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Humility Before God
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” - Revelation 1:8. As the human race has progressed through time, many have developed a confidence that borders on arrogance. With our “greatness,” we believe we are invincible; we believe we have built and shaped all of the wonderful things of this world, have experienced everything this world has to offer. Yet we feel empty inside, and we try to fill the void with fancy cars, nice clothes, and technology. In the end, nothing can sustain us, pick us up from our lows, or humble us from our highs, like the word of God.
When I think of the sustaining power of God, I think of Job, who was blessed with an abundance of livestock, land, servants and children. He was revered as the greatest man in the east. In all of the trials that Satan put him through, Job remained faithful to God. The example of Job shows us, though it is difficult, it is possible to be wealthy, to stay humble and be faithful to God. In Job 42:2, Job acknowledges God’s power – “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” When others look at us, they should be able to see we are God-fearing people; our faith in God sustains us.
The widow who gave two mites stands out to me, because she gave without question and without hesitation, giving her all to the treasury. She sacrificed much, just like God did when he gave Jesus as a sacrifice to die on the cross. Even though many went before her putting much money into the offering, her offering was great, because her heart was humble. After Jesus saw her offering, He called His disciples together and told them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.” – Mark 12:43-44. Our Lord Jesus picked this poor widow as an example of humility; could the same be said of us, giving all that we have and with a humble heart?
In Ecclesiastes, we see that Solomon, the wisest and richest man in the world, could not entertain himself with one thing for very long. “I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed all is vanity and grasping for the wind.” - Ecclesiastes 1:14. This man had the world at his fingertips. We read in I Kings 11 how Solomon turned away from serving God, and how God brought Solomon’s reign to an end. Modern day man is much like Solomon, collecting and consuming things of the world. Peter tells us what will happen to all of those worldly things: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.” – II Peter 3:10. He continues in verse 11, “Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness?”
The power of worldly living is strong, until we become bored and realize there is something greater than ourselves and our tiny blue planet. When we see the things that we influence, or the people we have helped become better, we should remember: we were only given this opportunity by the grace of God, not due to any greatness of our own making. “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.” – Proverbs 16:18-19.
When you read this article, I hope you think about how mighty our God really is: “Truly I know it is so, but how can a man be righteous before God? If one wished to contend with Him, he could not answer Him one time of out a thousand. God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered? - Ecclesiastes 9:2-4.
Aedan Welch
