humility
hu·mil·i·ty noun
the quality or state of not thinking you are better than other people : the quality or state of being humble
It was about 2006. It was a Saturday. I was sweeping my wood floors. I turned and looked at my bookshelves. I turned my attention back to sweeping.
Sweeping wasn’t my favorite activity so I leaned my broom to the wall and went to the shelves. My eyes scanned the books. I pulled one from the shelf. I sat down to flip through the pages of this book. Any excuse to pause a minute!
Thumbing through I stopped on page 169. The title contained the word “humility.” Uh-oh! I had an issue about that time in my life. I had begun concerning myself with the minute details of how one should behave as a believer. Not myself you understand. No, other people. The things they were doing surely weren’t “God approved!”
My eyes came to the scripture:
Galatians 2:20. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. There goes the pride thing. No longer is it about me. It is about Christ. Father, you have my attention. What is it?
I am thinking, better get back to the sweeping… Luke 18:9-14 9 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Silence, just me and God and His word. The enemy was calling me to come, you are getting behind cleaning your house… Lay that book down, you don’t have time for this! The enemy will try to divert you from the dawning of a truth in your life. I lingered, staring at those words. I was held captive by a God who needed me to see a flaw in me. A serious flaw.
I recall thinking, “Okay, I get it loud and clear.” I should not concern myself with how my brothers and sisters practice their spirituality. The Holy Spirit brings conviction to each believer. They work things out together. God does not need my help in determining if they talk appropriately, what they drink or eat, tithe too much or not enough, read their Bible too much or too little, pray too much or not enough, wear the right clothes, drive the right car, and on we could go.
We should not aspire to be super religious Pharisees. If we understand verse eleven he is not even praying to God. He is praying “thus to himself.” He is so proud that he fasts and tithes and is in the synagogue hours a day. He is so thankful that he is not like other men! Most heartbreaking is that he is speaking about this while one of those “other men” is a distance from him. No doubt he has been sizing him up. What is this “sinner” doing in “my” temple? I recall my forehead broke out with beads of sweat about this moment in my direct from God lesson. Guilty! Oh! Lord, I understand!
The one who is the focus of the Pharisees conversation, with himself, cannot even bear to look up to God. He beats his chest and simply says to God, “God be merciful to me a sinner!” If we face this scripture honestly we have all “sized” others up in this way. Sadly, many of our targets are fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Yet, we all can hang our heads and cry out for mercy as this tax collector.
I went back to my sweeping. I recall thinking as I was sweeping the dirt from my wood floor how scripture works much like a broom. As we go deep and grab hold, it sweeps through our hearts taking the dirty parts and moving them out and replacing them with love, kindness, compassion, understanding, forgiveness and yes, humility. A clean heart.
The following week I shared this experience with my small group family. It was a relief to stop analyzing the behavior of fellow believers and focus instead on my walk with the Father.
Thought For Today:
Have you ever found yourself questioning the walk of others? Perhaps, suggesting that because they conduct their walk with Christ a bit differently that they have a problem? What role are we to take as we walk through our day?
Scripture For Today:
Luke 18:13-14
13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (NKJV)
Prayer For Today:
Hello Father! We fail everyday in the ways of Jesus. You loved us so much that you made a way for us to come to you through his blood. We pray for a humble spirit. We pray that we let the Holy Spirit take care of the business of conviction in others. We pray that You empower us to love and walk as Jesus, with a spirit of humility, drawing others to You not pushing them away. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.