The Character of a Leader – Humility

 

This is Chuck Rapp with Multiply, a podcast to provide a word of encouragement for village church planters.”

So far this year we have been exploring the character of a godly leader, looking at behaviors and attributes of men and women serving in Christ’s Kingdom.  We began with Integrity, Diligence and Faithfulness; today I want to add Humility to this list.   

Romans 12:3 instructs us in this matter.  I like the JB Phillips translation of the first half of this verse where he says “As your spiritual teacher I give this piece of advice to each one of you. Don’t cherish exaggerated ideas of yourself or your importance but try to have a sane estimate of your capabilities by the light of the faith that God has given to you all.”  [emphasis added]

I would suggest that our humility is to be demonstrated in two directions … vertically in our relationship with the Lord and horizontally in our relationships with others. 

Humility before God

James, chapter 4, has some important counsel for us.  In verse 6 he quotes from Proverbs and warns us that “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”  He continues in verse 10 with the advice that we are to “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” Unfortunately, we have all seen so-called leaders who seek to self-promote, to lift themselves up.  This kind of pride demonstrates dependence upon self rather than dependence upon God and can lead to ruin.

In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:3, he famously told the multitude “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." It is said that when asked to explain what Jesus meant by this, the famous evangelist Billy Graham said, "What did He mean? Simply this: We must be humble in our spirits. If you put the word “humble” in place of the word “poor,” you will understand what He meant.

Humility with others –

We must also be humble in our relationships with those around us … family members, friends, co-laborers in the Kingdom.  On this point, the book of Proverbs has much to say.

Proverbs 11:2 - “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”

Proverbs 27:2 - Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth— a stranger, not your own lips.

Proverbs 29:23 – “Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor.”

And this from Luke – “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." (14:11)

The reward of humility –

Proverbs 22:4 says it well.  “Humility is the fear of the LORD; its wages are riches and honor and life.”

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

Please follow us on PodBean look for Multiply VCP- https://multiplyvcp.podbean.com/