"But He gives us more and more strength to stand against all such evil longings. As the Scripture says, God gives strength to the humble, but sets Himself against the proud and haughty" (James 4:6).
Dr. A. B. Simpson, leader of the Christian and Missionary Alliance at its inception, wisely said years ago." Humility is not thinking meanly of yourself; it is not thinking of yourself at all."
Under that rigid definition, not many of us would qualify as being truly humble - nevertheless, the statement contains a great deal of truth, for it is a goal toward which we should all strive.
No real progress is made toward God in any person's life - believer or unbeliever - without this special characteristic of humility. One proof of that is found in the familiar verse:
"If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14, KJV).
Even before we pray, before we seek His face, before we turn from our wicked ways, we must humble ourselves. Why? Because we are in no position to meet any of these other three criteria without first humbling ourselves.
Every Christian who seeks to advance in a holy life must remember well that humility is the most important lesson a believer has to learn. There may be intense consecration, fervent zeal and heavenly experience, yet there also may be an unconscious self-exaltation. True humility must come from God.
TODAY'S ACTION POINT: Remembering that pride is the root sin from which all others grow, I will humble myself and with the assistance of the Holy Spirit I will stay so busy helping, praying for and encouraging others that pride cannot take root in my life.
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