Humility

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 

—Romans 12:3

Humility is not always an easy virtue to exercise, it takes courage, discipline, and faith to put humility into daily practice. But humility is an important characteristic to develop as a follower of Christ. The Bible gives us guidance and words that inspire us to keep practicing humility. C.S. Lewis said, “Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” Humility calls us to first serve God and our neighbors before serving ourselves.

Humility is mentioned in Proverbs 22:4. This Bible verse tells us the definition of humility distinctly and definitively:

By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life.

Fear of the Lord isn’t referring to being scared of the Lord, but rather remembering that God alone is all-powerful. It’s acknowledging that only God deserves all glory and honor. Fear of the Lord reminds us that we should not hold ourselves in the same light or position that God righteously deserves. Therefore, being humble means that we acknowledge that we are wholly dependent on God and that without Him, we wouldn’t be who we are, and we wouldn’t have what we have or lead the life we live. Practicing humility shows that we put ourselves in a position that points all glory and all things back to God.

Sometimes, we see humility as meaning that we are not allowed to think highly of ourselves. Humility merely means that we know we are God’s children, and we should love ourselves as He loves us, but that we do not become self-seeking, greedy, or arrogant in spirit or in material things. Humility can be practiced regardless of job title, wealth, or economic status.

As we mentioned earlier, the opposite of humility is arrogance. Humility in the Bible is presented as the practice of meekness, obedience to God, respect for self and others, submissiveness, and modesty. Colossians 3:12-13 tells us, “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.” People with humility put others’ needs before their own, sacrificing for the love of others. Luke 14:11 says, “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”