Humility

Friday 5 June
READ: Eph. 4:1-3
MORE LESSONS: Jam. 4:10

The Christian life is a walk; we progress a step at a time. Walking requires life, strength, freedom and balance, and a day by day progress towards a God-given goal. We should live as people who have been set apart by God and not do anything that would discredit the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Apostle Paul admonishes and pleads with us on how we should walk as Christians:
With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; v2.
This describes the quality of being humble and the absence of pride or self-assertion.
Humility makes unity possible and visible and today’s text brings out clearly some evidences of genuine humility. Before a man can say he is humble, he must possess the listed characteristics.
Lowliness: anyone who is lowly in mind will not think of himself alone but will see other people as more important. As it was reported of Jesus in Phil.2:1-11, Paul also served the Lord with all humility (Acts 20:19). This should be the attitude manifested by anyone who is humble.
Gentleness: It is another word for meekness. Meekness is not weakness; it is power under control. The meek person does not deliberately hurt others, even though he has the power to do so. Those who are meek keep their power under control. Num 12:3 tells us, Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. In Matt.5:5, Jesus said, Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Longsuffering: Being able to suffer long: in other words, ability to bear with people. The ability to bear with one another is also important for Christian unity. When we bear with others in love, it builds and gradually changes them.
Humility: We need to put on the cloak of humility because God resist the proud and gives grace to the humble person. Someone has said that humility does not consist merely in a person's thinking of himself in low terms but rather it is not thinking of himself at all. The Lord Jesus perfectly exemplified this attitude. He never considered His own desires. He only did the Father's will. He did not go to the cross because of Himself, but because of sinners. He was beaten for our transgressions, He went to hell to set us free because we were bound to life imprisonment there. He was born so that you and I can be saved from sin and He is sitting at the right hand of the Father today, interceding for you and I. Can you work for others? Can you suffer because of your neighbour?

Prayer/Action
* Pray that God will clothe you with the garment of meekness and selflessness.
--Sacrifice something very precious to you today by giving somebody who may need it as much as you do.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I shall be singled out for glory and praise this month, in the name of Jesus.