things that are required of you is to live righteously, and to always be willing to serve The Lord and be humble. Why, because in doing so you are demonstrating the conduct of a Saint and of Christ. (That’s a whole word in and of itself, but we shall park the car for now).
Friends in Christ, the bottom line is this, you cannot have the mentality in the kingdom that it’s all about you and what you can do. You can’t have the mentality that you must always have a certain lifestyle and level of living to serve Christ. Serve Him always in humility, and with a true joy and willingness to do so:
Galatians 5:24-26 AMP
24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature together with its passions and appetites.25 If we [claim to] live by the [Holy] Spirit, we must also walk by the Spirit [with personal integrity, godly character, and moral courage—our conduct empowered by the Holy Spirit]. 26 We must not become conceited, challenging or provoking one another, envying one another.
Go in Peace.