Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. – James 4:10 (NIV)
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. – James 4:10 (KJV)
Theme: Priorities
We live in a very “me” centric society. It seems like “always look out for number one” and “me first” mindsets have replaced the principle of putting others first. We see this all around us: how we’re treated (and how we treat others) at school or at work, how we deal with disagreements, how we drive in traffic, how we wait (or cut) in lines, how we interact on social media, how we use our money and time, etc. Just one example…watch almost any sporting event, from professional games all the way down to elementary school matches, and you’ll see players pounding their chests and drawing attention to “me” instead of humbly putting the team first. Such behavior used to be the exception, but has now become the norm. In short, we’re surrounded by influences that tell us to put ourselves over others.
But that’s not how God expects us to prioritize. He expects us to make Him priority #1 and to place a higher priority on serving others than serving ourselves (see Seek Him first, Love the Lord, Love your neighbor).
This week’s verse, James 4:10, helps us achieve priority #1 by reminding us to humble ourselves before God. Although we’re certainly expected to be humble in all aspects of our lives, this verse is specifically talking about humbling ourselves before our Lord—in our hearts, in our minds and in our actions. What are some ways?
– Recognize that our God is sovereign
– Trust that His thoughts and plans are better than our thoughts and plans
– Actively pursue His will over our own desires
– Invest our time and resources in serving Him
In closing, a major theme of the book of James (written by Jesus’s brother) is this: it’s not enough to simply hear or talk about the Christian faith…we must also live it (recall Doers of the Word). Let’s make sure our actions show humility before our Lord.
Follow us on Facebook & Twitter:
