Lead Scripture: Matthew 3:13-17
Other Scriptures: Philippians 2:5-11 | Proverbs 11:2 (Amp) | Proverbs 3:5-10
Humility doesn’t mean you lose who you are, rather it is seeing yourself in the light of who God has made you to become. It is acknowledging the fact that you are not better than others but helped by God – Ecclesiastes 9:11.
Humility is both a root and a fruit of wisdom.
Humility is the foundation of a life that pleases God. It is a primary way to imitate Christ, it so grounds us in the love and wonder of God that it frees our capacity to love God, others, ourselves, and God’s creation, fully. It helps us to fulfil “the greatest commandment” and live for the deepest purpose for which we were created: to “love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength” and “to love others as ourselves” Matthew 22:37-40 | Luke 10:27. When we are humble, we find ourselves freed to authentically love others, discovering that “we love others, because He first loved us” 1 John 4:19. In this sense, humility is experientially empowering.
Benefits/dividends of Humility:
· Access to God and His grace – James 4:6: Pride puts us in a place where we cut ourselves off from God’s grace. But humility puts us in a position of needing God and receiving grace from Him.
· A pathway for others to see God through us – Acts 10:38 | Acts 11:19-24: Humility builds confidence in God’s love for us – and for everyone else – this empowers our capacity to see, love, serve, and bless others without the need to be self-referential.
· Love for one another – Philippians 2:2-8: Humility is one of the chief characteristics of Christ, we ought to strive for humility, such that “prideful Christian” becomes an oxymoron. Any two humble Christians can make a marriage work. Humility can make friendships work. It can even turn rivalries into friendships.
· Victory over sin and life’s battles – Psalm 149:4: When we are humble before God, we may take some losses along the way, but we’ll end up with a crown from the Lord – Romans 8:28.
· God hears the humble – Daniel 10:12 | 2 Chronicles 7:14: There is something about humility that gets the attention of God. The response may not be immediate, but we can be confident that God hears us when we approach him in humility.
· Access to the blessings of God – Proverbs 22:4: This is a general principle, not a direct promise, but there is a good chance that humility will result in these kinds of blessings especially when combined with diligence. You have a better chance to have lasting riches—for example, to be honourable—and to enjoy a long life.
· Access to wisdom – Proverbs 3:13-18 | Proverbs 11:2: Wisdom is a gateway to blessings upon blessings.
Discussion:
1. Are there other benefits of humility?
2. Explain how you have been empowered by being humble?
3. Can you think about other importance of humility?
4. Explain how service to God and people is humility?
Prayer
