Bringing Humility Back in Style

One day a leader of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner at his home. The Pharisees were the Jewish religious leaders of Jesus’s day, and it wasn’t just a friendly invitation. The Bible says, “they were watching carefully.” They were checking him out to see if they could catch him breaking their rules. 

Jesus noticed the other guests were all scrambling to get the best seats around the table. The host would have been seated in the middle of the table, and the best seats for the “in” people would be closest to him. Jesus sees this happening, so he takes the opportunity to do a little teaching:

 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:8-11)

Jesus is saying, look, don’t show up and, in your pride, automatically sit in the best seats. It’ll be embarrassing for you if the host asks you to change seats so someone else can sit where you’re sitting. Show up and sit in the “cheap seats,” and you’ll be honored if the host wants you to move closer. In other words, it’s better to humble yourself than for someone else to humble you.

We’re looking at attitudes that need to come back in style, and one of those attitudes we need is humility. We desperately need more humility and less pride and arrogance today.

Pride and arrogance seem to be much more popular, but they cause so many problems. When we act in pride, instead of looking out for what’s good for others, we focus on what’s good for ourselves, even at the expense of others. After all, those people in our lives are there to serve us. We tend to hurt others and refuse to say, “I’m sorry.”

Pride tells us that we need to be in charge of every situation. No matter what we’re dealing with, we know what’s best, and everyone else should accept that. We want more than agreement; we want submission. The people around me would be much happier just doing what I want. 

One Father’s Day years ago, my kids gave me a card with a big button with “I’m the Boss” written on it. The kids pinned it on me and told me to wear it all day. I thought they were so smart to give me such a button. But then I opened the card, and inside it said, “Give button back to Mom tomorrow.” Oh, those kids were smart.

When we’re filled with pride, we don’t want to give the button back. To anyone. Not even to God. And that’s when we lose out on so many blessings. 

That’s why God warns us so many times about pride:

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)

And it’s why God calls us to humility:

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. (James 4:10)

So what can we do when we find ourselves filled with pride and low on humility?

First, humble yourself by admitting your pride to God. Ask God to replace your pride with humility. Tell him all the ways your pride hurts you and those around you. Then ask him for his help. Your Father doesn’t just tell you that pride is harmful. He doesn’t just expect you to be humble. His Holy Spirit is there to help you in your walk with him. Maybe your first act of humility is simply saying, “Father, I need your help.”

That’s the first antidote to pride, and it’s a big first step. But I’m going to suggest a second step, so brace yourself. If you want God to take away your pride and replace it with humility, do this:

Serve others. 

Look back at Luke 14. Right after Jesus said those words above to the guests at the banquet, he looked right at the host and said this:

“When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” (Luke 14:12-14)

Do you see that? He’s telling the host, and everyone else there, don’t just invite the people you’re trying to impress with what you have. Look around you. Who is hurting? Who needs help? With whom can you share your blessings? Think about others first. Serve them.

If you want to break the power of pride in your life, first admit to God that you need help. Then roll up your sleeves and start serving others. Look for those opportunities. Ask God to show you what you can do. Look at others in need and realize that they are every bit as important to Jesus as you are, and ask him how you could serve them. 

That’s what true humility looks like. Let’s bring it back in style.

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