Humility Living In Love

Humility asks God for help when we are confused or unable to handle the events of our lives.  The starting place of a life of freedom and unfailing love is making this simple humble admission -- I need God.  I cannot fix my life on my own.  I need someone to save me and give me a new way of life. 

When we think about admitting that our lives are so wrecked that we simply cannot fix them, it's easy to end up in self-defeating condemnation.  We've done a massive amount of wrongs.  The God who is full of unfailing love is a pure and holy God. How could we ever hope to come close to that kind of a God with the ugly filth of our past? 

Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?  (Romans 7:24 NLT)

The flip side of this kind of thinking is shown in the arrogant person who tries to "clean up" on their own before coming to God even though God says that is impossible. 

Since we’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.  (Romans 3:23-24 MSG)

A humble person surrenders to God's invitation to come just as they are, relying on the grace of forgiveness Jesus won for us when he died on the cross.  A humble person agrees with God that there is no other way and freely accepts God's gift of forgiveness and new life.  Over and over again we sincerely and gratefully acknowledge that there is no condemnation for us when we rely on Jesus Christ.  We affirm that what Jesus did for us on the cross was “payment in full” for our wrongs in the past and enter into a brand new life of peace and joy, in relationship with God who is pure and holy.

But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.  (1 John 1:7 NLT)

A humble life is grounded in a realistic view of one’s self. We feel secure in the safety of God’s acceptance and unconditional love.  We believe that God cares, therefore we no longer need to hide behind either too much self-confidence or the burden of condemnation and self-hatred.  A humble person is not someone who is inferior but rather someone who is overwhelmed by the undeserved goodness of God.  

©2014 Partners in Hope