A humble heart recognizes sin and then turns away from it. Conversely, a proud heart refuses to admit any wrongdoing. When King Saul was confronted with how he disobeyed God — twice — he tries to justify his behavior (I Samuel 13:11-24; I Samuel 15:15).
The humble heart is willing to own up to sin. Isaiah modeled this in Isaiah 6:5 when he cried out to God in acknowledgement of his uncleanness. In light of God's holiness, he realized that his sin would destroy him. He wanted God's cleansing, and God forgave him and commissioned him for service.
It means you aim to continually listen, receive, and respond with generous openness to life from the deep conviction of God's lovingkindness and goodwill. Spiritual humility is reliant upon the God who is “other” than us. He is most often known in ways that include and yet transcend our physical senses alone.
In his humility, he stoops down to lift us up to him, just as a father bends down to pick up his child. We need to seek his face, just as a child seeks the face of its parents. This is what Jesus means when he calls us to be humble like “little children.”
Jesus' biggest act of service that showed His humility is when He washed the feet of His disciples on Good Friday. This action is often taken as a sign of servitude and humility, usually performed by a servant for their owner or their guests.
Jesus tells His followers that “Whoever is the greatest should be the servant of the others. If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honored.” After you read this story as a family, ask your kids to point out the ways the Pharisees were not humble.
A humble person does not flaunt their wealth, status, accomplishments, or anything else they may have. They are modest and often embarrassed by praise. Instead of being proud of themselves, a humble person will be happy for others who deserve the credit.
A clean heart is essential to a right relationship with God. So how can our heart be pure, if we are sinful (Mark 7:21-23)? The answer is that God cleanses our hearts when we repent and turn to Him. He washes away our sin and gives us a new heart - one that is full of His love and desire to please Him.
Humility coupled with the fear of the Lord is rewarded with riches, honor and life which many are seeking through alternate methods. Success from the world's standpoint is defined differently because it does not include God.
O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me. From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, Jesus. From the desire of being loved, Deliver me, Jesus.
Humility is an essential characteristic for followers of Christ. The Bible defines humility as “the fear of the Lord” (Proverbs 22:4). Its etymological root is in the Latin word "humus" meaning "of the earth." To be humble is to be face down in the dirt, submitting to the authority of another, without personal pride.
God gives grace to the humble.
Pride closes the door to spiritual growth, but humility opens the door of your life to more of God's grace. To the humble, God gives patience, and peace, and gentleness. The fruit of the Spirit grows in the soil of humility. Humility is the key to spiritual growth.
“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2). “Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud” (Proverbs 16:19). “Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips” (Proverbs 27:2).
Showing appreciation and giving thanks to others is one of the best ways to show humility because it puts a positive focus on others. Humble people tend to be better at showing appreciation for others, which may explain why they tend to have closer, stronger relationships with others.
Letting someone ahead of you in line when you see they are in a hurry is an act of humility. Cleaning the bathroom of your office, even though you own the company, is an example of humility.
So, one day, God appeared to Solomon in his dreams. God then asked him what he wanted to have. Solomon, being the humble person that he was, only asked God for wisdom to rule and lead God's people. God was very pleased upon hearing this and granted him wisdom, along with all the other things he already possessed.
Luke 18:9-14 recounts the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican in which Jesus called for sincerity and humility before God.
Proverbs 11:2 "When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom." Because the human heart is so deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9), it fools us so easily and so often. We foolishly employ tactics to pacify our insecurities and fears that ultimately make them worse.