The End Of Me By Kyle IdlemanSample

Humbled to Be Exalted

There are things you learn in the work of ministry. One is that people come to church looking for solutions. They’re caught up in their problems, and they wonder if there could be a supernatural answer. Debt, addiction, a failing marriage—whatever it is, sooner or later they ask for action steps. Bullet points, in careful order, for resolving the problem. “What can I do?” We always assume the answer is in the word “do.”

And while sometimes we have some dos that need to get done, the truth is there’s no substitute for humbling ourselves. At this point someone says, “Sure, I get it. Be more humble. But there’s got to be something I can, you know, do. Other than be more humble.”

It’s so much easier to do than to be. To do is to take some action. To be requires real transformation.

You want to know what to do? Fine, we can do it that way.
-Stand at a distance.
-Beat your chest.
-Pray this: “God, have mercy on me.”
-Mean it.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that last one is the key. It happens when you humble yourself.

Are you interested in some don’ts?
-Don’t make your case.
-Don’t pull out your resume.
-Don’t ask for blessings by comparing yourself to others.
-Don’t tell God all the reasons you deserve to be blessed.
-Don’t congratulate God for having you as a child.
-Don’t thank God for all the hard work you’ve put in.

There is no substitute for humbling yourself before God. The humble heart pleases God. The humble cry invites him to demonstrate his power.

Being humbled is something we think of as a passive activity—that is, somebody or something humbles us. We are humbled by unemployment, by a failed relationship, by a dream shattered. But Jesus speaks of a humbling that is active—we are the humblers. This is not something we wait for to occur naturally. “Humble yourself.” It doesn’t sound right, does it? Almost a little masochistic. We’re used to being advised to assert ourselves, not to humble ourselves.

This is the masterwork of humility—what Christ did. He made himself nothing. He humbled himself. This was someone who was in very nature—in very essence—God but who didn’t cling to that status but rather made himself nothing.

How do we humble ourselves? Here are some ways that help me get to the end of me:
-To humble myself, I voluntarily confess sin.
-To humble myself, I give sacrificially and anonymously.
-To humble myself, I treat others better than myself.
-To humble myself, I ask for help.