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Week 2 - In Praise of Humility

Mary's Song - The Magnificat - is a praise from the interior of her soul for who God is, and what he has done.

Luke 1:46-49 (NIV)
46 And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me-- holy is his name.

I think the nature of humility is best expressed in the words:  "the Mighty One has done great things for me..."
Humility is that recognition that where we are, and how we got there, are not merely a matter of "pulling up the bootstraps", but that God has worked in and through us and the benefits of that spill over into all areas of our lives.
Yet humility is not something that we go out looking for...it finds us in the places of worship, thanksgiving, reflection and praise.

Philippians 2:5-8 (NIV)
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!

Jesus came in humility...he took on a role of serving something other than his own interests,  his own rights, and his own stature.
Isaiah 42:1 (NIV)
1 "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations.

It isn't an easy place to get to...our flesh rises up in defense of self-importance:  Matthew 20:25-28 (NIV) 
25 Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.
26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave--
28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."


In serving, there is a posture of humility - a renunciation of the self-importance of the flesh, and in humility we confess that something great has been done for us...and something great must be done for us if we hope to move along in life at all.

1 Peter 5:5-7 (NIV)
5  ...All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

In Advent it is good to take inventory of our motives, our attitudes, our selfishness and those things that lead to a self-will that chooses life without thinking about God's will and word.


Luke 1:38 (NIV)
38 "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
Mary was a young maiden when the angel Gabriel paid her a visit.  She heard the words of the angel as the word of God and she said "yes, I'll serve you."

We will not be asked to be the mother of His son; but perhaps God will ask that you make a meal;  visit someone; or write a letter; take time to have a conversation (preferably in person); or help someone in need.
If you can, do what you do without fanfare, without expectation - even anonymously if you can.  We are not serving each other...we are serving God.

Comments

Linz said…
How timely. . .just 30 minutes ago I was rejoicing internally at waking up feeling my energy was returning (after my 10 day bad cold). I was making lists (plural!) of all the things I can now get done today and this week and feeling very satisfied with my ability to organise and accomplish so much.
But I find myself taking a step back and remembering to rejoice in the times when I am humbled by my inability to do everything myself. It should be the other way round after all. . .my spirit should rejoice in the times when I have to draw on God's strength and ability in me. . .I want to rejoice and gladly accept the help of others who love me rather than feel frustration and disappointment that I'm on the receiving end rather than the 'giving' end.
It's a small thing, but it usually comes down to the small things doesn't it?
December 5, 2011 at 2:59 AM
Paul said…
E, Yeah, we should not do things just for fanfare. He knows the motives, thoughts, and attitudes we have. We can't fool him, so why try? A genuine wish to do God's will and not mine goes a long way here. Philippians 2:7 says he made himself nothing and he took the very nature of a servant. What do we know of those things apart from Christ? We do what we do as Christians because of what he has done for us. That might be slightly different from person to person, but the point is he came to save sinners as first Timothy says. I pray as we all "do" things for God it is with a heart for God's Kingdom that we do them.
December 5, 2011 at 11:50 AM
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