I love the title of this short article. It is not mine. It came from a paragraph heading in my NKJ Bible. The one above Philippians 2:5-13. Jesus came to earth from heaven, living among us as a man, humbling Himself. This humility reached the point to where He died on the cross for our sins. “Therefore God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (9-11).
What Jesus did, and the Father’s response serves as a wonderful example for us to emulate. It shows God’s aversion to selfish pride, and His embrace of selfless humility. As James wrote, “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble’” (James 4:6).
Take the time to read the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in Luke 18:9-14. The Pharisee exalted himself in prayer, and the Publican humbled himself before God. Consider the conclusion as God accepted the tax collector, but not the Publican. “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (14).
