Have you ever noticed that proud people are actually boring? I mean they may have accomplished a great deal but after hearing of all their grandiose exploits many times over, again and again, doesn’t it get tedious to listen to? Add to that they are also very weak for the strength they rely on is solely their own; from their ‘self’ nature. They have no help from God. No, to have the help of God one must walk in the power of humility and servanthood.
The ugliness of pride in me
I have seen pride first hand, many times over, primarily in myself more than others. I have to admit that it looks really ugly. Have you seen that in yourself too? Before we went to the wilderness, I didn’t realize how much pride I had, but after God stripped everything away, I could not deny its presence. Now I loathe to go down that road again. Even with this blog and the podcast I fear too much of me is impeding Jesus coming forth. This is not a battle I enjoy.
When I lived by my pride, frustration, defeat and failure was commonplace. I was also exhausted for I had to rely solely on my strength to achieve whatever I wanted to achieve. Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation? It isn’t fun, is it? We constantly have to watch out for number one while stepping on all the little people as we scratch our way to the top. Exhausting, isn’t it?
Humility and servanthood opens doors
Thankfully, God broke us down in the wilderness. By stripping us of all that we held dear, I saw the ugliness of my pride. I saw in gory, technicolor details the horrid, insufferable ways I had relied on my ‘self’ to push my way forward. From this place of brokenness, I repented of my grievous selfishness.
Then God did something we did not expect. He opened doors we could have never opened on our own. Our humbled state of being His lowly servants left us relying on Jesus alone to perfectly provide for our every need, especially for food, clothing and shelter. It was a surprise to us when He would go before and provide us those necessities.
What our pride would not allow us to see in our former life was how Jesus longs to provide for each of His children. And yes, this means you. We were so determined to provide for ourselves we could not imagine God humbling Himself to provide for us, but that is exactly what He longs to do. This is the great mystery and power of our God.
Jesus is our humble God
Humility and servanthood are the very nature of Jesus and the Father. This is a concept our fleshy mind cannot comprehend. We want to serve a big, bold God who is as high and mighty as we are in our prideful arrogance. Frankly, I think many find the concept of a servant God as, well, humiliating, and beneath them.
When we follow pride we inevitably alienate ourselves from our Creator for prideful thinking is the opposite of His nature.
Instead of being an exalted, lofty, distant deity, Jesus understands even the most lowly of the low, precisely because He IS a servant. Without this nature He would be distant and unapproachable, but He is not. Even the most vile offender, the lowliest slave, the abused, poor and homeless, can relate to Jesus because He comes to us as a servant. Truly, what God is like our God?
The mystery and power of a humble, serving God
This power of humility and servanthood that Jesus gave to us as an example has power beyond our comprehension. It baffles us because it confounds our prideful ‘self’ nature. The humble servant has the backing and power of an almighty God while the proud person can only rely on their limited, earthy resources. Indeed, proud believers will find themselves continually blocked by the very God they claim to serve. This is the mystery of God we discovered on the path of uncompromising faith.
In today’s podcast we learn about Hermann Hesse, Art Katz, oobleck and the amazing power of humility. May you find in these simple words the power of humility and servanthood.
Blessings,
Homer and Wanda
Awesome post! I went over and listened to your podcast and greatly enjoyed. God’s Blessings to you both! ?
Thank you so much! May Jesus bring new intimacy and joy as you pursue Him! Blessings to you Renee.
Welcome! ?
This post was sooooooo good. I listened the podcast to it earlier while on the move and now reading this is an excellent compliment.
I enjoyed the stories shared and the remark about the world needing more men to serve (or something along that line) really resonated with me.
I agree that the arrogant live a boring and exhausting life. The humble on the other hand are so interesting and satisfied and fulfilled. Look at Jesus, the humblest of them all.
My family, keep on shining for Jesus. His light through you all is needed.
PS: A very special shout out to Mrs. Wanda. I love listening to you share your thoughts on the podcast. Your voice exudes such a depth in Christ that makes me want to go even deeper in my walk. ?
Our deepest gratitude for these kind words Dee. Wanda is humbled by this and greatly pleased that you are encouraged to pursue deeper intimacy with Jesus through what she shares. Both of us want nothing more than to be vessels of Light for His purposes.
Bless you dear sister and may you continue to feel the warmth of His hands upon your face.
❤️??
Great post, Homer, thank you. Many times pride has raised its ugly head in my life. I praise God for His revelation of pride and healing and continued deliverance.
Thank you so much Terese. Your good comment is a confirmation of what we have learned. May Jesus bless you in amazing ways this week!
Amen and Amen, Homer! Blessings upon you and your family.
I’ve never combined “pride” and “boring” so I love seeing this connection here. I’ll take everything I can to get over pride. 🙂 Humility is the most beautiful virtue and Christ wore it well. May I grow more into following his example.
Thank you so much. We stand with you in your prayer.