True Humility

GOD COMMANDS HUMILITY BECAUSE HE VALUES HUMILITY.

Bible Reading of the Day: Read Romans 12:3-5.

Verse of the Day: “Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you” (Romans 12:3).

Rachel crossed her arms on her chest and slumped into her chair. She turned to her friend, Tracy. “I don’t know why Mrs. Standish chose Julia to sing a solo,” she said, referring to the girl who stood on the stage at the competition. “You can sing a lot better than she can.”

“Shh,” Tracy said. “She’s doing great.” The two girls sat in the auditorium of the largest school in the area, watching the final entries in the statewide vocal competition.

“Doesn’t it make you mad that Julia’s up there singing, when everybody knows you’re the best soloist in the whole school?” Rachel asked. “I hope she loses.”

“You should be rooting for her to win,” Tracy protested, “instead of getting so upset. She’s our last chance for our school to win a ribbon today.”

“Don’t you want her to lose?” Rachel countered.

“No!” Tracy said.

“But she took your solo!”

“It wasn’t my solo. It wasn’t anybody’s solo.”

Rachel waved a hand. “Aw, girl, you don’t have to act all humble!”

“It’s not an act,” Tracy said, her eyes flashing. “It’s just the truth. I don’t want to think I’m better than I really am. That’s all humility is. And that’s the way God says we should be.”

“So God says you should let Julia sing your solo?” Rachel asked, looking skeptical.

Tracy sighed. “Look, God may not want me to think I’m a terrible singer, but he doesn’t want me to think I’m better than I really am, either. The Bible says for us not to think we’re better than other people, because God doesn’t like pride. He likes humility.”

Julia finished singing, and Tracy joined the applause for her performance. “So you really hope she wins?” Rachel said, her eyebrows arching like twin tents over her eyes.

“Yeah,” Tracy said. “You know what else I hope?”

“What?” Rachel said.

“I hope you’ll be quiet for a little while so I can hear the other singers,” she said, jabbing her friend with an elbow.

TO DISCUSS: Why do you think God wants us to be humble? What do you think humility means? Do you think humility means not liking yourself? Do you think humility means thinking you’re not as good as other people?

TO PRAY: “Jesus, thank you for helping us to look at ourselves honestly, rather than with pride or with a sense of inferiority. Both are displeasing to you.”