Bible Perspectives on Humility (IV)

Humility is the quality of having a modest view of one’s importance. It is meekness, lowliness and absence of self. Bible meaning of humility point to; godliness, trusting fully in the Lord, fear of the Lord, unconditional love, obedience and submission to God, leaning on God, praying to God, turning to God for help, being lowly and meek. Three immediate benefits of combining humility with the fear of the Lord are riches, honor and a long life (Proverbs 2:24). Humility is a virtue every Christian should possess and it should not be dependent on anything or anyone. Humility helps us submit and serve under authority, as guided by the Word of God.

Who Are We To Be Humble Towards?

Humility Towards God

In Part 2 of this study, we dealt extensively on being humble towards God. Summarily, we said that godliness, trusting fully in the Lord, fear of the Lord, obedience and submission to God and His Word, leaning on God, praying to God, turning to God for help, being lowly and meek, are all expressions of humility towards God.

Here are a few additional scriptures;

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,” I Peter 5:6 NKJV

“serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews;” Acts 20:19 NKJV

“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” James 4:10 NKJV

Humility Towards The Elders

In Part 3, we identified from the Bible some notable elders in a Church. They deserve honor and respect from other members of the Body of Christ, especially because of their labor and devotion in studying and teaching the Word. I believe the position of elders in a local Church also extends to members in leadership positions, with delegated power to watch over some of the sheep.

1 Peter 5:1-6, is a very balanced scripture that should never be read, taught or presented in bits and pieces. It starts with an admonition to the elders, then to the younger ones, and to everyone.

“And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in his glory when he is revealed to the whole world. As a fellow elder, I appeal to you: Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor. In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. ‘ 1 Peter 5:1-6, NLT

To the Elders;

• Care for the flock that God entrusts to you.
• Watch over this flock willingly; not grudgingly, not just those you consider useful or beneficial to you, all of them.
• Care for and watch over them because you are eager to serve God.
• Don’t lord yourself over them
• Lead them by showing good example

To the Younger Ones;

• Accept the authority of the elders and submit to them.

To Everyone;

• Relate to one another in humility, put on humility as a clothing.

So, younger members in a local assembly should submit to the authority of the elders. Everyone should wear humility as a clothing. The elders should care and watch over the sheep selflessly.

Service and Humility

Serve in your local Church, it’s your Father’s House and your Father’s Business. And serve in a way that no one brings forward a report of insubordination concerning you. That will not be humility. Service requires submission to an authority. It is difficult to submit without humility. People may have different definitions of humility, let your service be as unto the Lord.

There’s always something to contribute to the running of a local Church, no matter how little. I started my service in church as a choir member. Yes, alto range! 🙂 And then I relocated to another city where I eventually joined the gardening team, then the follow up team. When it became challenging to balance work, home (with my young kids) and still meet up with the demands of chasing new converts around nooks and crannies, I joined the prayer team.

Follow up work was fun, I still meet people that stop me in some places to say, ‘hey Sister Grace, remember me? …. you followed me up!’ Follow up was demanding but fulfilling. And then I accepted a nomination to become a teacher of some classes in Church, have been at it for about 10 years now. Not long after this, I was made a home fellowship head (lasted for about 5 years, until I had to move home). And then, I often have the privilege to counsel with a few young couples before marriage and to anchor family meeting sessions occasionally.

Truthfully, these engagements make demands on your resources but they are fulfilling. It’s going to be impossible to serve (without a genuine negative report) if you are struggling with humility. Service is a springboard to greatness. You improve on skills, discover talents, gain new competencies, learn selflessness, improve on interpersonal relationship as you serve.

As you serve, be dependable, be reliable. Don’t just disappear without informing anyone. Sometimes God might open other opportunities for you to serve Him outside your local Church, don’t just dash out on your own, inform your spiritual leaders and carry them along as much as possible. They may or may not be ready for it, still do the right thing by God. Serve in humility and in the fear of the Lord.

Serve as unto the Lord

“Whatever you do [whatever your task may be], work from the soul [that is, put in your very best effort], as [something done] for the Lord and not for men” Colossains 3:23 AMP.

