The Powerful Gift Of HUMILITY

When we choose to live in humility, we exercise a very powerful gift because we have opened the portal to…

…the gift of God’s glorious presence!

The Bible says:

“For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is HOLY: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a CONTRITE and HUMBLE spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones‘.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭57‬:‭15 NKJV‬ ‬‬

Our omnipotent, omniscient, loving God makes His dwelling place—where? Within the humble heart. Can you imagine the insight, love, and power of being indwelt by God?  As born again believers, we EACH have this REMARKABLE opportunity. 

So why don’t we see more people who say they are born again—full of God’s wisdom, power, and love? 

One word: PRIDE. 

We love doing things our own way by our own rules. I’m guilty. You’re guilty. We’ve been this way since the dawn of humanity. PRIDE was the original sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. It still plagues the human race. Pride places us in OPPOSITION to God—Who IS love; while HUMILITY—draws us INTO His presence. The Bible says: 

“[B]e clothed with humility, for ‘God RESISTS the PROUD, but gives GRACE to the HUMBLE.’

Therefore HUMBLE yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, CASTING all your CARE upon Him, for He cares for you.”

1 Peter‬ ‭5‬:‭5‬-‭7‬ ‬‬

So—what is Humility anyway? 

Humility is not about hating yourself or being self-deprecating; but rather, about being “others-centered” instead of “self-centered.” My friend, this is NOT even possible unless we love GOD with all of our heart, soul, and mind. Jesus said the proof that we LOVE Him is by living in obedience to Him. As God becomes our center, HE is our source of love and—we can afford to give freely to others—without selfish expectations. How is this possible? Well, we have ALL we need in God and—we do not DEPEND UPON the appreciation, affirmation, or recognition of others. 

Loving God with all of our heart, soul, and mind produces self-sacrifice.

Interestingly, the phrase “be clothed with humility” is actually a reference to a slave putting on an apron before serving, much like Jesus did before he washed the disciples’ feet in John 13:4. When our life is about serving others, we are in concert with Jesus Christ, who laid down his life for us.

To exercise the gift of humility is—to be more like Jesus!

But we must also consider the flip side; that is, the consequences of pride. What does it mean to have God “resist” us? When I think about it, I picture God placing himself in battle against me. What a terrible thought! That’s what Satan did when he was cast out of heaven and he—is still doing it. Do I want to be like him? Never! But even worse, why would I want to fight the ONE who died so that I could be saved from hell? 

Ah, my friend, to divest ourselves of pride is to embrace God’s grace, which means that our blessings and satisfaction are completely based upon WHO God is – – NOT who we are or what our circumstances are. 

What a relief it is to be fully surrendered to God! 

True humility is found in our ability to “cast every care upon God.” In Matthew 6:31–34, Jesus made it clear that we are to give HIM every burden. It is only our pride that makes us presume that we can take things into our own hands, and somehow—by our worry and hard work—we can do our life better than God can. In essence, we are opposing the very God—who loves us more than we love ourselves. 

So do you see how pride is sneaky, self-defeating, and self-destructive?

But what a GIFT humility is! It walks us into the presence of God, and allows him to carry our burdens for us! We can ONLY do GOD’S work, if we are NOT weighing ourselves down by our own burdens and worries. When we cast our cares on Jesus, and take up HIS work in HIS way; we discover HIS plan, and—it fits us perfectly.

I’d encourage you to make a few practical reminders to help defeat your pride. I made a list because I want to reward myself with the powerful gift of God’s presence! 

• Trust God more than I try to do life without Him. (This was so important that God gave me a song to remind me. 😆)
• Be encouraging instead of boastful; 
• Show respect to authority instead of insolence; 
• Be understanding instead of overbearing; 
• Be unassuming instead of presumptuous; 
• Be frugal and loving in criticism; 
• Be generous with God’s love; and 
• Give as much forgiveness as I have been given by God.

(If you have other suggestions to expand this list, PLEASE leave your comments on the website!)

The gift of humility teaches us to WAIT ON GOD and allow HIM to empower us!

There is remarkable POWER in Humility.

The Book of Isaiah reminds us:

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. 

His understanding is unsearchable. 

He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall.But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭28‬-‭31‬ ‭NKJV

We would love to hear your thoughts about this devotional. Did God speak to you or challenge your daily walk with him? Or is there a topic that you would like Kimberly to cover or expound on? Please share with us in the comments below.

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