True humility to serve one another
“Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence, and do not claim a place among his great men.” (Proverbs 25:6)
“Not thinking less of yourself but thinking about yourself less.” True humility does not downgrade who you are or what you do. It’s an adjustment of priority and focus.
To have true humility, we must not be concerned about ourselves first. Today’s verse is good illustration of true humility.
We can ask ourselves:
- Is my ambition to gain recognition?
- If I’m recognized more, will I be happier?
There is nothing wrong with working hard and seeking to advance; however, if we are only concerned about our own goals, there could be an issue.
The perfect example of humility is Jesus. He helps us understand what true humility looks like when he told us: “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give.” (Mark 10:45) True humility is not concerned about what I get or how I look. Instead, it shows how we can serve others as my Savior first served me.
This theme of true humility is repeated many times across the pages of the Bible. Jesus himself told a parable with the same message as today’s verse. The parable (Luke 14:7-11) is about people at a wedding celebration. They selected the most visible and honorable places to sit. They ended up being humbled after being told they were in someone else’s seat. They had to go to a seat in the back of the room. Jesus closed the parable with this thought “All those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Jesus’ words combined with the message from Proverbs help us to examine our thoughts and motives. While we may not advocate for ourselves, do we secretly crave the praise of others? We should remember to humbly serve as our Savior would have us do. May God give us a humble heart.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for humbly coming to earth to serve me and all mankind. Forgive me for the times I have tried to advance myself and ended up hurting others. Give me a truly humble heart which seeks to serve others as you first served me. Amen.