Living with Humility
by Debbie Poer
As those of you who follow the e2 e-newsletter know, we are spending this year looking at traits of Jesus that we can implement in our lives so that we live more like Him. The February topic of Humility - Unity is a personal challenge to me. While I convince myself I strive to live in unity with others, I’ve had to pause and take a hard look at whether or not I do it with the humility of Jesus. That led to thinking how I can speak to you, our readers, about humility when I fall so short myself. I have prayed and prayed about what to write. And then this morning…
My spiritual walk this year is taking me through the book Prayers of Rest by Asheritah Ciuciu and when I opened it this morning (the day I am writing this) the title of her meditation was “One with God and One Another.” Her writing began with John 17:20-21 and Jesus prayer over us, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be in one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” Such a beautiful prayer by Jesus, that as his disciples we would learn to live like Him to be one with him and united with one another.
As I read on, I was captured by Ms. Ciuciu directing her readers to Philippians 2:1-4:
Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy be being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
Those four verses are filled with humility lived by Jesus and unity prayed for by Jesus! Here are just two examples of humility I find he lived and taught us and unity the expects of us as reflected in his prayer.
Jesus lived without selfish ambition or conceit. Matthew 8:20 tells us he lived humbly with no place to lay his head. In Matthew 12:1 we see evidence that acquiring money and wealth were not high priorities as Jesus and his disciples picked grain to eat when hungry and passing through a field. But more importantly, in Matthew chapters 26 and 27 we see beyond the physical and we see the true humility of Jesus as he stood before the Sanhedrin and Pontius Pilate as he was being falsely accused. Before both, he was almost silent. When he did speak, he spoke only the truth of who he is.
Jesus taught us about humility in Luke 18: 9-14 with the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. The Pharisee told God how good he was, while the tax collector could not face heaven without asking for God’s mercy. Our lesson is learned in verse 14 when Luke shares Jesus’ words, “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Jesus lived a life of service to others. The gospels are filled with examples of his service to others. Whether it was his first public miracle of providing fine wine at the wedding where the wine had run out, or healing people throughout his ministry, his was a life of serving others.
He taught us about service in the best example ever when he washed his disciples’ feet. This well-known example of servanthood found in John 13 culminates with Jesus instructing his disciples in verse 15, “For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.”
But how does the life of Jesus, a life of humility, translate into humility and unity for me and you?
I can only live a life of humility if I am focused on living like Jesus, believing and trusting his John 17 prayer over me. If I strive to not be prideful or seek praise for my actions and behaviors, to live humbly, I should automatically be able to see the worth of others – something Jesus sees. When I see others as Jesus sees them, I should be drawn to looking out for their needs, to serve them – to be united with them in their daily walk.
I have a long way to go in living like Jesus.
What about you?
