“…humility comes before honor.”
Proverbs 15:33b
Honor can easily lead to pride.
It’s a blessing to receive encouragement and gratitude. We are all thankful when others acknowledge and appreciate our efforts. Many Scripture passages encourage us to release gratitude and encouragement, to spur one another on, and to be thankful: Paul encourages us to “honor one another above yourselves” (Romans 12:10), and the writer of Hebrews instructs, “encourage one another daily” (Hebrews 3:13). But as we receive it, we must simultaneously release it.
Receiving honor should prompt us to immediately deflect the glory to God.
Like the multiplication of the little boy’s lunch, we must acknowledge that while we may pitch in a couple of loaves and a few fish, it’s God Almighty who makes the banquet happen. On Feed-the-5000 day, the focus wasn’t on the kid who remembered to pack a lunch (in all probability, his mama should get credit for it anyway!) or even his willingness to offer it up. The spotlight shone clearly on Jesus, the miracle maker—or, in this case, the meal creator. He did that day what He also does for us on this day: He takes our little—our lacking, our paltry, our meager—and makes it not just enough, but more than enough. (Mark 6:43 reveals there were 12 basketfuls left over that day, enough for each disciple to have a carry-out.)
The little boy may be honored for sharing, but Jesus is glorified for the miracle. The same is true for us. We are honored for sharing, giving, and loving on others, but the ultimate glory goes to our Lord. God may honor us by using us, but we must first humble ourselves by yielding to his teaching and saying “Yes, Sir” when He calls.
We keep ourselves usable, pliable, teachable, and humble by abiding in Him … coming to Him in prayer, yielding to His Spirit, and acknowledging His authority to lead us. As we bow down and pray—perhaps physically, but most assuredly in our hearts and minds—we adopt a spirit of humility. I believe God delights in answering prayers that spring from a humble heart.
Jesus Himself modeled humility before honor as He humbled Himself to leave His throne in heaven, don his robe of flesh, and become obedient to death for us. Paul’s letter to the Philippians beautifully describes the humility of Jesus. These phrases describe our Lord in Philippians 2:6-11:
- made himself nothing
- taking the very nature of a servant
- humbled himself
- obedient to death—even death on a cross
Jesus first humbled Himself and His obedience was followed by honor: “God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name …” Philippians 2:9
The humility of Jesus—His willingness to be shamed and ridiculed, His obedience to endure a criminal’s death—led to the highest honor, that of bringing glory to God, as He provided salvation for us. Jesus is unquestionably the greatest example of humility before honor.
Humility before honor typifies what I like to call the “upside-down logic” of Scripture: you have to lose your life to gain it, the first will be last, and the greatest will be the servant.
I’m grateful the ways of God are different from the ways of the world.
How do we respond when life seems unfair, when the unexpected happens, when what we hoped for doesn’t happen, when happiness eludes us? It’s all too easy to sigh, slump our shoulders, and drag our feet. Sometimes the dreaded “D’s” follow: devastation, discouragement, depression. But it’s in those moments we can remind ourselves of what C.S. Lewis said so well,
“If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy,
the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”
Thankfully, heaven’s rules don’t always apply on Earth.
Humility before honor may not win the election. It may not secure the promotion, bring a dinner invitation, or influence the masses of this world … but God sees. God knows. And, in our hearts, you and I experience peace and joy that bears witness to the honor of God’s blessing.
When we look at our commitments and responsibilities to our families, churches, and those we care about, it’s so easy to wonder, Am I doing enough? Should I be giving more of my time, treasure, and energy?
Please know that you are not alone. I ask myself these same questions, as does every other woman I know. And I’m convinced the questions keep us humble—and, therefore, keep us praying and wholly dependent upon God for guidance, wisdom, and strength. There is NO WAY we could fulfill God’s high and holy calling on our lives apart from Him. We can thank Him for the assignments that feel too big for us, the tasks that seem impossible to accomplish on our own, because it ensures we need Him and stay close to Him. And a heart that is dependent upon God is a heart that honors God.
When we are dependent upon Him, we are humbled. And it is from that place of humility that we are finally in a position to receive honor. Humility is a prerequisite to honor. In God’s upside down economy, the way up is often down.
In Friday’s devotional video, we unpack thoughts on David’s prayer in I Chronicles 29:10-13, and are reminded that true honor and wealth come from God:
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