Humility
and God’s Holy Spirit
By
Jeff L. Mills
A very long time ago, a man stumbled into his bedroom. Sobs racked his body; he felt so lost, alone and empty, like everyone had deserted him. He dropped to his knees; his fists clenched palms upward and squeezed his eyes closed. Tears ran down his cheeks, dripping onto the stone floor. He sat this way for a few moments and then slowly began to relax. Clasping his hands in front of him, he looked upward and with the tears welling up in his eyes again, he began to speak.
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to your loving kindness. According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight. That you may be found just when you speak, and blameless when you judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part you will make me to know wisdom.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness, that the bones which you have broken may rejoice. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from me.
These
words were recorded for us years ago, and are found in the
bible, in Psalm 51. King David poured out his innermost
feelings and emotions in this heartfelt prayer to God. This
was probably one of the most, if not the most, humbling
experiences in David's life. After having sinned, by having an
adulterous relationship with Bathsheba, he was at an extreme
low point in his life and realized without God, he was
nothing. David came before God and pleaded with him not to
desert him. David, king of his people, humbled himself before
almighty God.
The Importance of Humility
Without humility you can never come to repentance. You must submit to God earnestly in all humbleness and meekness. Completely committed, to earnestly seek out God’s will and then make the necessary changes in your life that will allow God’s spirit to dwell within you. Only then can you come to feel genuine remorse and sorrow for your actions. Only then, can God show you yourself as you truly are. Only then, can God begin to work with you and transform you into a new person who will freely do his bidding. It is not an easy thing to take a critical look at ourselves and realize how utterly incapable we are of managing our own lives and living God’s way of life without his help. Man’s natural tendency is to be prideful, arrogant and fooling himself by believing that he has everything under control.
Without
humility, you cannot be educated, by God, in his way of life.
I am sure you have met someone, somewhere, during your life
who was a "know it all". No matter what the subject
or topic, this person has done it all, seen it all and done it
better than anyone else. Until such a person repents of their
pride and arrogance God's Spirit cannot dwell in them. God
calls the weak and the base; the minds of the scholars of this
world will not even allow for a God that is supreme creator
and in complete control. We must approach God with the
innocence of children, willing to be led and committed to
making changes wherever we are shown, if we truly want to
follow him. I watch my sons and see how everything to them is
so new and exciting, and how each new day is full of
wonderment and awe. That is how we need to come before God.
Let us examine a quote from "Mystery of the Ages" written by Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, from chapter 2, page 70: "Perfect, holy and righteous character is the ability in such separate entity to come to discern the true and right way from the false, to make voluntarily a full and unconditional surrender to God and his perfect way - to yield to be conquered by God - to determine even against temptation or self-desire, to live and to do the right. And even then such holy character is the gift of God. It comes by yielding to God to instill his law (God's right way of life) within the entity who so decides and wills."
We
must be humble, teachable and able to be led in order for God
to write his law on our hearts and in our minds. God reveals
incredible truths and understanding to those who yield
completely to him. God created us with minds that yearn to
understand and know the truth, but it is our decision as to
where we will search for that knowledge. We can tune into
Satan, this world and the way that leads to a fiery death. Or,
we can seek out God’s spirit, his truth and the knowledge
that leads to eternal life. When God called you, you made that
decision.
Humility
= more of God's Holy Spirit. Pride and arrogance are deadly to
the Holy Spirit. When we go through trials, the more severe
the trial is, the more humble we become and the closer we draw
to God and his support. One of the most humbling experiences,
I ever faced in my life, was losing a job due to Sabbath
observance. At that time, having been called only months
before, that was the severest test of my commitment and faith
that I had ever encountered. I could easily have given up
right then. I thank God that he gave me the strength and
courage to see me through that trial.
Sometimes,
we get to "big for our britches" so to speak and God
has to bring us down and back to reality. Every time I get
into trouble it is due to my own foolish pride and trying to
forge ahead on my own without God's help. God will allow me to
stumble forward, getting myself in deeper and deeper, until
I realize, and sometimes it takes awhile, that I have
neglected to seek him and his will.
In the fourth chapter of Daniel we find an example of what pride and arrogance can lead to. King Nebuchadnezzar here is boasting of building the city of Babylon by his mighty power and for his own majesty. While the words were still in his mouth, a voice came down from heaven telling him that his kingdom had departed from him. That he would be driven from the presence of men and that his dwelling would be with the wild beasts and that he would eat grass, until seven times had passed over him. We find a different attitude in Nebuchadnezzar when his punishment was complete. Daniel 4:34:
And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever. And dropping down to verse 37 of the same chapter: Daniel 4:37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to abase.
Humility a Powerful Tool
Humility
can be a powerful tool when used in a Godly way.
Humility acts as a huge magnet and attracts God's Holy
Spirit, but at the same time humility acts as a huge force
field and repels Satan. Just as pride and arrogance are
detrimental to the Holy Spirit, so is humbleness and meekness
detrimental to the thoughts and temptations that Satan puts
before us. The more humble you become, the more power you have
to resist Satan. But, notice this important aspect, the power
does not come from you, but from God's Holy Spirit dwelling within
you. Alone we are powerless. Remember, Christ fasted
forty days and forty nights to humble himself, and draw closer
to God, before he faced Satan.
Humility
is the way by which you can inherit the earth. In the
Beatitudes Jesus said: "Blessed are the meek for they
shall inherit the earth. I used to think this scripture
referred to the weak and downtrodden, but I have now come to
realize that it is referring to those who humble themselves
and allow God's spirit to dwell in them, who do not repay evil
with evil.
The Ultimate Example of Humility
During
the Passover service, we all participated in the foot washing
ceremony. That is a humbling experience, for us all, and one
in which we willingly partake. But, reflect a moment on what
Christ went through later that night and the following day
after washing the feet of his disciples. We are all free to go
to our homes after the Passover service. It is very humbling,
to reflect on what Jesus Christ, our savior, endured those
last hours of his life on this earth. His is the ultimate and
greatest example of humility in the entire bible. Willingly
going to his death, so that we might have eternal life. Even
through the beatings, the scourging, the mocking and finally
the crucifixion Christ refused to speak evil of his captors.
Indeed, asking God to forgive them even as he himself was
dying. God's own son was treated as a common criminal, truly
as scripture says: the light was in the world and the world
knew him not.
Conclusion
It
is not always easy to be humble, maybe one day your supervisor
calls you into his office and dresses you down.
Maybe on the way home, some inconsiderate driver cuts
in front of you and then follows it up with an obscene
gesture. You just sit down to supper and the phone rings and
some salesperson tries to sign you up for a new credit card
and will not even allow you a chance to speak and decline the
offer. This is not an easy life we are called into; it is an
uphill battle every single day. But, God did not say it would
be easy. God's own son, as we see in Philippians 2:8, humbled
himself and became obedient to the point of death. How much
more, should we also humble ourselves before almighty God.
Matthew 6:33 tells us: "But seek first the kingdom
of God and His righteousness, (I would like to add here, with
all humbleness and meekness) and all these things shall be
added to you". Let us all,
humbly, sincerely and genuinely, be seeking God's kingdom, his
way of life and his will in our lives everyday.
(All
references New King James Version)