Proverbs 18:12. Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.
Haughty or humble? Which best describes you?
Haughty means proud. Full of yourself. Always looking out for #1.
Humble means you don’t think about yourself first. Humble means you look out for others. The humble person doesn’t think less of themselves, they think about themselves less.
This proverb isn’t telling us anything new. We’ve heard about the dangers of pride and selfishness. We all know how God feels about proud people. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. This message is all over the Bible. David said it. Isaiah said it. Jesus said it. Paul said it. Peter said it. James said it. The question is, do we actually believe it?
This proverb is a paradox. A paradox is something true even though it seems to make no sense or even contradict itself. Here’s the paradox: If you do things to earn praise from God, you will never get praise from God. Sure, people might honor you. Yes, you might get honor for an achievement in school, at work even though you are a petty and selfish person. But you won’t get it from God. In fact, God takes no joy in our accomplishments at all if they are full of pride.
But if you humble yourself, becoming self-forgetful, fearing God, trusting him, even if you never win, never get the promotion, never advance, guess what? God will honor you. God will be pleased to honor you. Why? Because you will be to the praise of his glorious grace.
Of course, Jesus is the ultimate example of this great paradox isn’t he? From a worldly point of view, Jesus was a failure. He never won an election, or a battle, or a fist fight. He never got a degree, or wrote a book, or lectured at a university. He failed to lead a revolution against Rome. All of his friends and followers left him in the end. He died the death of a criminal, an animal even.
Think about this – If Jesus hadn’t risen from the dead, there is absolutely no way you would have ever heard of him.
But Jesus did rise from the dead! Why? Because all of Jesus’ humility was his own choice. A choice to go lower and lower so as to be able to rescue all of us who were beyond hope. And when Jesus humbled himself, God honored him – humility comes before honor. The cross came before the resurrection.
This is the pattern for all of life. Humility before honor. That is the way the God-head lives, the way Jesus lived on earth, the way we are called to live on earth today. A life lived from the humility of Christ in us.
Humility made possible as we trust that we both are and will be lifted up the heavenly places in Christ.
Humility made necessary as we remember that the cross was a necessity to redeem us from our sin.
Humility made worthwhile as it will prevent our destruction both in this life and the life to come.
You: Are you haughty or humble?
You in Christ: How does the honor of union with Christ allow us to be humble?
Christ in you: Where do you need to let the humility of Christ take you lower this week?
Pray: Father, you honor humility, in your Son, and in us. May the cross of Christ always keep me humble. Amen.
To Live is Christ 