‘For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’ (Luke 14:11)
Favored child of God, know that God loves to exalt the humble.
For it is in our weakness that God’s grace superabounds.
When we come to the end of ourselves, God takes over and shows His strength.
He lifts us up to high places. He adorns us with crowns of glory and robes of righteousness.
Like the prodigal son, when we humble ourselves and turn to our Father in Heaven, He’ll fling His arms around us in loving embrace. He’ll put a ring on your finger and sandals on your feet. And you’ll share in His honor and riches as His rightful child.
Do you realize that the prodigal son could have saved himself lots of misery and suffering if he had laid down his pride earlier and returned to his father?
He could have gone back home earlier, admit his faults, and have his honor restored.
Yet, it was his pride that stopped him from doing so. He’d rather wallow in his own sins, than to put down his pride and return to his loving father.
That’s why God tells us that those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and that those who humble themselves will be exalted.
For all good things come from God. When we understand that, when we stop trying to show God up with our own efforts. When we humbly realize that God loves us despite all our faults and wants to bless us more than we know. Then, we’ll be able to be exalted by Him, back to our rightful place as His royal child.
So if we were to boast, if we were to be proud, let us be proud of God’s grace.
For what have we done? What can we add to Jesus’ perfect work?
It’s not by our hands, but by God’s grace that we’ve been redeemed.
Therefore, stay humble before God and man. There’s nothing for us to prove.
God will exalt you on your behalf.
Be Greatly Blessed!
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your wonderful grace.
All that I have, all that I am, is because of you.
Help me to stay humble before you.
When things are going well, help me to stay humble and remember that all my success comes from you.
When things are not going well, help me to remember that I don’t have to do it all alone. Remove my pride, so that I may learn to fully rely on you.
I humble myself before you today, and receive the full measure of your grace.
In Jesus’ Mighty Name,
AMEN!
Additional Thoughts:
The best approach in all of life is to remain humble. To seek to keep a low profile rather than promoting ourselves or our work. Chasing after honor for our accomplishments or desiring to exalt ourselves is unstable ground to be walking upon. It just may happen that someone else will come along and trip us up.
The teacher in Proverbs 27:2 says, ‘Let another praise you, and not your own mouth — a stranger, and not your own lips.’ Wise words. Jesus’ parable confirms this truth. In our boasting and self-importance, we just may find that we will lose our prominent position and end up being dishonored before others.
The guest in Luke 14 considered himself worthy of an honorable place at the banquet table and promptly sat down there. However, his host soon uprooted him from his seat, as it was reserved for another more distinguished. How embarrassing! Wouldn’t it have been better if the guest had humbly sought out a lesser position and then opened up the possibility to be exalted by his host?
Pride always comes before a fall. However, we are called to clothe ourselves in humility in all our dealings with each other (1 Peter 5:5).
Jesus knew well the way of humility. In Philippians 2 we read that the King of Heaven and Earth emptied himself, took the form of a slave, was born in human likeness, then humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death on a cross. Yet in the course of time God highly exalted him and gave him a name that is above every other, so that one day every knee should bow and exalt the One who had made himself lowly.
