Pursuing Humility by the Grace of God

Reading CJ Mahaney's Humility again reminded me of this post I did 4 years ago:

Humility draws the gaze, favor and presence of God (Isaiah 66:2, 57:15) while pride repulses Him and brings Him in opposition to us (1 Peter 5:5, Proverbs 8:13). If we would have God for us, we must seek to cultivate grace-enabled, Cross-bought humility in the power of the Holy Spirit. But first, let's do a little pride check.

Characteristics of the Proud
- Talk about themselves and their accomplishments
- Often compare themselves to others
- Concerned about what others think of them in public prayer
- Concerned about what others think in times of public worship
- After a meeting, I think about what I said and consider what others thought of me
- I fear speaking because I am afraid of making a mistake and saying something that would be considered stupid
- I take advantage of service that is likely to get me noticed and praised
- Do not confess sin to others
- Driven by a permeating perfectionism
- Feel good when others come to me for advice
- Like being the leader because it causes people to give you their attention
- Fear being a leader because I might mess up in front of others
- Extremely concerned about clothing
- Dress in a way that draws attention to themselves
- Laugh at other's mistakes, but blush at own

Characteristics of the Humble
- Amazed at God's love for them
- Often think about how great God is compared to them
- Understands personal weakness and willing to own and discuss them
- Primary goal in serving others is to bless them and glorify God
- Enjoy leading because of its service to others
- Enjoy following so as to assist the leader in serving others
- Will do the minimial tasks that get no recognition, and do them repeatedly
- Ask others for advice/asks questions
- Regularly study the Bible for guidance and direction
- Compare my life to God and not others
- Regularly confess sin to others
- Look for ways to spend time with people Jesus loved but the world doesn't
- When I make mistakes, I can laugh at myself and not be embarrassed
- Dress modestly

27 Ways to Cultivate Humility
From C.J. Mahaney:
1. Meditate on the cross.
2. Begin your day by acknowledging your dependence upon God.
3. Begin your day expressing gratefulness to God.
4. Practice the spiritual disciplines.
5. Seize your commute to memorize and meditate on Scripture.
6. Cast your cares on Him, because He cares for you.
7. At the end of the day, transfer the glory to God.
8. Before going to sleep, acknowledge the gift.
9. Study the attributes of God.
10. Study the doctrines of grace.
11. Study the doctrine of sin.
12. Play golf.
13. Laugh often (especially at yourself)
14. Identify evidences of grace in others.
15. Encourage and serve others each and every day.
16. Invite and pursue correction.
17. Respond humbly to trials.

From Karl Graustein:
18. Ask God to make you humble.
19. Understand the immense difference between God and us.
20. Be aware of your weaknesses and limitations.
21. Study God's promises to the humble.
22. Study creation.
23. Spend time with people who are more gifted than you.
24. Learn a new skill.
25. Spend time with humble people.
26. Spend time with people who are honest with you about you.
27. Serve others.

Pursuing Greater Humility

How do we cultivate humility and mortify pride?

• We need to spend time thinking about God’s greatness and holiness in comparison to our natural, moral, and moral insignificance.
• We need to think about how much God loves the humble and hates the proud.
• We need to meditate on the way that Christ humbled Himself when He came to earth.
• We need to think seriously on the examples of humility left by the most useful believers who have walked this earth.
• We must consider the example of humility demonstrated by the holy angels.
• We need to carefully reflect on the humility of believers who are now in heaven.
• We need to think about the great imperfections and weakness of our faith, our character, our behavior, our motives, our duties, and our service to God.
• We need to think about the fact that we deserve to experience God’s judgment and wrath because of our sin.
• We need to spend time thinking about the day of judgment.
• We ought to reflect on the pride of Satan and the demons.
• We need to remember that everything that we have or have accomplished comes from God’s hand.
• We must spend time thinking about the sad consequences of pride in other people’s lives.
• We ought to spend time with humble people and avoid as much as possible the company of arrogant people.
• We must spend time in prayer every day, confessing our pride to God and earnestly pleading for greater humility.

Adapted from Wayne Mack's Humility: The Forgotten Virtue.

Don't Waste Your Sickness

My family and I have had a case of the stomach bug making its way to each of us over the past few days. My turn came just in time to keep me from preaching God's Word on Sunday.

I don't like being sick and I'm not a very good patient. So, over these past few days I've been thinking about making the most of the sicknesses God brings. Everyone gets sick sooner or later. Here are some big ideas for not wasting this "down" time.

