This is a lot harder than we think, I mean who wants to be last? Isn't it only natural to desire respect and esteem from others? Jesus' parable of the guests invited to the marriage feast probes our motives for seeking honor and position. Self-promotion is most often achieved at the expense of others! Jesus' parable reinforces the teaching of Proverbs: “Do not put yourself forward in the king's presence or stand in the place of the great; for it is better to be told, ‘Come up here,’ than to be put lower in the presence of the prince (Prov. 25:6-7).”

What is true humility? And why should we make it a characteristic of our life? True humility is not feeling bad about yourself, or having a low opinion of yourself, or thinking of yourself as inferior to others. Viewing ourselves truthfully, with sober judgment, means seeing ourselves the way God sees us (Psalm 139:1- 4). A humble person makes a realistic assessment of himself without illusion or pretense to be something he is not. He regards himself neither as smaller nor larger than he truly is. True humility frees us to be ourselves and to avoid despair and pride. A humble person does not have to wear a mask or put on a facade to look good to others who do not know who he really is.

If you don’t know, I recently entered the role of Student Pastor at the Gulf Coast Campus a little over a year ago, and let me tell you, I came into this position and had a grand plan of how I would operate my ministry. Time after time, God used my ministry to humble me. If it weren’t for my church family, I would have never seen how God was working in my life. Now, I know that humility is the foundation of all the other virtues because it enables us to see and judge correctly, the way God sees. Humility leads to knowledge, honesty, realism, strength, and dedication to giving ourselves to something greater than ourselves. Humility frees us to love and serve others selflessly, for their sake, rather than our own. The greatest example and model of humility is the person of Jesus Christ, who emptied himself, taking the form of a servant. Our Savior humbled himself and sacrificed himself for the same people who wanted Him dead. The Lord gives grace to those who seek Him humbly.

Reflection:

• How can we follow in Jesus’ footsteps and serve each other in a humble manner?
• What are some aspects of your life where you can show more humility?
• Prayer: Lord, thank You for all that You do. The peace and joy that only You provide is sufficient for me. I pray that as we continue our day, You are on the forefront of our mind, so that every action we take reflects our perfect role model Jesus Christ. Humble us when we need to be humbled. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Family Application: Luke 14

Author: Carrington Stuart

• Today’s story is from the book of Luke again- and it’s about Jesus! In this book, Jesus visits the house of a Pharisee. Do you know what a Pharisee is? In the Bible, a Pharisee was an important person in the church who made sure that everybody followed all of the rules. But sometimes the Pharisees made the rules themselves instead of trusting in God- and that made Jesus very sad!
• There was a great big dinner at the Pharisee’s house, and a lot of important people came. A man who was hurt badly and needed Jesus’ help also came- but the Pharisees thought that would be breaking one of their rules! Jesus trusted the Lord and healed the man anyway. He reminded the Pharisees and all the important people that you should always be willing to help somebody, no matter what.
• The people at the dinner were also very prideful- that means that they thought that everybody should treat them in a more special way than everybody else. They fought over where they got to sit at the table and left other people out. Jesus reminded them that it’s more important to be kind and make others feel special than to be selfish. More people want to be your friend when you are thoughtful, and you can show them the love of Jesus!
• Jesus also talked about how God is so proud of us when we take care of others first. Just like Jesus did, God wants us to be willing to give up what we want to make others feel special and loved. Sometimes it’s not about us- it’s about serving others! This makes God happy.
• The last thing Jesus talked to the Pharisees and all the important people about was how to live for God. He told them about how it makes God sad when we make excuses instead of doing what He asks us to do. To be a disciple (somebody who follows God), we must obey Him whenever He asks us to!
• Obeying God and serving others isn’t always easy. Sometimes we must be kind to someone who is not kind to us or give up something that we really like to take care of somebody else. We also might have to spend time helping others even when we’d rather be doing something else that we like to do. But Jesus reminds us that doing what God asks us to do is always worth it because God loves us so much! He wants us to be more like Him and show His love to others too, even when it’s hard.
• How can you serve others this week and make them feel special? What can you do to love people like Jesus does?
• Prayer: Dear God, thank You for sending Jesus to teach us how we should serve others! It’s hard sometimes to care for others more than myself, especially when it means that I must give up something else that I enjoy. Please help me to remember that following You is the best choice ever! I know that You are always with me and love me so much. Help me to love others too! I love you, God. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.