July '26

Scripture is constantly reminding us of our need to be humble. God “opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble,” “hates haughty eyes,” “will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless,” and “he is able to humble those who walk in pride.”  Pride comes from “within the heart of man,” and “is not from the father, but from the world.” 

Shockingly, we humans are so prone to pride that we can even begin to take pride in the grace of God in our lives. We can and do boast in our maturity, progress, blessings (both material and immaterial), insight, knowledge, accomplishments for Jesus, service, gifting, church, and correctness. Like the Pharisees in Christ’s day, it is all too easy to trust in ourselves and have contempt for others. Our Lord wants us to grow out of this. He doesn’t want us to trash his gifts the same way we trashed things before we knew him. He wants to graciously bless us and graciously make us the kind of people who can receive his gifts well. The New Testament is chocka with talk about this. Paul writes: 

“For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it” (1 Co 4:7)? 

What’s going well in the Christian life? Where are you excelling? What’s working? Where is progress being made? 

Do you think you did this? That you made this happen? That you stumbled across it by coincidence, or worse, because of how spiritual or insightful you are? For anything that’s working, give thanks. Use it to serve others. Be gracious and generous. Thomas Watson says it this way in The Godly Man’s Picture:

“The grace we have is not of our own growth. We are indebted to Christ and free grace for it. As he said of that axe which fell in the water, "Alas, master, for it was borrowed" (2 Kings 6:5), so I may say of all the good and excellence in us, "It is borrowed". Would it not be folly to be proud of a ring that is loaned to us?”

You’ve probably all seen school bullies depicted in films and novels. Usually it’s some rich kid who’s doing better than their classmates. Through no virtue or labour of their own, they sneer at and deride their povo companions. They usually learn their lesson the hard way and it's usually very satisfying to watch. Let us take heed not to be the Christian version of this. God is able to likewise humble us further.

Instead, let us consider our King, who, though he was rich, for our sakes became poor. Let the mind that was in Christ Jesus be in us also.