Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:3-11
“Humility leads to perfect death. Humility means the giving up of self and the taking of the place of perfect nothingness before God. Jesus humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death. In death He gave the highest, the perfect proof of having given up His will to the will of God. In death He gave up His self, with its natural reluctance to drink the cup; He gave up the life He had in union with our human nature; He died to self, and the sin that tempted Him; so, as man, He entered into the perfect life of God. If it had not been for His boundless humility, counting Himself as nothing except as a servant to do and suffer the will of God, He never would have died.
This gives us the answer to the question so often asked, and of which the meaning is so seldom clearly apprehended: How can I die to self? The death to self is not your work, it is God’s work. In Christ you are dead to sin, the life there is in you has gone through the process of death and resurrection; you may be sure you are indeed dead to sin. But the full manifestation of the power of this death in your disposition and conduct depends upon the measure in which the Holy Spirit imparts the power of the death of Christ. And here it is that the teaching is needed: if you would enter into full fellowship with Christ in His death, and know the full deliverance from self, humble yourself.
This is your one duty. Place yourself before God in your utter helplessness; consent heartily to the fact of your impotence to slay or make alive yourself; sink down into your own nothingness, in the spirit of meek and patient and trustful surrender to God. Accept every humiliation, look upon every fellow-man who tries or vexes you, as a means of grace to humble you. Use every opportunity of humbling yourself before your fellow-men as a help to abide humble before God. God will accept such humbling of yourself as the proof that your whole heart desires it, as the very best prayer for it, as your preparation for His mighty work of grace, when, by the mighty strengthening of His Holy Spirit, He reveals Christ fully in you, so that He, in His form of a servant, is truly formed in you, and dwells in your heart. It is the path of humility which leads to perfect death, the full and perfect experience that we are dead in Christ.”
Andrew Murray in Humility (New York: Anson D. F. Randolph & Co, 1895) 34-35. Special thanks to Dan Busby of ECFA for recently reminding me of the great value of this book.
Humility, like generosity, is tricky to locate (and Murray uses the word ‘perfect’ we need to think: complete). It’s a work of God experienced only when we give up our self. I see it in my wife, Jenni, with whom I am thankful to be reunited. There’s no place like home!
But how does humility relate to generosity? It is our one responsibility to place our selves in “utter helplessness” before God. It’s a position most people would deem either ‘impossible’ or ‘irresponsible’ behavior. Both perspectives are far from the truth. When self if removed from the picture we are positioned to serve as conduits of divine blessing. This is easy to say and hard to do. It gets to the heart of whom we trust to supply us for our days, months, and years, and for our generosity.
Humility breaks through fears, accepts humiliations, and lives by grace. As our GTP meetings have wrapped up, I am thankful for the humility and generosity of my team members. I see God’s grace at work in their surrendered lives. They are giving up self to serve the world with me.