Articles
Righteous Humility in our Relationship With God
There once was a farmer who owned two roosters. One day these roosters decided to fight each other over who would become king of their coop. Eventually, one rooster won and rushed to the top of the coup to proclaim his title of king. However, The rooster who lost hid himself in a secluded corner of the coup. At the top, the king loudly shouted, “I won! I won! I am the king!” Yet, at that moment, a hawk heard him, swooped down, and gobbled him up. The rooster who lost, refused to turn away from his corner of self-deprecation and pity. Thus, he never knew he had become the new, unrivaled king.
When anyone seeks to have a relationship with Christ, they will be told by the Bible says that they need to have humility. The world will tell us that humility requires a lack of self-pride and a self-deprecating attitude. However, the Bible explains that Godly humility also requires us to have a sober attitude. 1 Peter 5:8, warns elders of God’s church to be sober minded and watchful because the devil is like a prowling lion that is waiting to strike. Sober minded humility requires an unprideful attitude because much like the victorious rooster, it leaves us as prey for the devil. Jesus also uses the parable of the wedding feast as an example of what happens to those who think more highly of themselves. Luke 14:8-9 ESV reads, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place.” Jesus concludes the parable by saying that people who exalt themselves will be humbled in the end and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
The rooster who lost became self-deprecating and was unable to be exalted because he chose to focus on beating himself up instead of seeing his loss as a chance to grow stronger. Children of God who self-deprecate will eventually miss out on opportunities to glorify God and grow with Him. Rather than putting God first, time will be spent on unconstructive self-preoccupation. In Judges 6:11-18, the Midianites are oppressing and harassing the nation of Israel. Thus, an angel of the Lord presents himself to Gideon and says, “O mighty man of valor. “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” Gideon’s reply to the angel is to belittle himself by essentially asking, “How could such a weak man as I accomplish something so mighty?” The Lord says to Gideon that He will be at his side. Gideon was exalted by God and defeated the Midianites, but only because he stopped the self-deprecation and trusted the Lord when He said He would be by his side
