Daily EncouragementSample

This is a fundamental law of the spiritual life, a word which “stands firm in the heavens” (Ps. 119:89). It finds its supreme example in “Christ Jesus, who being in the very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing . . . he humbled himself . . . Therefore God exalted him to the highest place” (Phil. 2:5ff). The nature of this humility needs to be understood. As A. W. Tozer says, “the meek man is not a human mouse afflicted with a sense of his own inferiority.” It is not a “tongue-in-cheek” humility. It is shot through with reality. “I worked harder than them all,” says Paul, having prefaced this remark with the recognition that he does not deserve to be called an apostle (1 Cor. 15:9-10). “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’ and rightly so, for that is what I am,” said our Lord when he humbled himself to wash the disciples’ feet (John 13:13-14). The practical outworking of this humility should be noted. It does nothing merely “for me to see.” It has a negligible interest in prestige, place, position and even dress - all of which mean so much to the world, not least to the religious world. (Matt. 23:1-11) The exaltation experienced by the humble is not the object of the exercise, but is rather its inevitable outcome.