A Closer Walk

A CLOSER WALK
Greg Worthen

Here is a caution from our Lord Jesus, “For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted,” Luke 14:11. What does this mean? The American Heritage Dictionary 5th Edition defines exalt as, “To raise in rank, character, or status; elevate. To glorify, praise, or honor.” The Bible cautions us in the Book of Proverbs, “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips,” Proverbs 27:2 NASB. Said another way, we should not be blowing our own horn. The Apostle Paul weighs in on this as well, “For through the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith,” Romans 12:3 NASB.
We should not exalt ourselves. Our own lips should not praise ourselves. And we should not think more highly of ourselves than we ought to. In fact, the above verse from Romans tells us that if we are thinking more highly of ourselves than we should we are not using sound judgment. So by not thinking more highly of ourselves than we should we are in fact exercising sound judgment, according to this verse from Romans 12. In addition to not exalting ourselves, we are commanded to humble ourselves. The American Heritage Dictionary 5th Edition defines humble as, “Marked by meekness or modesty in behavior, attitude, or spirit; not arrogant or prideful. Showing deferential or submissive respect. Low in rank, quality, or station; unpretentious or lowly.” In addition, we are instructed to “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you,” 1 Peter 5:6-7 NASB. “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others,” Philippians 2:3-4 NASB.
So we are to think of others as more important than ourselves. Who does that? More people than you might think. Some of God's children work at humility and being humble. The word humble is both a noun and a verb. Humble yourself is describing an action we take. A verb. Being humble is a noun to describe our state of being. Don Finto is a retired pastor, was a prominent figure in the “Jesus Movement” of the 1970's and is known for advocating for the evangelism of the Jewish people. This quote is attributed to him. “God's job is to exalt us. Our job is to humble ourselves. If we insist on doing God's job, He will insist on doing ours.” In other words, if we insist on exalting ourselves then our God will insist on humbling us. Isn't it better to do that ourselves than to put our God into the position of having to do it for us?
Exalting. Humbling. Which do we choose? Here is another caution, “You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE,” 1 Peter 5:5 NASB. We are commanded to clothe ourselves with humility toward one another. Why? Why would anyone want to do that? The Scriptures clearly and plainly inform us that our God is opposed to the proud. That tells us that the Lord God Almighty will actively work against us if we are proud or arrogant; in other words, not humble. We can humble ourselves at any time. Even a multitude of times if we need to. Do we want Almighty God to actively work against you? That is our choice. But here is what Joshua, Moses' successor, told the Israelites as they began their life in the promised land. “Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. And if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD,” Joshua 24:14-15 NASB.
As for me, well, I choose this day and every day to serve the Lord. I wish the same for you. I prefer to have our God working with me instead of actively working against me. Remember, His wonders are too many to be counted. And His blessings can be overflowing. Humble yourself therefore under the mighty hand of God because He gives His grace to the humble.
“I surrender all, I surrender all; All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all. All to Jesus I surrender, All to Him I freely give; I will ever love and trust Him, In His presence daily live. All to Jesus I surrender, Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel Thy Holy Spirit, Truly know that Thou art mine. All to Jesus I surrender, Lord, I give myself to Thee; Fill me with Thy love and power, Let Thy blessing fall on me. [Refrain] I surrender all, I surrender all; All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all.” Three verses and refrain twice from “I Surrender All.” Words by Judson W. Van Demeter, 1855-1939, music by Winfield S. Weeden, 1847-1908.