Matthew 23:1-12, HUMILITY vs. pride (3)

f)    Here is a simple chart to show the rewards for humility and the consequences for pride.  Read each verse, meditate on it, and relate it to what you see in your own life.

PRIDE		HUMILITY
Disgrace	Prov. 11:2	Wisdom
House torn down	Prov. 15:25	Boundaries intact
	Prov. 15:33	Honor
Downfall	Prov. 18:12	Honor
	Prov. 22:4	Wealth, honor, life
Brings a man low	Prov. 29:23	Gives a man honor
God resists him	James 4:6,10	God’s gives him grace

g)    1 Peter 5:5-7 is a key passage in the matter of “becoming” humble.  We may “think” we find it easy to be humble before God because, after all, He is “God.”  And besides, we can’t see Him and we may doubt God really cares that much about our day-to-day choices.  But we see that humbling ourselves before God means that we must humble ourselves before people!  Verse 7 is somewhat of a famous verse; perhaps you have memorized it.  Maybe you have encouraged others to just “cast your care on God.”  But look at the text.  This is a continuation of vs. 5-6.  Humbling yourself under God’s mighty hand is equivalent to the younger submitting to the elder and all of us being subject to each other.  And it is through this humility before God that he exercises His care for us, by giving us more grace.

i)      Rom. 12:16: Humbling ourselves before others means spending time with those who have less of those things we often brag about: riches, strength and wisdom (Jer. 9:23). 

ii)   Phil. 2:3-4: Humbling ourselves before others means considering them of great value, more than our own perceived value.  It means investing time in their interests and not just our own.

iii)            Matt. 23:11-12: Jesus related this to leadership.  True leaders, in Jesus’ estimation (which is all that matters) involves becoming the servant and slave of others.  That is quite the teaching (and lifestyle), especially in a society where America’s involvement in slavery has become one of the worst of all possible sins.  But Jesus not only taught this; He lives it! 

We have been “dancing around” an important issue in the matter of “humility vs. pride,” by which I mean the question of “self-esteem.”  Are we to love ourselves or hate ourselves?  Is it possible that the Bible says both things?  Before turning to this in the next post, perhaps James 4:6 would be good to memorize.