Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
What exactly does it mean to humble yourself in the world we live in? This is the question I asked myself when I read today’s verse. The world we live in is often a “bigger is better”/”look at me” kind of place, and the idea of being humble isn’t always looked on favorably. We are led to believe that the way to make it big in this economy is to proudly and confidently proclaim for all the world to hear – See what I did! Look at what I can do! Just look at any news media, whether politics, sports or entertainment, inevitably someone is being promoted as the greatest or best – and oftentimes the person involved is touting themselves or their “accomplishments”. It’s the world’s formula to make ourselves known.
But God’s economy is a little different. In fact it is the exact opposite. In God’s economy the goal isn’t to make ourselves known, but to make HIM known and by doing so we will be lifted up. So the catch phrases are shifted from “look at what I can do” to “look at what God is doing!” It is less about pointing out the qualities in ourselves that seem good on the outside and more about realizing that any goodness in us is a reflection of the goodness of God. What’s better, puffing yourself up for cheap and fleeting compliments or walking in humility, giving glory to God and experiencing God’s love and reward?
