Be Humble Day

Hi, and welcome to Our Daily Bread. I'm Sheridan Voisey, and I've titled our reading today, Be Humble Day. I'm often amused by the unofficial holidays people come up with.

February alone has a sticky bun day, a sword swallowers day, even a dog biscuit appreciation day. Today has been labelled, Be Humble Day. Universally recognised as a virtue, humility is certainly worth celebrating.

But interestingly, this hasn't always been the case. Humility was considered a weakness, not a virtue, in the ancient world, which prized honour instead. Boasting about one's achievements was expected, and you sought to raise your status, never lower it. Humility meant inferiority, like a servant to a master. But all this changed, historians say, at Jesus' crucifixion. There, the one who was, in very nature God, gave up his divine status to become a servant and humbled himself to die for others. Such a praiseworthy act forced humility to be redefined. By the end of the first century, even secular writers were calling humility a virtue because of what Christ had done. Every time someone is praised for being humble today, the Gospel is being subtly preached. For without Jesus, humility wouldn't be good, or a Be Humble Day even thinkable. Christ relinquished his status for us, revealing through all history the humble nature of God.

Today's scripture reading is from Philippians chapter 2 verses 1 to 11. Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests of the others.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage. Rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And, being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Let's pray together. Jesus, we praise you today for being the humble one who has forever changed the definition of the word humility. Lord, we want to humble ourselves today, to you.

It's our only fitting response. And then we want to be humble towards others. Would you empower us today by your gentle, humble spirit to be people who focus on others rather than ourselves, who listen to others rather than demand that we be heard, who are not arrogant or proud, but who are deeply humble, just like you. Oh Lord, we ask this in your powerful and precious and humble name. Amen. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.