Sometimes difficult - humility

There's so much here for us.....let's jump right back in to our verses!

In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,“God opposes the proud    but shows favor to the humble.”
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. (I Peter 5:5-6)

Peter had grown up in the synagogue; he'd read the nearly one hundred admonitions and warnings about pride in the scriptures. He quoted one of them right in our passage for the week: those words come from Proverbs 3:34. And he had read this one:

When pride comes, then comes disgrace,    but with humility comes wisdom. (Proverbs 11:2)

And this one, too:

Pride brings a person low,    but the lowly in spirit gain honor. (Proverbs 29:23)

But more than simply reading, Peter had heard Jesus teach. Remember in Matthew 23, when Jesus condemned the Pharisees? What did He chastise them for? Because they did their good works for one reason -- to be seen by others! They craved honor; they loved to be revered and called "teacher" and other nice titles.... but Jesus said, in that paradox we read, that the greatest shall serve. And that whoever exalts himself will be humbled; and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Yes, Peter read about humility and pride. And he heard Jesus teach on it. But then, Peter SAW it modeled for him. He saw Jesus enter Jerusalem -- not riding in honor and pomp, but on the back of a donkey, the lowliest of positions. And as my grandma used to say, "to top it all off," Peter watched as His Lord dressed Himself as a servant on that final night, and knelt to wash Peter and the other disciples' feet.

That same night, Peter experienced humility himself. You see, it's one thing to read about how we should act. It's another to listen to a great teacher, and be inspired about how we should act. It's even more memorable to see someone set an example for us. But to have it truly "hit home," we must experience it.....

Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”34 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”
35 But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same. (Matthew 26:33-35)

Ah, but we know what happened then: within just a few hours, he is confronted by a teenage girl. "Hey, aren't you one of the ones that were with Him?"  Once, twice, and then the third time with cursing, "NO!"
And the rooster crowed.
And Jesus turned and looked at Peter.
Oh, the depth of despair in his soul.....but God did not leave Peter there. He gave him a chance to come back into fellowship.

God helps the humble. Peter wants us to know that.
Humility is so valuable -- so important to squelch pride -- how can we avoid it's counterfeits? Let me explain....
Satan fell, principally because of pride. Remember?

You said in your heart,    “I will ascend to the heavens;I will raise my throne    above the stars of God;I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,    on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;    I will make myself like the Most High.” (Isaiah 14:13-14)

We can expect then, for Satan to make use of this sin to tempt us, and for God to oppose it. But you know as well as I, that things aren't always so direct and obvious, and easy to discern! For instance, someone may pretend humility, and poor-mouth their own efforts at a task, in order to receive accolades and credit.... they may claim they've not done a good job, when in actuality they have. True humility doesn't mean that we lie....it just means that we refuse to be puffed up if someone compliments us!

I've enjoyed the writings of C.S.Lewis for many years, and I think this passage from the Screwtape Letters is very appropriate here. This is a "senior demon" giving advice and training to a new "tempter:"

“You must conceal from the patient the true end of Humility. Let him think of it not as self-forgetfulness, but as a low opinion of his own talents and character. Fix in his mind the idea that humility consists in trying to believe those talents to be less valuable than he believes them to be…. By this method thousands of humans have been brought to think that humility means pretty women trying to believe they are ugly and clever men trying to believe they are fools. And since what they are trying to believe is, in some cases, manifest nonsense, they cannot succeed in believing it and we have the chance of keeping their minds endlessly revolving on themselves in an effort to achieve the impossible…. The Enemy [God] wants to bring the man to a state of mind in which he could design the best cathedral in the world, and know it to be the best, and rejoice in the fact, without being any more (or less) or otherwise glad at having done it than he would be if it had been done by another…. He wants each man, in the long run, to be able to recognize all creatures (even himself) as glorious and excellent things…. For we must never forget what is the most repellent and inexplicable trait in our Enemy; he really loves the hairless bipeds he has created and always gives back to them with his right hand what he has taken away with his left.”

I think that many believers feel that their Christianity requires not just humility or self-denial, but a constant self-loathing and self-abasement. They allow themselves to be tortured by their thoughts....I'm so evil; I'm totally worthless and wicked. I'm too sinful for God to love me. I'm beyond hope. I'm bad.

Hmmmm. Maybe the problem here is that the subject of each sentence is 'I." The thoughts of the truly humble are not on self, but on God! I've heard it said that the path to humility is not so much in thinking less of ourselves, but in thinking of ourselves less. Good point.

Humility is not an end in itself.....it's desired, and we will find it as we seek God and seek to exalt Him. We will see ourselves in the correct light, as we work to honor God with our words, our actions, and our thoughts. And true humility will, in the end, result in our being exalted by God.

More on this tomorrow!