Week 7 – Thursday – What Humility Does

Go read Philippians 2:1-11. Now reread 2:6-8

<> What are things in your life that you grasp onto and are unwilling to let go?
<> When is the last time you were frustrated at someone? What did they do to annoy you?

A Stark Contrast
Philippians 2:6-8 is one of the most startling contrasts ever. It goes something like this. Jesus was in very nature God. As such, Jesus deserves glory, worship and that the whole world bows at the very thought of His name. BUT, He did not choose to hold onto His rights as if they were something to be grasped onto. Instead He emptied Himself and took the form of a servant – obeying His Father’s perfect plan even to the point of dieing the most horrible death ever imagined.

On the other hand you are NOT God. You are a very small human. You can’t even run your own life very well. As such you are worthy of no glory or worship. You turned your back on God and proudly acted like you could live life on your own. You deserve hell. When you both claim Christ and His example and still take time to demand your rights, you end up looking like a fool.

Pride
Go Read Proverbs 16:18 and 1 Peter 5:5

Pride is one of the sneakiest forms of sin in the world. When you have it, you can barely see it because you’re often too proud to admit your own sin. It sneaks in under the guise of “self-esteem” and rears its ugly head anytime we fail to acknowledge the gospel in our lives. Jesus both points out our own sin and humbles us in comparison to His complete majesty. Pride teaches us to resist drawing near to God. It makes us think that we can handle life on our own. It destroys our relationships by making us feel entitled to certain kinds of treatment from people. Rather than humbly repair relationships, we proudly wait for apologies. The Scriptures

<> Where has pride snuck into your life?
<> Are you proudly ignoring your need for God or neglecting time with Him?

What Humility Does
Jesus stands as the most beautiful contrast to the deathtrap that is pride. Despite His rightfully deserved rights, He emptied Himself. He literally took His own life and laid it down so that others would have a chance. This is the attitude that Phil. 2:5 commands us to have. Jesus demands, models and offers to us an entirely new way of looking at life. Our gain is no longer tied based on getting what we want, but rather we gain when Christ is glorified and others are served.

<> What actions and attitudes would change if your ultimate goals were that God would be glorified and others would be served?
<> What steps can you take toward practicing humility?
<> If your pride makes it difficult to see evidence of pride’s presence in your own life, how could you go about diagnosing areas where its taking root?