Humble Hearts

There is a song out there that says “Oh Lord it's hard to be humble when you're perfect in every way.” The sad news is that many people live as if the line in this song is actually true. Unfortunately, it is the farthest thing from the truth. These are the people that many try to stray away from. But how many that try to stray away from people like that are themselves living that way and not even knowing it. So for those who take pride in being humble, there is no true humility in living this way.

Now do not confuse this form of pride with the pride of gratification in a job well done. Even God takes pride in His children. So pride is not a bad thing when it is done with the right heart and attitude.

What a person needs to pay attention to is the false pride or false humility to where one believes they are living one way but in reality are not and people start pulling away because of the what they are experiencing. If one is wondering why one does not have many friends, this may be something to seriously consider. Because it is deceiving to the individual who believes they are humble but most obvious that they are not when seen by others.

A False Humility

What others experience when they are around someone who is living in false humility is someone who they perceive to be conceited. It may not be the case but a person's perception is everything. These are some of the ways false humility could be displayed. A person thinking they are humble may end up pointing out all the humble things that they do because they want to be recognized by others for being a humble person. Or a person may put on a somber expression for the purpose and means of choosing not to enjoy life thinking this is somehow a physical quality of a humble person. Another person may get too busy or too involved doing a lot of humanitarian work to give the appearance of living a humble lifestyle but their heart is not in it.

People that live this way can fool themselves into believing they are living a humble life only to wonder why their life still seems so dismal. That is because being humble is not about actions or outward appearance. It is more about what is going on in the heart. What ends up possibly happening among these people is that they begin to feel discouraged and wonder “what's the point of living this way.” So they give up and decide it's not worth continuing to live this way anymore because it seems too depressing and they realize they don't have too many friends.

How possible is it to experience something different for these people? It is very possible. But there is a process that a person may not be aware of that they must go through to become a person who experiences true humility. And because they are not aware of it, they might wonder “where's the hope of ever being able to live a humble life and still enjoy life abundantly?” What one will find out when they experience the humble life as designed by God there is great joy in living life. But the thing about this is that not too many people think what is about to be taught is the means by which one believes they will enjoy life.

The Real Humility

Being humble is actually the art or act of submission to God. It is being willing to live how God commands instead of personally deciding how life should look when being humble. God already outlined what true humility is in the Bible. This requires people to dig into God's Word to come to know the truth about humility.

Unlike how the Pharisees of Jesus' time lived their lives, they thought following a bunch of rules whether out of the scrolls or self-designed was the means to living a life of humility and submission to God. That is the farthest thing from the truth. It is not about obeying a bunch of rules and regulations. It is about having a proper heart attitude towards others. The church of North America today still lives the same way as the Pharisees. Jesus has the same thing to tell the church of North America as He did the Pharisees of His day. Let's see what Jesus would have to tell us.

“Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19 NIV)

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5: 11-12 NIV)

“Let you light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5: 16 NIV)

“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5: 44-45 NIV)

“If any would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16: 24 NIV)

“Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” (Matthew 25:34-36 NIV)

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” (Mark 12: 30 NIV)

This is not an all-inclusive list of commands from Jesus. I just highlighted a few of the ones that usually stand out to people as a reminder of what God expects from us.

Final Thoughts

When a person develops a life of true humility, their life is filled with joy and excitement. It is just bubbling over and cannot be stopped. And because of it, people will be excited about the things that the world despises. This happens because we know the heart of God and seek to do His will and to please Him instead of the world and our own sinful flesh.

I encourage you if you think the words of Jesus are too much, ask Him to give you the strength to step out and live by the ways He expressed and the boldness not to worry about what the world around you thinks. If you choose to follow this path of greater humility, you will face ridicule from people around you and even possibly family and friends. However, you will experience something you have never experienced before and will make a new family and some new friends that will last more than a lifetime. For you will make a difference in the lives of those whom you meet and your reward will be great on earth and in heaven. Not only will you be commended by God but you will live eternally with those whom you helped out in this world.

If you are looking for answers to have hope in your life once again, feel free to send me your question and I will look at addressing that topic in future publications.

John_03_16_Bates@yahoo.com