Devotions this week based on the Message: “BELIEVE: Week 30: HUMILITY”
(NOTE: This sermon series and devotional series is based on a book by Randy Frazee entitled, “BELIEVE.”
You may choose to download or purchase the book as a supplement to your worship and devotional emails.
Go to a search engine and type in “Leadership and Humility.” In a fraction of a second, you can have many links that will expand on the prominence and importance of the characteristic of humility in leadership. Humility isn’t a characteristic of a wishy-washy leader. It’s not a characteristic of a weak leader. It’s not a characteristic of a wandering leader. It’s a characteristic of confident, strong, visionary leader…who is others-focused.
It’s the characteristic of a leader who is more interested in the success of others than their own. It’s a characteristic of a leader who is willing to empathize and walk with those they lead. It’s a characteristic of a leader who is willing to serve and sacrifice for the sake of others.
No wonder it’s the key characteristic of the greatest leader that ever walked this planet…the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul pointed the Christians in Philippi to the humble leadership of Christ.
Philippians 2:5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!
Here’s just three evidences of the humility of Christ.
He let go of heaven to become human.
The Almighty God was willing to give up his position in heaven and the full use of his divine characteristics to take on human flesh and live among us. He didn’t come to make a name for himself, but to live under the law of God with the same temptations we face with the mission to do it perfectly. He interacted with humanity that were looked down on by others, outcast by society, and labeled as sinners, because he wanted them to be with him in heaven.
He let go of being served to become a servant.
The Almighty God was willing to let go of all the reasons he had to demand the allegiance and service of all to serve individuals by healing their sick, raising the dead, washing their feet, forgiving their sins, feeding their hunger, teaching their hearts, calming their doubts, alleviating their fears, restoring their failings, and investing his life for them.
He let go of life to die on a cross.
Giving up one’s life at the defense of another is heroic. Dying as a convicted criminal is not. Yet in his death on the cross, Jesus did both. Death was the punishment sin deserved, but he willingly allowed himself to be killed as the worst of criminals to save you and me the worst of sinners.
Without the humility of Christ, we would not have hope for eternity. Because of the humility of Christ, we have the greatest leader the world has ever known to lead us from this life to the next.
Apply: What other examples of the humility of Christ can you identify? How does this impact your appreciation for the service of Jesus on your behalf?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for humbling yourself to come to this earth to live and die for me. AMEN.