Humility | C. J. Mahaney

C. J. Mahaney. Humility: True Greatness. Multnomah, 2005. 176 pp.

The Promise of Humility

In Isaiah 66:2 we read these words from the Lord:

This is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

This profound passage points us to an altogether different motivation and purpose for humility than we will ever find in the pages of a secular business manual. Here we find motivation and purpose rooted in this amazing fact: Humility draws the gaze of our Sovereign God.

God is decisively drawn to humility. The person who is humble is the one who draws God’s attention, and in this sense, drawing His attention means also attracting His grace–His unmerited kindness. Think about that: There’s something you can do to attract more of God’s gracious, undeserved, supernatural strength and assistance!

What Is Humility? Humility is honestly assessing ourselves in light of God’s holiness and our sinfulness. That’s the twin reality that all genuine humility is rooted in: God’s holiness and our sinfulness. Without an honest awareness of both these realities . . . all self-evaluation will be skewed and we’ll fail to either understand or practice true humility.

The Perils of Pride

From God’s perspective, pride seems to be the most serious sin. . . . There’s nothing God hates more than this.

Why does God hate pride so passionately? Here’s why: Pride is when sinful human beings aspire to the status and position of God and refuse to acknowledge their dependence upon Him.

THE GREAT REVERSAL: Our Savior and the Secret of True Greatness

Greatness Redefined

As sinfully and culturally defined, pursuing greatness looks like this: Individuals motivated by self-interest, self-indulgence, and a false sense of self-sufficiency pursue selfish ambition for the purpose of self-glorification.

Contrast that with the pursuit of true greatness as biblically defined: Serving others for the glory of God. This is the genuine expression of humility; this is true greatness as the Savior defined it.

Greatness Demonstrated

To learn true humility, we need more than a redefinition of greatness; we need even more than Jesus’ personal example of humble service. What we need is His death.

All Christian service not only reflects the Savior’s example, but should also remind us of His sacrifice. Ultimately, our Christian service exists only to draw attention to this great source–to our crucified and risen Lord who gave Himself as a ransom for us all.

OUR GREAT PURSUIT: The Practice of True Humility

It’s possible to admire humility while remaining proud ourselves. . . . And at this moment you may be deceiving yourself into thinking that you are making progress against pride simply because you are reading a book about humility.

Merely being inspired by the promise of humility or the meaning of true greatness is not sufficient; nor is it enough to also be educated about the perils of pride. If there’s ever to be transformation in our lives . . . there must be the purposeful application of truth.

As Each Day Begins

1. Reflect on the wonder of the cross of Christ.
2. Begin your day by acknowledging your dependence upon God and your need for God.
3. Begin your day expressing gratefulness to God.
4. Practice the spiritual disciplines–prayer, study of God’s Word, worship.
5. Seize your commute time to memorize and meditate on Scripture.
6. Cast your cares upon Him.

As Each Day Ends

1. Review the day and carefully assign all glory to God for the grace experienced that day.
2. Receive the gift of sleep from God and acknowledge His purpose for sleep.
3. Pray something like this: “Lord, thank You for this gift. The fact that I’m so tired is a reminder that I am the creature and only You are the Creator. Only You neither slumber nor sleep, while, for me, sleep is something I cannot go without. Thank You for this gracious, humbling, refreshing gift.
4. Make your final thought each night an expression of gratefulness for the Savior’s sacrifice on the cross as your substitute for your many sins.

For Special Focus

1. Study the attributes of God.
2. Study the doctrines of God.
3. Study the doctrine of sin.

Excerpted from Humility © 2005 by Sovereign Grace Ministries. Used by permission of Multnomah Publishers, Inc. Excerpt may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of Multnomah Publishers, Inc.

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