“When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” Luke 2:15-20
Reflect
Are you a lowly servant? Pride tiptoes into our hearts. Some would say the foundation of every sin lies pride. But the pursuit of humility is not one to set aside because of its obscurity. It’s one of the many ways we are called to image our Savior.
The King of kings was born to a lowly girl (Luke 1:48). The Creator of the universe was swaddled and laid in a feeding trough (Luke 2:7). The first to hear of the birth of the Messiah and come to worship him were mere shepherds (Luke 2:8-17). The Owner of the world was born to a family too poor to offer the sacrifice of a lamb—so they gave two turtledoves instead (Luke 2:22-24; Leviticus 12:6-8). As Paul wrote, “though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by 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 2:6-8).
Are we this lowly? Are we this humble? Or do we believe we are always entitled to something better, something more than we already have? Are we too prideful to do the unnoticed and embarrassing tasks, like washing the dirty feet of others? Do we believe we are too good to suffer? Do we spend more time trying to grow our platform—to become more successful and to be noticed—than we do worshiping our Savior who was crushed and spit upon? Do we spend more time seeking out our own longings than we do serving the church Christ was humiliated for? Friend, are you a lowly servant?
Pray
God, please forgive my pride. It seems to sneak up in every area of my life. It takes me by surprise. It’s hard to spot in my heart. But you know my every thought, my every intention. Please purify me of this pride and teach me to be humble.
Your Turn
Spend some time in Philippians 2 today, considering your own heart and pride and how you can learn humility from our Savior.
