by Dennis Stackhouse<\/p>\n
When Jesus related the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, His concluding remarks are recorded in Luke 18:14:\u00a0“I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”<\/em>\u00a0 Our Lord clearly indicated that the tax collector in His parable, a man who acted in a humble fashion, would be the one that was ultimately exalted.\u00a0 On the other hand, the Pharisee, who conducted himself in a rather proud manner, would end up being humbled.\u00a0 In many instances, is this not completely opposite from what the world would tell us?<\/p>\n We learn more in James 4:6:\u00a0“But He gives a greater grace.\u00a0 Therefore it says, ‘God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.'”<\/em>\u00a0 Here we see that God is actually opposed to those who are proud.\u00a0 And this should come as no surprise when we realize that\u00a0“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling,”<\/em>\u00a0according to Proverbs 16:18.\u00a0 We can also read in Proverbs 11:2:\u00a0“When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the humble is wisdom.”<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Is it any wonder that God opposed the proud?\u00a0 Pride is not one of God’s characteristics and He doesn’t tolerate it in His followers.\u00a0 Notice also in James 4:6 that God gives His grace, or unmerited favor, to those who display humility in their lives.<\/p>\n Additional information is provided in James 4:10:\u00a0“Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”<\/em>\u00a0 All of us enjoy praise whether it comes from a spouse, a co-worker, a classmate, a friend, or an employer.\u00a0 We like to have our accomplishments recognized.\u00a0 But these earthly praises pale in significance for the Christian who looks to the eternal. \u00a0The man or woman who walks humbly before God will be exalted by God Himself.\u00a0 And honestly, there should be no one we would rather have exalting us.\u00a0 This thought is taken even further in I Peter 5:6: “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time.”<\/em>\u00a0 When the time is right God will exalt the Christian man or woman who has displayed humility in their dealings with others.<\/p>\n Perhaps the importance of humility is best seen in the fact that Jesus Himself displayed it while living on this earth.\u00a0 He described Himself in Matthew 11:29:\u00a0“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and\u00a0humble<\/strong>\u00a0in heart.”<\/em>\u00a0 As the apostle Paul is insisting that all Christians have the attitude of Christ, he speaks of our Lord’s atoning work in Philippians 2:8:\u00a0“Being found in appearance as a man, He\u00a0humbled<\/strong>\u00a0Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”<\/em>\u00a0 We live in a society that does not place a high premium on humility; in fact, it may actively oppose it.\u00a0 Fortunately for Christians, we can live with the assurance that God does have high regard for humility and that if we will only exercise it in our daily lives, the time will come when God Himself will exalt us.\u00a0 Peter’s words we looked at just a moment ago are worth repeating:\u00a0“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Dennis Stackhouse When Jesus related the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, His concluding remarks are recorded in Luke 18:14:\u00a0“I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”\u00a0 Our Lord clearly…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[1253,463],"class_list":["post-47435","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-glory","tag-humility"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":93177,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/trusting-self-or-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":47435,"position":0},"title":"Trusting Self or God","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 13, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer Jesus told a parable \"to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt\" (Luke 18:9). What a statement! Jesus targeted head-on an attitude that was common enough that He wanted this parable to be known by future generations. \"Two men went\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":59601,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-sin-of-self-righteousness\/","url_meta":{"origin":47435,"position":1},"title":"The Sin of Self-Righteousness","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 26, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Steven Harper Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of the first century, often because they had a too-high view of themselves. When He was at the house of Simon [a Pharisee], a woman who was known to be a sinner came in and began to wash His feet with her\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/proud.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":33905,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/jesus-humble-servant-king\/","url_meta":{"origin":47435,"position":2},"title":"Jesus – Humble Servant King","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 4, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Ross Ward Text: Mark 11:1-11 The king of the Jews enters Jerusalem Mark 11:7-11 - on a colt donkey Zechariah 9:9-10 - fulfilling prophecy Significance of Donkey Horse symbol of war Size Strength Speed Chariots - Zechariah 9:10 Donkey symbol of peace Jesus was not a conquering King taking\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":11868,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-pride\/","url_meta":{"origin":47435,"position":3},"title":"What is pride?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 30, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I was just wondering what pride really means. Checking the dictionary gave me too many definitions. I was wondering why it would be a sin. I mean, of course, you should love God with all your heart, but can't you also have some self-esteem or self-confidence? Answer: Pride is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":35173,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-can-i-be-humble-without-putting-myself-down\/","url_meta":{"origin":47435,"position":4},"title":"How can I be humble without putting myself down?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 8, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Dear Sir, How can I be humble without putting myself down? What does God mean by esteeming others? Answer: \"You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":41696,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-you-humble-yourself-in-front-of-the-lord\/","url_meta":{"origin":47435,"position":5},"title":"How do you humble yourself in front of the Lord?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 24, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: How do you humble yourself in front of the Lord? Answer: To be humble is the opposite of being prideful. A prideful man only listens to his own desires. He acts in accord with his own wishes. \"But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: \"God resists the proud,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47435","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47435"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47435\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}