Take the Lower Place

Proverbs 25:6-7 "Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men: For it is better that it be said to thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen.

Luke 14:11 "For whoever exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

Philippians 2:8-9 "And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name."

In these passages we seen a principle: Do not take glory on yourself, but ratehr let it be given by others. There is another verse in Proverbs which at this time I forget where it is. It instructs us not to say high things of ourselves, but rather to let them be said by others.

When Jesus Christ came to this earth, He let go of all His divine glory, and became obedient completely to the Father, even to a criminal's death, so that He might be glorified. His purpose here on earth was not to come in like a warrior on a horse, but as a humble, peacable man on the colt of a donkey. He put off eternity to step into our time limitations. He instructed us to also put off our idea of ourselves.

These passages give us instruction, example, and life application. I think we all know what it is to make a fool of ourselves in front of someone we respect. We all know what it's like to either be the kid, or see the kid, who is not as cool as he thinks he should be, and tries to buddy up with someone way cooler, only to be shot down to an even lower esteem than previously thought.

I hope some of us have also seen times of thinking less of ourselves that we ought, and being brought into an understanding of who God has made us to be. This is most fulfilling. I recently had an experience when I felt like the scum of the earth, and had a friend who both lifted me up in prayer and in encouragement. I am thankful for this experience, and I hope that I will continue to put off my own idea of how I should be thought of, and live in who Christ has called me to be. I don't humble myself so that I may be glorified, that's not the point. That's false humility, and it does not please God. Nor do I degrade myself for the pity of others, as this is not recognizing who God has made me to be. Real humility says "I know I am not what I would like to be, and therefore I will not seek to be recognized as such. I will not put on a show so others see me, but rather I will daily live my life so those who are around me see Christ's work in my life."

May we seek God's evaluation of us, and not the evaluation of man, while at the same time recognizing that God often speaks through man to reveal what He would have us know.