Read Philippians 2:1-18
Pride is all around us, especially in high school. I remember feeling so fed up in high school with all of those cocky teenage boys who bragged about themselves all the time. They were aiming to impress me, but they got the opposite reaction! Teenage girls obviously struggle with pride as well, but many more of them are plagued with insecurities. I was one of those insecure teenagers myself. I thought because I didn't think much of myself that I must be humble! However, I later learned that having low self esteem is not the same as having humility. Let's see what the Bible tells us about humility in Philippians 2:1-18.
Paul uses the first 4 verses of this passage to instruct believers to be humble. In verse 2 he talks about "being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose." What does unity have to do with humility? When you think about it, pride is all about competing and comparing. Pride happens when you compete with others and compare yourself to others in order to find an area in which you excel over them. This makes you feel good about yourself, and you begin to think that you are better than them. If believers are unified and all working for the same goal (building the kingdom, glorifying God, etc), then there is no room for pride. Unity gets rid of the competing and comparing.
In verses 3 and 4 he addresses selfishness and looking out for others rather than yourself. We are all selfish to some extent and more in tune to our own needs than to the needs of others. We must pray that the Lord will change our hearts and open our eyes to all of the needs around us. We live in a very "me first" culture, where it's all about doing things for yourself first. This is the opposite of what the Lord wants!
I love the phrase in verse 3, "but with humility of mind regard others as more important than yourselves." I know very few people that actually do this. Unfortunately, most of us can think of some group of people whom we think we are better than. In high school there is such an emphasis on social standing and cliques. The jocks are better than the musicians, who are better than the nerds, etc. This is a very sinful attitude. Scripture tells us that we shouldn't consider anyone as "beneath" us. Do you have the courage to break those ridiculous social barriers in high school and show kindness to everyone, regardless of what their label is?
In verses 5-11 we see the supreme and perfect example of humility on earth...Jesus. We are to follow in His footsteps and look to Him as our model. Think about Jesus' humility for a moment. Jesus is God in the flesh. He could have come to earth riding through the sky on a white stallion, surrounded by angels, and placed Himself on a royal throne in Jerusalem. Instead, He chose to enter the earth through a human birth canal. He was born in a stable with a bunch of smelly animals to a young peasant girl. He grew up in an insignificant town and worked as a carpenter for many years. After His earthly ministry He faced a humiliating death...stripped down, mocked, spit upon, beaten, and nailed to a cross between two common criminals.
I love verses 9-11, because they show us the exaltation of Jesus. He humbled Himself on earth, but He is now seated at the right hand of God. In the end, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. Remember Luke 14:11, which says, "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
I challenge you to resist the temptation to fall into pride. Stop bragging about how smart you are in history class, how good you are at sports, or how talented you are in music. Do not dare forget that God is the one that gave you those talents and that intellect! You did nothing on your own to deserve it. The glory should go to God alone, so don't take it for yourself. On the other hand, don't buy into the lie that you aren't worth anything. If you are a believer, you should know that God chose you before the earth began to be His child (Eph 1), that He loves you desperately, and that He made you in His image. Knowing this, we should have the best self esteem of anyone, but in complete humility, because we know that we did nothing to deserve such honor. Praise Him today and give Him the glory for everything that you are!
