“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.” James 4:10 (NLT)
Yes, we are to practice humility; but it simply must be true. It can not be false humility. False humility is for show. They say, “ Nothing is done in secret.” But, if you think there is any way — when you can choose — do what you do graciously and do it as if hiding in a field of purple sage. Let the aroma of the flower have the floor. Do not take the stage. Do it as if crouching behind the door. Do not enter but release the treasure which will announce itself with its own power and pleasure. The gift will adorn your soul in secret (Matthew 6:4) like apples of gold on platters of silver (Proverbs 25:11).
Your mind will go crazy with justifications for doing it the public way. It will question you, “What does it matter?” If you take that option, your brain will push out like a man bearing his big chest and flexing his muscles; but it will just as rapidly deflate and the air will escape. The mind has its own scheme. It will object, “If I hide it, but hide it for reward it matters not!” As the mind fills with its irrefutable logic, the disciplined way of humility will crown you with grace if you dispute that glittering project. The shinning logic will grace you with a garland; but the sensation is fleeting. It’s green will wither. The vine will dry like dust. While the gracious gift given, wrapped and tied with the ribbon of humility, will expand the size of your heart eternally and in the intimate company of God you will share its beauty.
By W. Stephen Williams © 8/26/2022