As those who aspire to a place with our Lord in his kingdom, we must take note of the basic requirement that we possess the humility of a child. Since this is the case, the practical question which must concern us is the following: How can I develop this humility? “Develop” is the right wont humility is a quality we must acquire. It does not come naturally.
We are very small
We can start by considering our relationship to the total cosmos Even a Goliath occupies but a few cubic feet, an infinitely small fraction of the universe Each of us occupies a correspondingly smaller part of space.
By the very nature of things, however, that part of the cosmos is all-important for each one of us We bear the primary responsibility, as adults, for maintaining ourselves and our dependents We must endeavor to keep our bodies in good health, avoiding excess of all kinds Not only is this our duty as responsible people, it is even more our duty as followers of our Lord As Paul bluntly reminded the Thessalonians “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work neither should he eat” (II Thess 3:10) There is no place for the indolent in God’s order of things, not now and certainly not in the world to come.
The danger to us lies in the idea the part of space we occupy is the only one that really matters This is a dangerous illusion which can beset those with religious convictions as much as those who have none With devastating satire, in one of his parables, the Lord Jesus portrays the Pharisee who is utterly self-centered he is thankful to God, but what for? He sees himself as different from, and superior to, other men He catalogs, his achievements and expresses disdain for a publican, who is likewise engaged in prayer (Lk 18 11-13) He may be some distance from the Pharisee but the latter’s critical gaze, as he surveys those around him, decries the publican and, apparently, he recognizes him (see verse 13) The publican, by contrast, is conscious of his own failings and dares not even lift his eyes to heaven.
The one is self-righteous and is totally satisfied with the small world of which he is the center Everything revolves around him The other is conscious of his unworthiness and by his humility commends him to God The two are used by the Lord to underline the need for humility “For every one that exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Lk 18:14)
The fundamental failing of the Pharisee is that he was full of himself while we are called upon to empty ourselves Here, as always, the Lord Jesus is our example “He emptied himself, taking the form of a servant “(Phil 2 7 RSV)
A key is our relationship to God
What emerges so clearly from this parable is that the source and test of our humility is our relationship to God — an appreciation of our own puniness and insignificance and a recognition of the awesome power and majesty of the Creator This must be our starting point in any endeavor to develop humility.
None demonstrates the truth of this statement better than David There is a celebrated passage m the Psalms which shows us the way, and we are all familiar with it.
As a shepherd, long before he assumed the responsibilities of kingship, David looked after his sheep As darkness fell, the stars would appear Doubtless the thoughts which were to find such poetic and exquisite expression m Psalm 8 were already a part of his consciousness A great sense of awe would overtake him as he mused upon the vastness of the heavens above The pettiness of man would be brought home to him “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast ordained, what is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man that thou visitest him?”
The insignificance of man
It is one of the tragic ironies of our time that, as man’s knowledge of the universe expands, so he becomes increasingly self-centered and self-sufficient Yet life, as we experience it, is precarious, we live within a narrow band of temperatures If God were so disposed, He could swiftly extinguish all life on earth.
How often do we consider the vastness of the universe, testifying as it does to the Creator’s power? One of the drawbacks of our urban society is the lights of the town or city eclipse the light that comes from the heavens.
Despite this handicap, there is nothing to prevent us from seeing ourselves against the background of the universe, if we care to do so The prophet Isaiah can be helpful m this matter “Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number he calleth them by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong m power, not one faileth” (Isa 40 26) In the same chapter the prophet reminds mankind of its total insignificance “Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing All nations before him are as nothing, and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity” (Isa 40: 15,17).
Yet God is very near
Awesome though He may be and totally beyond our comprehension, the Creator is not some remote entity who is out of touch with His vast handiwork Rather the contrary, and here another wonderful Psalm comes to mind In Psalm 139, the David who is so conscious of the numbing vastness of the universe, gives expression to his conviction that the Creator is everywhere present by His Spirit “Whither shall I go from thy spirit or whither shall I flee from thy presence?” (v 7).
No place exists, either m heaven, or in the depths of the earth, or m some remote location beyond the seas, where he could escape from God Not that David wanted to escape, for wherever he might go, he knew God’s hand would lead him, and His right hand would hold him (v 10).
There is much more in this Psalm that merits our notice Here and now, we derive two mam thoughts from it First, we can share with David the wonderful conviction that wherever we may find ourselves, or whatever may be our circumstances, God is there, if our vision is clear enough and our faith sufficiently strong. Then there is the chastening reminder that God knows us through and through, He reads our thoughts and hears our words (see vs 2,4).
Therefore examine your ways
It is this sense which, above all, we need to develop Let us especially examine our thoughts, which so often can be wayward, or out of character that we would be embarrassed to reveal them to others Here is a potent means of developing humility.
The Lord God and the Lord Jesus are unique in the knowledge they have of us, and it is their knowledge alone which counts. That great truth cannot be overemphasized Here, as m so many respects, Paul can be our guide “I judge not mine own self,” the apostle declares to the Corinthians, and goes on to add “For I know nothing by myself, yet I am not thereby justified but he that judges me is the Lord Therefore judge nothing before the tune, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts and then shall every man have praise of God” So often we have to remind ourselves the day of judgment will bring surprises
God knows our hearts
The first and most searching test, we again say, is our relationship to God, our consciousness of His holiness, our awareness that He knows us through and through We may deceive ourselves, and possibly others, but all forms of subterfuge vanish before Him who inspects the hearts The matter is beautifully summarized by a single Greek word used by Peter At the Jerusalem council, referring to what he had learned from his experiences with Cornelius (Acts 10), he says of Cornelius and his friends “And God who knows the heart bore witness to them giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us” (Acts 15 8 RSV) Corresponding to the expression “who knows the heart” is the single word kardiognostes, literally “the heart-knower” The term occurs in one other place, Acts 1 24, where again Peter was almost certainly the speaker
It is not only Peter, Paul and David who reveal this sense of being known to God, it is an awareness which is expressed constantly in various ways Thus, in the Proverbs we read “For a man’s ways are m full view of the Lord, and he examines all his paths” (5 21 NW), “All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord” (16 2 NIV), “The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart” (17 3 NIV)
Reminders are in the word
It is a profitable exercise for all of us to look out for these reminders They will help us to develop an increasing sense of the reality of our Maker, and to make His presence m our hearts and minds ever more meaningful The loving, prayerful, grateful reading of scripture can be a mighty influence for good “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the Joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12)
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One