Daily Devotional

-January 26, 2022-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

-Humbling Ourselves In The Sight Of The Lord-

“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”

(James 4:10).

Jesus taught and practiced humility. He came down as the Son of God from the glory of heaven to be born in Bethlehem’s manger. He served the Father and died on the cross for our sins, and rose for our justification. While in Upper Room before His arrest and betrayal, He took the servant’s place and washed the feet of His disciples.

James, the writer of this epistle and half brother of Jesus, saw and heard what Jesus did and the life He lived. At first his brothers did not believe in Him, but then later turned to Him and became great servants of the Lord. His brother Jude did also and wrote the short epistle of Jude.

Here in our text, James clearly writes, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord…” It is not easy to humble ourselves, but it is absolutely essential in the Christian life. We are saved by grace through faith, we are unworthy sinners, and everything we have belongs to God and we are stewards of the manifold glory of God. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ and are one and equal before God.

James wrote in James 4:6, “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says, ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’” None of us as believers want God to resist Him. Pride was the original sin of Lucifer, the prominent angel, who became the devil and took with him one third of the angels when he was banished from heaven. He exalted himself to the place of God. When the devil, as the serpent, tempted Eve he attracted her with the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.

The decision is ours, we must choose to humble ourselves or God will humble us. James adds, “…and He will lift you up.” God promises great blessings on the humble in our verse and throughout the Scriptures. Jesus said in Matthew 23:11-12, “But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” In this context Jesus is speaking of the pride of the Pharisees and how they exalted themselves. He wanted His disciples to be the opposite of the Pharisees.

The principle of Scripture is clear: God humbles the proud but exalts the humble. Let us then humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord every day of our lives. God will bless us and lift us up. He will give success and victory. We must thank Him and give Him all the glory. A humble saint seeks no credit and is happy when others do well.

Have a blessed day walking and serving in humility in the sight of the Lord. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean