With Humility, In Unity
by Gary Johnson
We are off to a strong start in 2025. We are on a quest to surrender to the lordship of Jesus Christ, wanting to experience the increasing fulfillment of being more like Jesus (i.e., 1 John 2:6, “Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus lived.”) Each month, we are focusing on a trait of Jesus, and February takes us on the pursuit of humility, and when we experience sincere humility in our individual lives, it fosters unity among us.
First things first. We must remind ourselves of the opposite of humility: pride. We live in a culture that feeds on pride. Dozens of award shows give hundreds of trophies to recipients. An estimated 90 million selfies are taken every day in America. The constant “I, me, my” mindset is likened to an unholy trinity that is consumed with self, and how we think determines how we live. If we, as individuals, think that we are the center of the universe, we will experience some painful consequences. For example…
Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
James 4:6 “…God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
Anyone want to deliberately fail in life? Anyone interested in being opposed by the Creator and Sustainer of the universe? The last I knew God always wins and I do not want to be on the outs with Him. Pride (and notice that the middle letter in that word is an “I”) is the exact opposite of humility.
With that being said, let’s clear up some poor thinking when it comes to humility. Far too many people define humility with humiliation, being a proverbial doormat for people to walk over. We need to change our working definition of humility. Simply put, humility is not thinking less of ourselves, but thinking less often of ourselves. Jesus did just that.
When we look at the life of Jesus, He intentionally thought less often of Himself. For example…
When wanting to grieve the murder of his cousin, John the Immerser, Jesus went to a remote place to be alone. More than 5,000 men—plus women and children—followed Him. Jesus thought less of His needs and then ministered to their needs, healing them as well as feeding them (Mt 14:1-21).
When Jesus wanted to rest in the heat of the day, He began a conversation with a woman at a well and shared with her good news that He was the Messiah. As a result, an entire community of people came to saving faith in Jesus (Jn 4:1-42).
Jesus welcomed “interruptions” by people. He healed the blind, raised the dead, enabled the paralyzed to walk and more. Why? He thought less often of Himself and more often about the needs of others. “When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them for they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Mt 9:36).
By far, the most stellar example of Jesus thinking less often of Himself was when He willingly left heaven, became a human, and died a criminal’s death on a cross. And while on the cross, God poured out His wrath and rage on Jesus—God’s one and only Son whom He loved. That wrath and rage was meant for you and for me. Paul described it this way…
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus, who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing. Taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness and being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:5-8
The word “humility” means lowly of mind. Jesus literally lowered Himself from heaven above and came to earth below. He not only lowered Himself to wash the filthy feet of the disciples on the last night of His life, but Jesus washed their—and our—filthy souls by humbly suffering our death sentence for sin (i.e., “the wages of sin is death” Rom 6:23). Jesus chose humility.
Humility is a choice. We must choose to think less often of ourselves, and this will crush pride from becoming rooted in our interior world. To that end, in the strength of the Holy Spirit within me, I try to do FOUR specific actions to “move to a lower place” in humility. After all, how I think determines how I live.
Be quick.
I try to be quick to encourage and thank others, to ask them questions about their lives in an attempt to deflect attention from me, and this leads me to…
Be quiet.
I try to actively listen to others and not be the primary voice in a conversation.
Go last.
When I don’t have to be the first through an intersection or a checkout lane, I am reminded that others matter.
Let go.
When I regularly ask others for their insights, advice and help, I let go of control, realizing my need for others.
Now then, here’s the kicker. When we pursue and find humility, we foster unity among us. When a husband and wife are both humble, their marriage oozes servanthood. When a mom and dad are both humble, children are blessed by being in a home that sincerely cares for one another. When friends are mutually humble with each other, those relationships are rich and profound. It is then that we are able to “make every effort to maintain unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph 4:3). Moreover, “how good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity” (Ps 133:1). Humility fosters unity, and how sweet it is!
Jesus chose humility. Will we?