1. Receive sickness as a gift of God meant to humble you. God is kind to remind you of your frailty. Sickness is used of God to make us depend on Him alone. The world still goes on without you. Nothing falls apart. You are not as important as you thought.

2. Pray for God to heal you. Use sickness as a means of believing in the power of God to heal the human body. Yes, it is possible to both receive sickness as a gift of God and to plead with God to remove it.

3. If you can't read, listen. When I'm sick, the hardest thing in the world is to concentrate enough to read. So, listen to God's Word being read. At esv.org you can listen to any passage being read from the ESV.

4. Take the opportunity to pray. Sickness provides an opportunity to spend extended times in prayer. Pray about everything while you are resting.

5. Express gratitude for those who serve you. Allow people to serve you and be sure to express your gratefulness for their help. For those who are married, take the opportunity to remember how blessed you are to have a spouse who is committed to you in "sickness and in health." That your spouse doesn't walk out when you are throwing up is a sweet mercy from God.

6. Rest. This post is not meant to heap guilt on you for sleeping all day. When you are sick, rest, knowing that your Savior is sufficient. He has your life in His hand.

Don't waste your sickness.

Manifesting Humility Toward God

What does humility before God look like?

Wayne Mack gives us 10 ways humility is manifested:

1. by the free and sincere confession of one's insignificance.

2. by a complete lack of trust in one's own heart and complete dependence on God for all things.

3. by totally renouncing any glory coming from our own good and by giving all glory to God for all things.

4. by respecting, receiving, and responding to the Word of God.

5. by completely submitting to God's will even if His will is difficult.

6. by submitting oneself to the providences of God without complaint.

7. by delighting in the worship and praise of God.

8. by continually seeking God in prayer.

9. by considering it a privilege to serve Christ in any capacity (a privilege that we are not worthy of or deserving).

10. by being willing to acknowledge God's infinite wisdom and knowledge.

Wayne Mack, Humility: The Forgotten Virtue, chapter 2.

Secrets Unveiled

"Humility is the secret of fellowship, and pride the secret of division."

-R.C. Chapman

Fighting Pride and Cultivating Humility

The final verse of Daniel 4 says that God is able to humble those who walk in pride.

Here are a few practical strategies for fighting pride and cultivating humility that I gave at the end of the sermon Sunday:

1. Recognize that pride is already a major problem in your life. Pride is not like the flu. We don’t catch it every now and then. No, pride is at work in us constantly. Recognizing and repenting of it is the first step to fighting it.

2. Recognize that everything you have is a gift from God. You have never accomplished anything on your own. God has blessed you so that you would give Him the glory, not take it for yourself. Do you consciously give God glory for everything good in your life?

3. Become familiar with the greatness of God. That’s the message of Daniel 4: Fight pride by recognizing the infinite worth of your Creator and Redeemer. Proud people have a small God. Humble people know God’s power, sovereignty, and glory. Only God is great.

4. Constantly survey the wondrous Cross on which the prince of glory died.
-Jesus died for our pride. He bore the wrath of God that our pride deserves. Jesus was treated like an animal (beaten and mocked) for our arrogant attitudes.
-The broken body and spilled blood of Jesus Christ is sufficient to cover the offense of our pride.
-Pride and arrogance die at the foot of the cross. It is impossible to look into the bloody face of the Savior and boast of your achievements and superior worth.
-John Owen counseled: “Fill your affections with the cross of Christ, that there may be no room for sin.” Replace pride with a love for Jesus Christ, who willingly gave His life in your place.

Cultivating Humility...Weakening Pride

If you haven't read CJ's book on humility, don't delay any longer.

Incredible humility to let his daughter post this for the world to see.

Redfern on Humility

I hope my friend Mark does not mind but I am going to copy his most recent post here. This is too powerful a list to not spread it around.

Humility draws the gaze, favor and presence of God (Isaiah 66:2, 57:15) while pride repulses Him and brings Him in opposition to us (1 Peter 5:5, Proverbs 8:13). If we would have God for us, we must seek to cultivate grace-enabled, Cross-bought humility in the power of the Holy Spirit. But first, let's do a little pride check.

