Something about Humility

   While doing a word study of "humble" and "humility" in the Bible, I came across this verse in Psalm 25:

   "He [God] guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way."  

There's something about humility that finds favour with God--it's a basic thread in the biblical tapestry.  But it is more than favourtism.  A humble person is teachable, and that makes him or her able to walk closely with God.  There are two parts to being teachable:

• The attitude of humility towards the teacher or Master means acknowledging that the Master knows things that we do not know.  This humility looks up to the Master as a source of wisdom, experience and growth.  When a person thinks he already knows everything to be known, his pride stands in the way of being taught right from the beginning.
• The attitude of humility allows the person to DO or NOT DO what the teacher advises.  The willingness to put that guidance into action and practice makes the difference between just knowing something as information and living it out practically.

   I recall when a former professional boxer came to speak at my church a few years ago.  He told the audience that as a young boxer he did not have more natural talent than the others in his boxing club. However, he put into practice what his coaches taught him and rapidly rose above the level of his peers, who considered the guidance given to them optional at best.  Natural talent can take you a certain distance, but humility can take you farther in just about any area because you recognize your own limits and look for help from the wise around you, especially from God Himself.