This Sunday we will be considering what Proverbs has to teach us about humility and its archenemy pride. Humility is the posture of wisdom. Pride is the posture of foolishness. If we are to grow out of foolishness and into wisdom, our hearts need “chiropractic adjustment,” so to speak.
In Proverbs (and throughout the Bible), God graciously calls us and spiritually enables us to submit our hearts to His treatment. And there is great reward. Preaching on humility and pride from Proverbs, Charles Spurgeon said this.
There is nothing more eloquently condemned in Scripture than pride, and yet there is no trap into which we poor silly birds so easily flee, no pitfall into which, like foolish beasts of the earth, we so continually run. On the other hand, humility is a grace that hath many promises given to it in the Scripture. Perhaps most promises are given to faith, and love is often considered to be the brightest of the train of virtues; yet humility holds by no means an inferior place in God’s word, and there are hundreds of promises linked to it.
Every grace seems to be like a nail on which precious blessings hang, and humility has many a mercy suspended from it. “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12) “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” (Matthew 5:3) And in multitudes of other passages, we are reminded that God loves the humble… He “brings down the mighty from their thrones and exalts those of humble estate.” (Luke 1:52)
It feels counterintuitive to our sinful nature that the way up is down and that humility leads to honor, but it’s true. We need the Holy Spirit to work this from within, and it’s a prayer he loves to answer.
So would you join us this Sunday? Kenny Clark will be preaching and Justin Unger will be our guest to lead us in sung worship. Would you pray for each this week as they prepare?
See you Sunday, Grace. Come hungry!
Song Link of the Week
Here and Now by Songs of Grace
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness
Bow down before him
Gold of obedience and incense of lowliness
Bring and adore him
Lead us beyond mere formal duty
Show us your captivating beauty
‘Til we in awe and reverence humbly bow