Characteristics of the Proud
- Talk about themselves and their accomplishments
- Often compare themselves to others
- Concerned about what others think of them in public prayer
- Concerned about what others think in times of public worship
- After a meeting, I think about what I said and consider what others thought of me
- I fear speaking because I am afraid of making a mistake and saying something that would be considered stupid
- I take advantage of service that is likely to get me noticed and praised
- Do not confess sin to others
- Driven by a permeating perfectionism
- Feel good when others come to me for advice
- Like being the leader because it causes people to give you their attention
- Fear being a leader because I might mess up in front of others
- Extremely concerned about clothing
- Dress in a way that draws attention to themselves
- Laugh at other's mistakes, but blush at own

Characteristics of the Humble
- Amazed at God's love for them
- Often think about how great God is compared to them
- Understands personal weakness and willing to own and discuss them
- Primary goal in serving others is to bless them and glorify God
- Enjoy leading because of its service to others
- Enjoy following so as to assist the leader in serving others
- Will do the minimial tasks that get no recognition, and do them repeatedly
- Ask others for advice/asks questions
- Regularly study the Bible for guidance and direction
- Compare my life to God and not others
- Regularly confess sin to others
- Look for ways to spend time with people Jesus loved but the world doesn't
- When I make mistakes, I can laugh at myself and not be embarrassed
- Dress modestly
- Look to my parents for wisdom

30 Ways to Cultivate Humility
From C.J. Mahaney:
1. Meditate on the cross.
2. Begin your day by acknowledging your dependence upon God.
3. Begin your day expressing gratefulness to God.
4. Practice the spiritual disciplines.
5. Seize your commute to memorize and meditate on Scripture.
6. Cast your cares on Him, because He cares for you.
7. At the end of the day, transfer the glory to God.
8. Before going to sleep, acknowledge the gift.
9. Study the attributes of God.
10. Study the doctrines of grace.
11. Study the doctrine of sin.
12. Play golf.
13. Laugh often (especially at yourself)
14. Identify evidences of grace in others.
15. Encourage and serve others each and every day.
16. Invite and pursue correction.
17. Respond humbly to trials.

From Karl Graustein:
18. Ask God to make you humble.
19. Understand the immense difference between God and us.
20. Be aware of your weaknesses and limitations.
21. Study God's promises to the humble.
22. Study creation.
23. Spend time with people who are more gifted than you.
24. Learn a new skill.
25. Spend time with humble people.
26. Spend time with people who are honest with you about you.
27. Serve others.

From Mark Redfern:
28. Pray without ceasing.
29. Think often about the examples of Christ in Philippians 2:5-9 and 2 Corinthians 8:9.
30. Get married.

From Justin Childers:
31. Have kids (after you get married).

Book Review: Humility

I agree with Al Mohler: Humility by C.J. Mahaney is the "right book from the right man at the right time." I found my heart challenged and joy increasing as I read and begin to apply C.J.'s teaching on humility. I'm looking forward to applying the totality of this book's teaching on the battle against pride.

The first section deals with the dangers of pride and the promise of humility. These first chapters are foundation of all thinking on pride and humility. We are reminded that "humility draws the gaze of our Sovereign God." God holds out wonderful riches to the humble and terrible warnings to the prideful. God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). The battle against pride is one that all Christians fight. C.J. reminds us that pride is a serious sin; because, "pride is when sinful human beings aspire to the status and position of God and refuse to acknowledge their dependence upon Him."

The second section deals in detail with Christ's definition and demonstration of true greatness in Mark 10. Jesus was clear that true greatness is serving others for the glory of God. Jesus demonstrated true greatness in His suffering and death for prideful humans. All true humility should bring gratitude to our hearts because true humility is only possible through the death of Christ. Apart from his demonstration, we would all be prideful rebels.

The third section is classic C.J. Well over half of this book deals with the practice of true humility. C.J. gets very practical in the daily fight against pride. Here is the skeleton outline of his suggestions that I wrote on the back inside cover of my copy:

Overarching Practice: Reflect on the wonder of the Cross

Daily, In the morning:
1. Acknowledge your dependence on God.
2. Express gratitude to God.
3. Practice the spiritual disicplines.
4. Seize your commute time to memorize and meditate on Scripture.
5. Cast your cares upon Him.

Daily, In the evening:
1. Transfer all glory to God.
2. Receive the gift of sleep.
3. Make your final thought an expression of gratefulness for the Cross.

Special Focus:
1. Study the attributes of God.
2. Study the doctrines of grace.
3. Study the doctrine of sin.
4. Play golf.
5. Laugh as much as possible (mainly at yourself).

Other Practices:
1. Identify evidences of grace in others.
2. Encourage others daily.
3. Invite and pursue correction (accountability).
4. Respond humbly to trials.

Run, don't walk, to buy and read this little book. It will not take you long to read but its impact could be far reaching in your life.

Lord, help me to apply these truths. Kill pride and cultivate humility for your glory.