“Should you ask me: What is the first thing in religion? I should reply: the first, second, and third thing therein is humility.” – Augustine
Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses…For when I am weak, then I am strong. – 2 Corinthians. 12:9-10
It seems that Paul’s thorn in the flesh was sent to humble him so that he might not exalt himself as a result of the revelations given to him. Paul’s first desire was to have the thorn removed, and he asked the lord three times that it might be taken away. The answer came to him that the trial was a blessing—that through weakness and humiliation it brought, the grace and strength of the lord could better be manifested.
When God doesn’t grant our request to remove things from our lives how do you feel?
Paul at once entered upon a new stage in his relationship to the trial: instead of simply enduring it, he gladly gloried in it; instead of asking for deliverance, he took pleasure in it. He had learned that the place of humiliation is the place of blessing, power, and of joy.
What trials in your Journey has allowed you to enter a new stage in Christ?
However, many Christians fear and flee and seek deliverance from all that would humble them. At times they may pray for humility, but their heart of hearts they pray even more to be kept from the things that would bring them to that place. They have not reached the level of seeing humility as a manifestation of the beauty of the Lamb of God.
What situations in your life blinds you from seeing humility as a blessing?
Conclusion: The grace of humility is greater and nearer that we think. The humility of Jesus is our salvation: Jesus himself is our humility. His grace is sufficient for us to meet the temptation of pride. His strength will be perfected in our weakness. Let us choose to be weak, to be low, to be nothing. Let humility be to us joy and gladness. Let us gladly glory and take pleasure in weakness, in all that will humble us and keep us low; the power of Christ will rest upon us. Christ humbled himself, therefore God exalted him. Christ will humble us and keep us humble; let us heartily consent, let us trustfully and joyfully accept all that humbles; the power of Christ will rest upon us.