We’re continuing our series on The Virtuous Life of a Christ-Centered Wife. Today is part one in the discussion on the virtue of humility. See the table of contents at the end of this post.Â
In humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. ~ Philippians 2:4, NIV
Humility is found in many forms such as modesty, meekness, humbleness, lowliness of mind, and submission. These are all things that go against our natural desire to excel and be seen in this world. We are driven by a need to be right, to be in charge and to come first, and time and again, our flesh deceives us into thinking that settling for anything less is a sign of weakness.
Take a look at this quote from GotQuestions.org, it sums up why the Jews refused to accept Jesus as the Messiah:
The Jews rejected Jesus because He failed, in their eyes, to do what they expected their Messiah to doâdestroy evil and all their enemies and establish an eternal kingdom with Israel as the preeminent nation in the world. The prophecies in Isaiah and Psalm 22 described a suffering Messiah who would be persecuted and killed, but they chose to focus instead on those prophecies that discussed His glorious victories, not His crucifixion. ~ Got Questions?org
They wanted a king, who would be triumphant over their enemies, but instead they saw a man who was oppressed and afflicted and brought as a lamb to the slaughter. They wanted strength, but what they found was a weak and broken man who refused to strike back.
Itâs amazing what people miss out on when they refuse to open their eyes. What they failed to see, is the same thing that many people fail to see today which is the incomparable power of humility.
Humility, submission, and lowliness of mind can only occur when the soul is triumphant over the fleshâwhen our desire to come first is put aside for the good of another. Or in the case of our Savior and Lord, His desire was put aside for the good of mankind.
Letâs take a look at the following verses:
Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. ~ John 10:17-18, KJV
Do you see the power in those two verses? Itâs incredible! There wasnât a single moment during His life when Jesus was under the thumb of mankind. Every step that He took to the cross was a willful and deliberate act of service to His Father.
In the same way, submission is a willful and deliberate act of service that we bring to the Lord. Our flesh wants nothing more than to be in control, to win every argument, and to put ourselves first. Those who exercise humility take up their cross daily by laying down the desire of the flesh for the good of another.
Did you notice the word I used there? Exercise. Just like athletes who are training for a race we must train ourselves to be patient, hold our tongue, give up our need to be right, and choose joy. The stronger we get the more power we have over the flesh.
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. ~ Matthew 16:324, KJV
The next time youâre told that submission is a step back for women, remember that every step that you take to the cross is a willful and deliberate act of service to God.
The schedule for this series
Week 1: Introduction
Week 2 – Purity Pt. 1
Week 2 – Purity Pt. 2
Week 3 – Self Control Pt. 1
Week 3 – Self Control Pt. 2
Week 4 – Love Pt. 1
Week 4 – Love Pt. 2
Week 5 – Diligence Pt. 1
Week 5 – Diligence Pt. 2
Week 6 – Patience Pt. 1
Week 6 – Patience Pt. 2
Week 7 – Kindness Pt. 1
Week 7 – Kindness Pt. 2
Week 8 – Humility Pt. 1
You are loved by an almighty God,
Darlene and her husband Michael live in Manitoba Canada. Married 25 years, they have four children (three still at home), a bird and two pugs who are everyone’s babies. Their lives are basically surrounded with three things: faith, music and everything books.
She’s an award winning and New York Times best-selling author who is nothing without the grace of God.
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