Christian Life Principles Part 5

Today we are continuing with our series, Christian Life Principles. Webster’s Dictionary’s defines the word principle as: a comprehensive and fundamental law, doctrine, or assumption; a rule or code of conduct.

The first principle we looked at was the principle of laying down our lives for others the same way Jesus laid His life down for us.

Then we looked at the principle of giving and we found that giving encompasses much more than finances!

We then looked at the principle of Staying Connected to God. The reason we have to stay connected is simple, we cannot live the Christian life without being connected to God and that connection is something that we need to make the decision to do.

Last week we examined the principle of faith. We found that without faith it is impossible to please God. He didn’t say without hope or without love, but without faith. Why? Because you and I cannot even believe that God exists without faith and that He rewards those that diligently seek Him. We also saw that the Christian life is a fight of faith!

Today we are looking at the principle of humility, or staying humble. This is something we constantly need to work on because human nature is prideful and pride never serves us well. Let’s start by looking at

James 4:6–10 NIV

6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

When We Humble Ourselves, God Lifts Us Up!

If we want to be “promoted” by God, we need to keep ourselves humble. We must realize that there is no way we can live life on our own without God. We can have the tendency to think that we are the ones making a good life for ourselves. We are the ones who studied, who worked hard for things that we wanted and basically we are the ones who deserves to be promoted because of all our hard work. The problem with that is we really have no control over tomorrow. We really don’t know what the next hour will bring. But God does and when we humble ourselves in His eyes, He can raise us up in ways that haven’t even entered our finite way of thinking.

1 Peter 5:6–7 TPT

6 If you bow low in God’s awesome presence, he will eventually exalt you as you leave the timing in his hands. 7 Pour out all your worries and stress upon him and leave them there, for he always tenderly cares for you.

God Determines When to Exalt the Humble!

Have you ever made a goal for yourself and set a time to achieve it then missed it? We can guesstimate times and put out goals, however, we don’t control time. Guess what? God does control time. And when we humble ourselves, He will raise us up in His time. T hat is why we cannot be weary in well doing. If we quit being humble and take back control, our “time” will never come around. But when we stay humble in God’s sight, the time will come when He determines to use us. Story of Joseph!

Micah 6:8 NLT

8 No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

We Need to do Our Part!

So being humble is what we have to do ourselves. He has told us repeatedly in His word that what is required for us to live in humility. We need to do what is right, to love giving mercy to others, and to walk humbly, not pridefully. Being a doer of the word changes us from the inside out!

Luke 18:10–14 AMP

10 Two men went up into the temple [enclosure] to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee took his stand ostentatiously and began to pray thus before and with himself: God, I thank You that I am not like the rest of men—extortioners (robbers), swindlers [unrighteous in heart and life], adulterers—or even like this tax collector here. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I gain. 13 But the tax collector, [merely] standing at a distance, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but kept striking his breast, saying, O God, be favorable (be gracious, be merciful) to me, the especially wicked sinner that I am! 14 I tell you, this man went down to his home justified (forgiven and made upright and in right standing with God), rather than the other man; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.

When We Consistently Walk Humbly, We Become Humble!

Being Humble becomes not an exercise that we do, but it actually becomes who we are. We don’t have to overcompensate any more because it becomes us. Who we are not what we do!