Following Christ’s Example of Humility
Photo Credit: Camile Garzon
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When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom. — Proverbs 11:2
In the modern world, how much do we hear about pushing others forward, making others look good, magnifying others’ efforts? Humility isn’t a popular topic. Advertising, movies, and books focus much more on making ourselves better, more sought after, elevated, popular, or attractive. The word “humility” is rarely used anymore in our everyday vocabulary, but for Christians it should be. In Jerry Bridges’s book The Blessing of Humility, he notes that humility is something Christians are called to walk in (p. 5). Bridges writes,
…a good rule to follow is found in the words of Proverbs 27:2: “Let another one praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.” (p. 4)
Humility is more than avoiding pride.
We should wait for others to praise us; we shouldn’t parade our own good works around. While we shouldn’t make ourselves unduly the center of attention, puffed up with our own accomplishments, there is also a flip side to this. We should be those who go out of our way to give praise to others.
How can we do this though? This kind of humility can be difficult to practice. In this competitive world in which we live, we may wonder if we will ever get ahead if we don’t operate our own spotlight. Whether we get acclaim from people should not be our focus.
Jesus didn’t worry about making a name for himself.
To help us turn our thoughts away from gaining attention for ourselves, we need to focus on our Savior Jesus Christ, who is the supreme example of what it means to be humble. In fact, Jesus’ whole life was a one of putting others forward. He became flesh and underwent the hardships and indignities of this earthly life and death so that we might have a glorious future. Jesus didn’t worry about making a name for himself; yet, in his work of our redemption in his life, death, and resurrection he has become the most precious treasure. His name is indeed above all names.
By remembering and being grateful for Jesus’ life and sacrificial death and his never-ending love for us, we can let go of our anxiety about not being noticed or recognized and instead focus on following the humble example of our Savior by putting others before ourselves.
This article is adapted from “Following Our Lord’s Example of Humility” in BCL’s January 2023 monthly newsletter “Humility.”
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Ayrian Yasar, a Washington State native, holds a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies from Westminster Seminary California. Besides theology and Hebrew, she enjoys nature, theater, music, art, Seahawks football, cooking with her husband, gardening, and dreaming about owning a coffee shop. She currently lives in Florida with her husband Rev. Z. Bulut Yasar (OPC). Ayrian is the associate editor of Beautiful Christian Life.
