Humility: Empty Yourself

“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

-Philippians 2:1-11

Humility begins with emptying ourselves out. If we consistently fill ourselves up with happiness, skill, and wealth, only to keep it for ourselves, we are not humble. But if we empty ourselves of those things for the sake of others, that’s where humility begins. And it really is just a matter of following Jesus’ example. He had EVERYTHING. He had power, he had omnipresence, he had divinity. But he didn’t grasp onto it. He emptied himself for our sake. That’s humility.

So as we study humility this week in iDevo, always keep this in your mind: humility begins with emptying yourself for the sake of others. Humility gives so that others may be filled.