Humility
“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.”
Matthew 18:1-5 NKJV
Humbleness
This is a word that is not much used in our modern life. Humble is often seen as weak or ineffective, or one who cannot stand up for themselves and are walked all over. In the race to achieve success in life there is no room for a humble person. It's all about selling yourself, telling others of your accomplishments and milestones. Everyone wants to outdo each other. Your perceived success is based on a resume of achievements, not on your character.
It's about what you have done, not so much who you are. We see our worth in our achievements not in who we are. So we are notable if we have a great business, are a CEO or a manger or public figure. So many of today's celebrities or popular people are known for their accomplishments, movie stars, rock stars, singing stars, yet these people have little strong character. So often you hear about their missteps and failures.
I was once at a course that encouraged us to talk all about our achievements. In fact they have us a little test. They said image you got into a lift with the CEO of your company. You have 30 seconds to tell him what you do and how much you have achieved and how you can help the company. It was all about selling yourself based on what you had achieved.
The opposite is true here in this text. Here Jesus speaks about a little valued quality in our present lives. Being humble in our proclamation of self, and building of our character. The disciples came to Him asking: who is the greatest? We all seek recognition and attention and so often it's for what we do. Jesus turns this around and says it's not about accomplishments in your life. It's about the character of your life.
Children really don't have any accomplishments to sell themselves on. They have no resources of their own. Especially little children, they depend on their parents for their provision and substance. They don't go around talking about what they achieved this quarter. They have nothing to commend themselves with.
Jesus says whomever in their attitude and character is like a child, not relying on their own achievements or accomplishments to sell themselves and become reliant upon their Father for their provision and success will be great in His kingdom.
Our challenge in our walk, especially in the face of the world that pushes the capitalisation of self, is to learn to put our faith and trust in God. Our Christian character is of vital importance to ourselves and God. It's about whom we are more than what we have accomplished in this world. After all if you take away all of the things we do, do we still find worth in ourselves or are we defined by our success, our job and what we do?
We should learn to be like a little child, not literally, but in the sense of reliance on our Father for all our needs and provision. He is faithful to watch over you everyday of your life as a loving and giving Father. He will always make sure you are not forgotten but have significance. You will never be forgotten in a crowd. He knows and cares about you, not what you have accomplished.
Have a God filled day!
Gregory J Williams
Senior Pastor Transform Church
