Pastor Jim Thomas
Proverbs: The Wisdom and the Ways of God
- Humility: The One Virtue I’m Really Good At
- Humility: The One Virtue My Spouse Needs More Of
- Humility: 7 Easy Steps to Humble Someone
- Humility: Why It’s Not Always All About You
- Humility: How to Get Over Yourself
- Humility: The Trouble with Self-Esteem
- Humility: The Joyful Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness
Discussion Questions
- As you think about someone in your life that exhibits biblical humility, what are the qualities that makes you think of them? Have you ever asked God to give you more of the humble qualities you admire in them?
- How are biblical wisdom and humility connected?
- How can you practically “think of yourself less”, rather than “thinking less of yourself”?
- Humility begins with an accurate recognition of who God is and who we are before Him. Is your God too small? Have you made yourself too big?
Proverbs 11:2
When pride comes, then comes dishonor, But with the humble is wisdom.
Proverbs 15:33
The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, And before honor comes humility.
Proverbs 15:33
The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, And before honor comes humility.
Proverbs 16:18
Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.
Proverbs 16:19
It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly Than to divide the spoil with the proud.
Proverbs 18:12
Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, But humility goes before honor.
Proverbs 22:4
The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, honor and life.
Proverbs 26:12
Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
Proverbs 29:23
A man’s pride will bring him low, But a humble spirit will obtain honor.
“If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realize that one is proud… If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed.”
– C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
“And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.”
Matthew 23:12
1. Humility before God
“Thus says the Lord to Josiah, ‘Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God, when you heard his words . . . and because you humbled yourself before Me, tore your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you,’ declares the Lord.”
2 Chronicles 34:27
“Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 18:4
But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”
James 4:6
“Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. “
James 4:10
“I wish I had got a bit further with humility myself: if I had, I could probably tell you more about the relief, the comfort, of taking the fancy-dress off – getting rid of the false self, with all its ‘Look at me’ and ‘Aren’t I a good boy?’ and all its posing and posturing. To get even near it, even for a moment, is like a drink of water to a man in a desert.”
– C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
2. Humility about ourself
“Humility… means you don’t interpret everything in relation to yourself, and you don’t need to. It is the death of the narrow, suffocating filter of self referentiality.”
– Gavin Ortlund, Humility: The Joy of Self-Forgetfulness
“How much larger your life would be if your self could become smaller in it.”
– G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy
3. Humility toward others
“The thing we would remember from meeting a truly gospel-humble person is how much they seemed to be totally interested in us. Because the essence of gospel-humility is not thinking more of myself or thinking less of myself, it is thinking of myself less. Gospel-humility is not needing to think about myself. Not needing to connect things with myself. It is an end to thoughts such as ‘I’m in this room with these people, does that make me look good? Do I want to be here?’ True gospel-humility means I stop connecting every experience, every conversation, with myself. In fact, I stop thinking about myself. The freedom of self forgetfulness.”
– Tim Keller, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness
Have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:5–8
“Christ is the humility of God embodied in human nature; the Eternal Love humbling itself, clothing itself in the garb of meekness and gentleness, to win and serve and save us.”
– Andrew Murray, Humility