And pour contempt on all my pride…

Below is an article, Not I but Christ, by an unknown author — how appropriate…:

The following are some of the features and manifestations of the self-life.  The Holy Spirit alone can interpret and apply this to your individual case.  As you read, examine yourself in the very presence of God.  Are you ever conscious of:

• A secret spirit of pride — an exalted feeling, in view of your success or position; because of your good training or appearance; because of your natural gifts and abilities?  An important, independent spirit?

• Love of human praise — a secret fondness to be noticed; love of supremacy; drawing attention to self in conversation; a swelling out of self when you have had a free time in speaking or praying?

• The stirrings of anger or impatience — which, worst of all, you call nervousness or holy indignation; a touchy, sensitive spirit; a disposition to resent or retaliate when disapproved of or contradicted; a desire to throw sharp, heated flings at another?

• Self-will — a stubborn, unteachable spirit; an arguing, talkative spirit; harsh, sarcastic expressions; an unyielding, headstrong disposition; a driving, commanding spirit; a disposition to criticize and pick flaws when set aside and unnoticed; a peevish, fretful spirit; a disposition that loves to be coaxed and humored?

• Carnal fear — a man-fearing spirit; a shrinking from reproach and duty; reasoning around your cross; a shrinking from doing your whole duty by those of wealth or position; a fearfulness that someone will offend and drive some prominent person away; a compromising spirit?

• A jealous disposition — a secret spirit of envy shut up in your heart; an unpleasant sensation in view of the prosperity and success of another; a disposition to speak of the faults and failings, rather than the gifts and virtues of those more talented and appreciated than yourself?

• A dishonest, deceitful disposition — the evading and covering of the truth; the covering up of your real faults; leaving a better impression of yourself than is strictly true; false humility; exaggeration; straining the truth?

• Unbelief — a spirit of discouragement in times of pressure and opposition; lack of quietness and confidence in God; lack of faith and trust in God; a disposition to worry and complain in the midst of pain, poverty, or at the dispensations of divine providence; an overanxious feeling whether everything will come out all right?

• Formality and deadness — lack of concern for lost souls; dryness and indifference; lack of power with God?

• Selfishness — love of ease, love of money?

This list kills me, and it’s not even exhaustive.

“It is not sin that humble us most, but grace.  It is the soul, led through its sinfulness to be occupied with God in His wonderful glory as God, as Creator and Redeemer, that will truly take the lowest place before Him … [It is] the only root from which the graces can grow, and the one indispensable condition of true fellowship with Jesus.” (Andrew Murray)

“For humility let us labor.  For humility let us pray.” (J.C. Ryle)

There is no hope for humility — not even a glimmer — to be found in me.  Apart from Christ, I am nothing.  I will not find hope by searching my own heart; that will only lead me to despair.  But there is hope in the cross of Jesus and in the promise that if we walk by the Spirit, we will not gratify the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).  So, our labors and prayers for humility are not in vain.  He is willing and able to make us humble.

His humility humbles me.

I have 38 minutes left until Christmas 2008 ends, so Merry Christmas! (I accidentally wished my cousin a happy birthday instead this morning…)

I’ve been reading through the Apostle Paul’s epistles, and when I reached Philippians, I was about to skip it because I’d read it so many times already in the past couple months.  But as I began reading through Colossians, I felt a little uneasy (maybe “guilty” is a better description), so I went back to Philippians and began reading.  Then after 2:1-11, I got “stuck.”

I’ve been reading and meditating on that one passage for the past week, and it’s like I’m reading it again for the first time.  My thoughts have ranged anywhere from, “Huh?” to “That’s crazy…” to “Oy…”

And His humility humbles me … not to say that I’m humble, but something about reading of God the Son’s humility for the sake of making the many righteous, and for the sake of the Father’s glory, breaks me.

It wasn’t easy for Him.  It wasn’t only His death that came at a cost; His incarnation came at a cost, too.  And He didn’t humble Himself and become a servant because He loved lowliness for its own sake.  He didn’t become the Son of Man because He thought it would be easy or suiting to Him.

He humbled Himself in willing obedience to the One He loved for the sake of those He loved: mankind in all his broken, sinful, ruined deadness.  The same ones I struggle to love and humble myself for.

Yes, we are to be humble because He is God Most High, not us.  And yes, we are to be humble because we are but dust.  And yes, we are to be humble because we are frail and embattled sinners.  But we’re also to be humble because our Lord humbled Himself.  It doesn’t make sense for servants to scorn humble servanthood when their very own Master humbly served (serves).

His heart is for the glory of God and the complete salvation of the lost.  So great was His desire that He even “made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

In following Him, then, can’t we be obedient to the point of smaller things?  Can’t we then strive to imitate His humility and serve for the sake of seeing the many made righteous, covered with the righteousness of Christ, to the glory of God the Father?

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in the likeness of men, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
(Philippians 2:1-11)