Maimonides teaches about the 'measure of men' (compared to the earth and the universe, men is very small). – Public Domain

HUMILITY BEFORE GOD AND MAN

Think about this: would you prefer to be humbled or to humble yourself?

Would you prefer an honor bestowed by the most honorable of all or to convey honor upon yourself?

“And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.” – Matthew 23:12

Humility before God and man does not come easy to us. The grip of pride is strong upon our hearts. We may be convinced that there is no escape. There is. God is our helper. He will deliver us from pride as surely as He forgives and redeems. He can impart the humility of Christ into our lives.

It is, after all, His purpose to express the life of His Son through us

It is not easy to describe humility, but we know it when we see it. At the core of a generous heart is the seed of humility. In the soul of a servant, a humble man or woman lives.

The admonition to humility is phrased as a promise. The humble will be exalted. The sanctified irony of the matter is that is exaltation is your motive for being humble, then you are faking it and your humility is not real. But if it is based upon a genuine assessment of your life in the light of God’s glory, it is very real and that reality brings dignity…

Father, since I have no humility of my about which to boast, I come in the humility of Jesus Christ. Purge me of pride and enable me to walk in the steps of Jesus as He walks this path again through me.

Now, What About Humility and Confidence?

Are they compatible?

A man's steps are directed by the LORD.
How then can anyone understand his own way? – Proverbs 20:24 (New International Version)

The very steps we take come from God;
otherwise how would we know where we're going? – Same verse (The Message)

γνώθι σεαυτόν (Greek Proverb inscribed at the entrance to the temple of Apollo at Delphi) – Translation: "Know thyself."

There is a conflict between what the Oracle of Delphi prescribes and what the sage of Jerusalem decrees. The Greek proverbs adjures us to know ourselves and the Proverbs tell us that we cannot completely know ourselves. There are factors that are like ingredients in the mix of our lives that are beyond our grasp and deeper than our introspection.

Alexander Pope boasted,

"Know then thyself, presume not God to scan;
The proper study of mankind is Man."

While not being altogether in error in his observation, he is not all-inclusive.

God is guiding our lives. Chance meetings evolve into lifetime relationships; courses are changed in a moment; entire destinies are altered by a word or deed of seemingly marginal significance.

God is guiding us, leading us, nudging us, preparing us, and building a highway of destiny for us. Of course, we can rebel and pridefully avoid His grace, but it will never be dismissed entirely. We simply do not know everything there is t know about ourselves and our purpose on this planet.

We need a dose of humility to boost our confidence.

A BIG dose!

Walk in wonder with a deepening appreciation for the mysteries of God in you. Liv e in awe and expectancy. temper your confidence with humility and your humility with courage. Leave some things dangling in yourself perception.

Don't lock yourself into hard and fast definitions of yourself.

First know God and let Him introduce you to yourself.

He has always known you.