Day 220, Year 1

Humble Yourselves Willingly Before the Lord

“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” (James 4:10 NKJV)

To humble ourselves before the Lord is to honor Him, to affirm that His thoughts are better than ours, and even to the point of thinking of ourselves less and everything else related to us. One of the main reasons why some people know about the narrow door but do not enter through it is that they value themselves or others more than Jesus. Therefore, on the path to knowing God, letting go of our own will to understand and solely accept His words and His will is one of the crucial habits that needs to be cultivated. Without this humility before Him, even if we hear His voice, welcome Him in, and dine with Him, we will never be able to accept His reign. Without accepting Jesus to the end, they will only end up asking Him to leave them and head toward destruction.

Initially, encountering God does not necessarily require humility, just as it did not for Paul before he came to Christ. In fact, some people meet Jesus even while they are on the wrong path. However, for believers, a humble heart is a prerequisite to being continually blessed in Christ. To avoid hearing Jesus say that He does not know us when He returns, we must humble ourselves before Him, relinquishing our own wills but seeking to fulfill His in all our doings. Without this constant attitude of humility, it is impossible for us to enter the Lord’s eternal kingdom.

Humility is a quality of the heart that restrains our own wills while being open to the Lord’s. We need to discern wisely what comes from the Lord and be willing to let His will be fulfilled in our lives. Accepting God’s will to fulfill in us requires a risk-taking mentality. It is because when we first come to know Him, His will often seems unfamiliar. In order to make His unfamiliar ideas and practices what we ponder and do, our minds usually need a leap of faith. So, we need to understand His will and change accordingly. If you experience any lack or difficulties in this process, you can seek His help to overcome them.

Finally, some might ask: Is it okay to humble oneself before the Lord but not before others? The point is: Does Jesus speak to you through others? Absolutely. Therefore, we who humble ourselves before the Lord often need to humble ourselves before the Lord’s servants. However, the devil may tempt or attack you through other people. Consequently, we believers should humble ourselves before His servants but rely steadfastly on the Lord and remain courageous in the presence of others.

Reflection questions:

1) To restrain your thoughts, to be open to the Lord’s will, to discern His will, to give way to His will, and to take risks to do His will, which of the five above is the most difficult for you? If you have any difficulties, how would you rely on the Lord to overcome them?

2) What is the key for believers to discern when to humble ourselves before God’s servants or when to be courageous toward others?