The story is told of a young soldier fighting for the Union during the American Civil War. It was 1864, and he had been away from his family for several years when news reached him that his father was gravely ill and unlikely to live much longer. “Please come home.” The soldier immediately sought compassionate leave, but his request was refused…
Humility receives our place and gifts from God, then uses them generously for the good of Christ’s body.
Christ’s humility is the beauty of divine glory expressed in self-giving love.
Humility grows as we see God’s majesty and receive both our creaturely smallness and our God-given dignity as gifts.
Pride can hide beneath respectable goodness; humility stops comparing, tells the truth and receives God’s mercy.
Pride bends us inward, turning us from trust in God and love for others towards self-exaltation, self-determination and self-protection.
What exactly are we angry about? That is the excellent question asked by sports journalist Rana Hussain in response to the scandal that has engulfed the Sydney Swans. Five players have been suspended for the remainder of the season after a late-night gathering in a Melbourne hotel. A police investigation into an alleged sexual assault continues, but, at the time of writing, no player has been charged, and the club’s sanctions were imposed for breaches of its standards, independently of that investigation.
God’s sufficient grace does not replace our effort; it makes purposeful growth in Christlike character possible.