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                   Proverbs 22:4 ”By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.”  God is always seeking to bring us to a place of great blessing, victory, prosperity, and protection—spiritually, physically and in every other way.  He wants us to be a spiritual light to others, and anyone can be, if they will humble themselves before Him.

            When Jesus wanted disciples to assist Him and to carry on His ministry after His departure, He selected poor, working fishermen with no formal education.  After a man was healed by the Name of Jesus, the apostle Peter said Acts 4:12 "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."  The people marveled at the boldness of their words 13 “and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men.”  God used these men to be a spiritual blessing to others. 

            These disciples were not selected because of their education or financial worth, but because they lacked formal training and had no financial worth or possessions.  Their greatest asset was the great God who taught and trained them.  Their first qualification was their humility and fear of the Lord.  The less we are of ourselves, the more God is able to teach us to be an instrument for Him.

            Humility is the first step in learning anything.  Scripture verses tell us that humility is like putting on an outer garment.  1 Peter 5:5 “All of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists [opposes] the proud, But gives grace to the humble.’”  It is a terrible thing to have God be against us—but pride will do that.

            We have God’s favor when we are humble in spirit—He can then help and bless us in ways we can only imagine.  Romans 8:31 “If God be for us, who can be against us?”  Taking a position of humility enables this Scripture be fulfilled; 1 Peter 5:6 ”Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.”  Being clothed with humility enables God’s blessings.

            If the blessings come slowly or seem sparse, it is because we are slow to learn and our humility is sparse or lacking.  God will exalt us spiritually, financially, and in everything that concerns us if we will clothe ourselves with true humility—wanting no recognition, praise, or attention, but giving all glory to God by staying out of the picture.

            It pleases God to take someone who is nothing in themselves and no account in the world, and to exalt them like He did Abraham, Moses, Joseph, and others.  When God exalts someone, it is the kind that gives His blessings in everything, which enables us to receive our full inheritance in His way and according to His schedule—that is the meaning of being exalted in due time.

            Jesus said the meek enter Heaven.  Matthew 5:3 ”Blessed are the poor in spirit [humility of heart]: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” and 5 ”Blessed are the meek [the humble]: for they shall inherit the earth.”  He further stated Matthew 18:3-4 “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.  Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”  The humility of a child enables them to believe the word of a parent without question; and the humility of a Christian enables us to believe the words of our God without question.

            The apostle says James 1:21 ”Welcome in a humble spirit the Message implanted within you, which is able to save your souls.”  We are to receive the Word of God in humility of spirit and without question, just as the disciples believed everything Jesus told them—instead of opposing the Word with wrong or worldly thoughts, ideas, and plans as unbelievers do.

            The disciples were not prejudiced like the Scribes and Pharisees, and raised no questions or objections; but they believed and accepted everything Jesus said.  He answered their every question and He explained the Scriptures to them—something He did not do for the Scribes and Pharisees.  Jesus told His disciples Matthew 13:10-11 “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.”

            Pharisees were continually asking for signs and miracles they could see, because they were not willing to believe a God they could not see; so Jesus had to tell them Matthew 12:39-40, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

            To the humble, God showed many signs.  The apostles Peter, James, and John were poor fishermen and clothed with humility, so God enabled them to witness marvelous miracles—Jairus’ daughter raised to life; the apostle’s mother-in-law healed of a fever; and the amazing Transfiguration.  They were taken up the mountain to see Jesus speaking with Moses and Elijah.  They witnessed the glory of God—it was a marvelous glimpse of the other world.

            They heard the voice of God; Matthew 17:5—“a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.  Listen to him!’"  All of this was the result of their humility and willingness to believe the Word of God—it is the first evidence of true humility—accepting the Word of God without question—not trying to get around it; over it; or under it, but just accepting it in humble submission to God.  It will bring blessings and save our soul.

            The first principle of true humility is to say, Lord, Thy Word is enough.  The man lowered through the roof tiles had that quality of humility.  When Jesus saw the man was willing to believe in faith, He said to him Matthew 9:2, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven."  Those in the room with a proud spirit—the opposite of humility—wanted something besides the Word of God, and they accused Jesus of blasphemy.

            Matthew 9:4-6 ”Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, ‘Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?  Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?  But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority [power] on earth to forgive sins…’  Then he said to the paralytic, ‘Get up, take your mat and go home.’" 

            That was enough for the man; he accepted the Word of God in a spirit of humility and arose immediately.  Humility that believes the Word of God without question, opens the door of God’s richest treasures.  Philippians 2:5 ”Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”

            Another mark of humility is to meet things or go through trials without complaining.  Philippians 2:6-8 ”Though he was [in the form of] God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as [equal with] God.  He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form.  And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross.”  Jesus did not complain, and left us an example to do all things without complaining, being difficult, argumentative, or disagreeable.

            In a true spirit of humility, Jesus left us with that example: 1 Peter 2:23 ”When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats.  Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”  He never tried to right His own wrongs, but just turned them over to the Father—according to the Word; Romans 12:19 ”Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.”

            The humble and obedient attitude Jesus showed, is the humble and obedient attitude we are to have around us.  God’s blessings and rewards from taking that attitude of humility are marvelous indeed; Philippians 2:9 ”Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name.”

            Philippians 2:12-13 ”Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”  No matter what people say about you; what they do to upset you; how they cheat you, wrong you, or talk about you, we are to meet it without a complaint—as Jesus did, so we can inherit what Jesus inherited.

            Philippians 2:14-16 ”Do everything without complaining or arguing [disputing], so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved [perverse] generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may [rejoice] on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.”

            Moses was clothed with humility, and not only believed everything God told him, but he met everything as God said to meet them.  It is written that Moses was the meekest man on earth—up to that time.  God made him a man of faith, who could pray and receive answers to those prayers.  He was enabled by God to lead a huge host of rebellious people to the door of the Promised Land.

            When his time came to leave this world, Deuteronomy 34:7 ”Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.”  That spirit of humility enabled God to work with him in a marvelous way; leading the people; obtaining water for them; and saving their lives many times during many years of the wilderness journey.

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