Bible Verse of the Day Friday April 19th, 2024

Philippians 2:6-7 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

Humility is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the most significant element of forgiveness. It is directly opposed to pride. Where pride seeks selfish gain, humility seeks selfless gain. True humility is to esteem another person more greatly than ourselves. Humbling oneself before God in repentance is mandatory for all believers. The sin of pride is at the root of all evil. Self-exaggeration and rebellion are the reasons God cast Satan from his midst for eternity.  

Humbling ourselves before others is necessary. It is sad when we see dissension and grievances in the church. One who believed they were slighted by another may make disparaging remarks in return; a misunderstanding may cause anger. These all have one significant theme: "They hurt my feelings!" "They made me angry!" "They can't do that to me!"

Becoming a Christian requires accepting that we are all sinners and require repentance of our sins. By doing that, we are humbling or submitting ourselves to God and acknowledging that we need a Savior because we could not save ourselves. Children know they can't care for themselves and need another to care for and provide for them. Humility is the acknowledgment of that need. When we acknowledge by our words and behavior that we need the help of others, we humble ourselves "like little children."

When we dress each day, we consciously try to look our best. In the same way, we must take deliberate action daily to clothe ourselves "with humility toward one another." By doing so, we will learn obedience and submission. When we do, we will find it easy to get through those terrible times in our lives and experience the healing power of forgiveness.