Serve as unto the Lord. And that is not to say pack up your brains and don’t think. If someone is trying to lead you outside of God’s will, don’t foolishly follow in the name of ‘as unto the Lord’. Yes, Jesus was obedient/humble even to the cross, recognize the 2 drivers for His choices; reverence for God, love for humanity. He wasn’t forced, coerced, manipulated or controlled to do it, it was of His own free will. God never takes man’s will from him. God never forces anyone to do anything. However, we should derive pleasure serving in our Father’s House.

One of the memorable commendations I have received reads thus; ‘Grace, thank you for always taking care of the people entrusted into your care’. I loved that message. Maintaining good friendly relationship and communication with the people we have supervised or led should be something we enjoy. I recognize though that sometimes, people may not be ready to receive love and care for some personal reasons. You win some, you lose some, but may your losses not outnumber your wins. Like the other 11 disciples, Judas Iscariot had Jesus but he still strayed. Just don’t lose because you didn’t give it your best shot, or due to your refusal to bend backwards a bit. If you are losing too many, too often, take a moment, sit back and review your leadership style. Is there something you could have done differently?

Lead in love

To seamlessly assert authority and receive submission in return, build trust by doing care, love and watching over. If you are lacking in these, you’re likely to be struggling with people submitting to you. A husband who keeps ranting, ‘I am the head of this home‘, you must submit to my authority‘ is very likely not performing his functions as the head. Just as submission in a marriage relationship is a lot easier when the husband plays his own part of loving the wife unconditionally, so it is much easier to submit to an authority when trust has been built. Lead according to the Word of God. Leading is more about relationship and influence than position.

Question: what if my leader or husband is not doing his part? Do yours. Let the Word of God be your standard.

Be the leader people trust, love willingly and follow without coercion. Remember also, that ultimately, we are all accountable to Christ.

To Others

Respect everyone. Give no place to malice. Speak evil of no one. Love people unconditionally.

“In whatever you do, don’t let selfishness or pride be your guide. Be humble, and honor others more than yourselves.“
Philippians 2:3 ERV

“to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.” Titus 3:2 NKJV

“So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”’ 1 Peter 5:5-6

How To Be Humble

You know, you can really desire to be humble and yet not know exactly what to do? Here are a few guides…

1. Fear (reverence) God (1 Peter 5:6, II Chronicles 7:14, 1 Kings 21:25-29, Philippians 2:5-11, Proverbs 15:33, Proverbs 22:4)
2. Walk in love (Philippians 2:5-11, Philippians 2:3, Ephesians 4:2)
3. Respect others (Ephesians 4:2, 1 Peter 1:5-6)
4. Serve (John 13:5, Ephesians 4:2)
5. Be meek and lowly (Romans 12:3, II Chronicles 34:27, Luke 14:10)
6. Listen to the opinion of others on issues
7. Be open to constructive criticisms
8. Request and act on feedback from others (especially those you are closely associated with; whether as a leader or follower).
9. Think moderately of yourself; superiority complex is as much a problem as inferiority complex.
10. Put others before you (that’s also walking in love).
11. Seek to understand people first before wanting to be understood.
12. Don’t judge people based on your own assumptions, first impressions matter but they are not always right.
13. Ask for help when you need it, nobody really knows all things.
14. Be thankful for little things.
15. Take responsibility for your actions, good or bad, everyone makes mistakes. Learn from your mistakes and never overlook the power of saying “I am sorry”.

As we saw in Part 2, the 2 main drivers for humility are love for mankind and reverence for God the Father. Let’s keep this in mind.

Once again, thank you for joining me on this study. Next time we will consider false humility and results of not being humble.

Till next time,

Stay in the Word and in the Covenant.

Love always….

AboutGrace Obomanu

Grace obomanu is a Christian Blogger and Founder; 'Grace Obomanu Foundation'. Grace is an inspiring writer who intentionally projects the truth of God's word by sharing simple yet profound truths from the Bible. She writes with a revelational thrust, sharing wisdom, insights relatable to everyday living with particular emphasis on Victorious Christian Living. Her foundation, a non-profit trustee, continues to make impact, adding value to people's lives through outreaches, mentorship, bible teachings and counseling, partnerships. Grace has a diploma in Ministerial Training (with emphasis on Spiritual Leadership from Rhema Bible Training Center Nigeria. She trained as a medical doctor and has years of experience in Health Systems Management. She also holds a master's degree in Public Health from the University of Liverpool.