God's Design for MenSample

Humble Men

There’s a story about the great boxer Muhammad Ali, who constantly boasted of being the greatest of all time, flying on an airplane. As they were about to land, the flight attendant asked him to put on his seatbelt.

“Superman don’t need no seatbelt,” Ali protested.

“Superman don’t need no airplane,” the flight attendant responded. Ali buckled up.

During his career, Ali constantly bragged about his abilities, and no doubt some of that was showmanship, part of the job. When he won, it seemed his blustering was accurate. When he lost, it seemed he was self-deluded.

Men admire confidence but not arrogance. Confidence comes from knowing who we are and who God is; humility comes from understanding who we are not—that is, we are not God.

In today’s verse, Jesus reminds us that humility is the path of the Christ-follower. We can either humble ourselves or be humbled, but either way, humility is our calling, and it’s more pleasant to embrace it ourselves!

Humility calls us to balance our confidence with an understanding of our weaknesses, incomplete gifts, sins, and struggles. Faith in who God made us to be is essential, as long as we are honest enough to know where we fall short.

C.S. Lewis famously said, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less.” Rather than seeking applause or the spotlight, humility calls men to keep their focus on God and others instead of themselves.

Jesus, the perfect Man, was God in the flesh and left the glories of Heaven behind to live a humble life here on earth (Philippians 2:1-11). He did not glorify Himself but gave His entire life (including His death) to serve God and others humbly (Mark 10:45). He knew who He was, but never made Himself the focus (John 8:54). He was confident, but not arrogant.

Men are at their best when they have faith in God and in who God created them to be, and balance this with a humble recognition of their weakness, making them dependent on God and others to help them thrive. This godly lowliness is not self-deprecating but simply self-aware and honest.

God’s design for men is that we walk in confidence without arrogance, embrace our strengths while being honest about our weaknesses, choose the lowly path, and trust that God will exalt us Himself as He sees fit (1 Peter 5:6).

Prayer: Father, thank You for Your grace and mercy in my life, which forgives all my sins and shortcomings. When I’m feeling too proud, help me remember my failings without wallowing in them, and remember how much grace You give me. Help me think of myself less, and You and others more. Amen.

Reflection: When is one area of your life where you tend towards pride/self-righteousness? What might be causing that? Take some time to give that to God in prayer today.