FOOD FOR TEENS: HUMILITY

Beloved teens, welcome to this glorious month of May. I hope you are walking in the grace of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ?

Humility can be defined as a modest estimate of one’s own worth. Romans 12:3 says, “For I say through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” According to the above scripture and definition, pride and humility starts from our thought, how we rate ourselves in our eyes. We are who God says we are; As He is, so are we in this world. “Of His own will begat He us by the word of truth to be a kind of first fruits of all creatures” -- (James 1:18). Our greatness as believers in Christ cannot be over emphasized but it should never be a yardstick for high mindedness. 

Below are some key points on why you should live a life of humility.

1. Humility is one of the qualities of God. If you want to be like God, you must be humble because God is humble, Philippians 2:5-7, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. But made himself of no reputation, took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men.” Jesus also described Himself in Matthew 11:29a, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me: for I am meek and lowly in heart.”

2. The more I look at the life of Jesus the more I discover that humility is a sign of strength and not weakness. It is for great men not for mean men.

3. Humility is the direct opposite of inferiority complex. Humility is not born out of fear but of confidence in God. When you are conscious of the power that is at work in you, you become humble knowing that it is not by your strength but by the grace of God. One of the best ways to identify an ignorant person is through their arrogance (pride) – Colossians 2:18. Ignorance breeds arrogance while great knowledge breeds humility. I sometimes wonder how Jesus Christ with all the power at His disposal still allowed Himself to be crucified, beaten, and humiliated. That shows that with strength comes great restraint and restraint to humility.

4. Humility is found among people who spend time more in their inner (spiritual) development than those who spend time on their outer (physical) development. Humility (meekness) is not of this world. It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit – Galatians 5:22-23. So, if you keep trying to be humble without the help of the Holy Ghost, you might not go far.

5. A humble spirit is a teachable spirit. Proud people can’t learn much from God because in their minds they know too much. They talk more than they listen. They focus too much on themselves and no one else. Someone said, if you are full of yourself you will make a very small package. They expect everything to revolve around them, therefore their world and exposure is very limited.

6. Do you know that God Himself resists the proud and gives grace to the humble? – 1st Peter 5:5. How far can a mad go if he is resisted by God? The devil is the least of a man’s problems if he is proud. You can’t even resist the devil if you are not humble towards God (James 4:7). The hand of God upon your life determines where and how far you go in life. If you are humble God’s hand will always lift you up but if you are proud in heart His hand will always pull you down. You decide which way you want to go by your attitude. Man can resist you and you will still succeed in life but it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31)

7. Before honour is humility and before destruction there is pride – Proverbs 18:12. Just like the devil lost his place as a result of pride, don’t go up the ladder of success through humility only to fall down through pride. What is it you have that you did not receive – 1st Corinthians 4:7? According to Proverbs 18:12, it is a principle by God that before honour must get to a person, humility must first be seen in the heart of that person and before destruction pride must also be discovered first. Proverbs 22:4, “By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honour and life.” What more could a person ask for if he has riches, honour and life? My brothers and sisters serve God with humility and fear and you will see him lift you up. 

God bless you. Have a great month ahead.