Lesson 38: To Be Humbled Is To Be Honored
Lesson 38, Devotion 1
“Pride must die in you, or nothing of heaven can live in you.” –Andrew Murray
Did you know that pride was arguably the first sin committed? Satan wanted to be greater than God and therefore convinced Adam and Eve to rebel against Him. As a result, they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden and separated from God. When pride resides in our life, it causes the same effect. It breaks our fellowship with God. To say that God hates it would be an understatement. However, God is abundantly patient and kind to us as we learn to die to self.
Dying to our pride doesn't sound like a fun hobby. That's because it's not! It's painful, but any good doctor would put a patient through the pain of surgery to save their life. In Matthew 16:35, Jesus makes a statement that gets at the heart of the matter when he says, "For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." To experience abundant joy and true life, we must be willing to part ways with our pride so that Christ can live in us. Ask the Lord to give you the strength to give Him all areas of your life so that He can move powerfully through you.
Lesson 38, Devotion 2
Today's devotion is going to call you to action! Humility is all about counting others more worthy than our self, and that is exemplified through serving others. Take out a pen and paper or the note-taking app on your phone and write down three ways that you can serve three different people in your life today. That’s right, today. It can be family members, friends, or even strangers. You can give someone a handwritten note, bring them coffee, open a door, or sing them a song. Get creative and fun with this.
Once you have those three acts written down, take Nike’s advice and “Just Do It.”
Lesson 38, Devotion 3
“For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” –Luke 14:11
During biblical times, there was a practice that when dinner feasts were thrown, the guests of honor would sit closest to the host. The further down the table you sat from the host the lower status you had, but at least you were at the party! If you assumed a seat too close without the host’s permission, then you would be moved further down the table and consequently humiliated. However, if you sat further away, then you could always be moved closer to the head of the table and be shown honor in doing so.
Now, imagine you’ve been invited to a dinner at Buckingham Palace with the Queen. Instead of sitting at your assigned table, you go rogue and decide to steal a chair right by her. That's not going to last long. Those fancy guards with the big fuzzy hats will pull some jujitsu on you, and you will be escorted out of the party. On the other hand, if you give your assigned seat up out of respect for another, then the Queen might notice your humility and invite you to her table.
The principle is that if you live a life of humility, the Lord will look out for you and bless you. In our modern era, it's very easy to become consumed with our wants and desires. We fall prey to the trap of selfishness. That’s why it’s vitally important to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. He alone can keep us from stumbling. When we see how he humbled himself on the cross, we are encouraged to carry our cross and imitate his humility.