26th June 2005

Humility in deeds

posted in christian |
1 Timothy 5 has some good thoughts on living with humility, as does Rick Warren on page 148 of The Purpose Driven Life. 

The first two verses of 1 Timothy 5 offer the directive to treat others as your own family members, particularly when you have a criticism to share. This is really hard to do, but a good frame of mind to be in when thinking critically of others:

Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.
1 Timothy 5: 1-2 (NIV)

Rick Warren shares some excellent suggestions for those who aspire to live lives of humility in his Day 19 study. First, he points out that “Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less. Humility is thinking more of others.” I think this is such a key point to remember. Too often we tend to think of the exhortation to be “humble” as one that involves degrading or putting yourself down, not having any confidence and being sort of a doorway mat for others. This is not the case. Warren offers the following 4 ways we can strive to be humble in our daily lives:

1- Admit our weaknesses
2- Be patient with others’ weaknesses
3- Be open to correction
4- Point the spotlight on others

Not seeking personal recognition for the things we do and our own accomplishments is a tall order, certainly that is something I contend with regularly. We (and I am speaking mostly to myself here) must remember that our actions here on earth do not go unnoticed by our heavenly Father, and that we should work to please him, rather than to please other human beings who are by nature fickle and fallen. God is perfect and loving, he does not ignore the behavior of his children.

These are good thoughts on which to ponder, meditate and pray. 

On this day..

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