Luke 9:47-48

True humility among God’s people shines like a sparkling diamond against a black velvet cloth. Humility is not the abasement of self, for we are created in God’s image, rather it is the emptying of selfish desires and vain conceits or empty glory. True humility is comfortable in its own skin – it has nothing to prove. It is not to think little of self rather it is not to give self place at all. This life is simply not about us. We are on our journey home; a journey that readies us for eternity; a journey that is conforming us to the image of Christ. Paul tells us in Philippians:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! Phil 2:3-8 (NIV)
Let’s consider for a moment who we are in Christ. We are children of the King and as such we are to demonstrate royalty. This is not snobbery (which actually is derived from two words sans and nobility – meaning without nobility!) rather it is an understanding of who we are in Him. Jesus knew where He came from and where He was going. I am reminded of the passage in John where Jesus washes His disciple’s feet:1 It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. 2 The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. John 13:1-5 (NIV)
I love what the Bible Knowledge Commentary states about these verses: “Yet God was in control of all events leading to Jesus’ death. Jesus knew (cf. vv. 1, 18) His sovereign authority, His origin, and coming destiny; yet He voluntarily took the place of a slave, washing the feet of His disciples. His action contrasts sharply with their self-seeking (cf. Matt. 20:20-24; Mark 9:33-34; Luke 22:24-30) and pictures His whole ministry on earth (cf. Phil. 2:5-8)”. As His children, do we have a grasp of our coming destiny? Like Jesus, it would certainly do us well to remember that we came from God and that we are returning to God and that throughout all eternity we will be with Him in our glorified bodies basking in total peace and joy. Whatever amount of time He allows between those two occurrences belongs to Him (just as we do, I might add!). As His children, we are of great significance and we have nothing to prove; we were bought with a very high price. Paul tells us:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. 1 Cor 6:19-20 (NIV) God places a high rank on humility among His people. We are told by the prophet Micah: 8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 (NIV)
We are called to fellowship with God walking with Him in all modesty without arrogance having dependence upon and a subjection to God’s authority. As Paul tells us:4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power. 1 Cor 2:3-5 (NIV)
And again he states later in Chapter Four of I Corinthians: 7 For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? 1 Cor 4:7 (NIV)
The Bible Knowledge Commentary states: “Humility is the only acceptable posture of a person in relation to the God who gives a wide variety of gifts on the basis of grace and therefore alone is deserving of praise.” “When we became Christians, we humbled ourselves. It was a prerequisite. No one can accept the sacrifice of Jesus without realizing that he or she needs it, and that acceptance does violence to the ego. But after our salvation, we have an all-too-human tendency to let pride creep back in. We strive in our own strength to do the work of the Spirit. We start thinking that our righteousness is actually ours and not Christ’s. We think our loyalty to God is praiseworthy rather than the product of pure grace. In other words, our God-centered lives can become self-centered quickly and subtly. Our pride must then be uprooted.” Indeed Magazine