SPIRIT

from Pride and Shame on Youversion

What truths to do we need to take hold of in order to live a life of humility?

First and foremost, we need to take to heart the opening line of Rick Warren’s, The Purpose-Driven Life: “It’s not about you.”

This may seem a little, um . . . obvious, but so often in our culture we lose sight of this. Our lives tend to revolve around a planet of one, and anything not within that tiny orbit has a tendency to get neglected. But we can’t pin this all on our society; our flesh is wired for exactly the same thing. The flesh is concerned for only one thing – itself – and will go to great lengths to promote and indulge it.

And this is where Christ steps in and sets us free from a life of fleshly indulgence. He came not only as an example of someone who lived a godly life but to also provide us with the power to do it.

‭‭For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

2 Timothy‬ ‭1:7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Those who put their faith in Christ receive the gift of the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of power – and this Spirit allows us to do things that we would otherwise be impossible if we were only controlled by our flesh.

Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:5‭-‬9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

For instance, the ability to love others. Genuinely love them. Not just treat them nicely when it suits us or when we feel like it, but love them the way Christ loves us. Love naturally brings humility because it takes the focus off of us and onto the object of our love.

When we live a life of love, we experience something far greater than the fleeting happiness of the flesh: we experience joy. Joy is what springs from deep in our souls when the will of God is accomplished in our life and in the lives of others – the fulfillment of what we were created for. And it carries with it a great deal of peace . . . another fruit of the Spirit.

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:22‭-‬23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

All of this is a long way from the self-focus of shame and pride that we seek to escape. Those no longer have a hold on us because He has a hold on us. He will never let us go, He has forgiven us and given us His Spirit, and that Spirit enables us to live a life free of the shame and pride that once dominated us. But it requires a conscious choice on our part to lean into that Spirit, to yield to Him, and to say no to our old life of being dominated by our flesh.

Is this easier said than done? Of course it is. But if doing so means living a life free of shame and pride, it’s probably worth the effort. And if the Son of God died in order to bring us this life – we should do everything we can to take advantage of it. How to accomplish this is where we’ll turn our attention next.

Prayer: Dear Lord, You modeled humility like no one else, coming to earth as a man, serving humanity, and ultimately giving Your life to see the world redeemed. You had every right to be proud, and you had nothing to be ashamed of, but You rejected both pride and shame and instead chose the way of humility out of obedience to Your Father. Thank You for giving us Your Spirit that allows us to do the same. In Your name, Amen.