The way up is always down. The servant is the greatest of all.

SolLuna, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

12/8
Matthew 23:1-12

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father– the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted."

Paul says, of the Advent of Jesus, in Philippians, that the Christ humbled himself and took on the form of a servant.

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.