James Ryle has posted a devotional on his blog called, “Towering Humilty.” How would YOU define humility? Ryle calls the common concept of humility — a somewhat cowering attitude — to be “Outrageous nonsense!”

Discounting Jesus, which Bible character best illustrates true humility? Would Moses ever come to your mind as an humble man? The one who (I am taking a bit of poetic license here) shook his bony finger in the pharaoh’s face and demanded, “Let my people go!”? Is THAT what humility is all about?

Ryle says,

Humility is the God-given self-assurance that eliminates the need to prove to others the worth of who you are, and the rightness of what you do. Jesus was thus a humble man, as were His apostles. “We were sure of ourselves in God,” Paul said. And so are those who follow Jesus today. That is, those who are real as opposed to those who are merely being religious.

The definition found in the Waldo Standard Dictionary:

hum-ble [hu'mb'l] (adjective) the subjection of one’s will to that of another – especially the submission of one’s will to God.

That definition explains why the Bible would say in Numbers 12:3 (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.) ” Moses certainly did not cower when he faced the pharaoh. He was VERY BOLD!

This was a king who could have spoken the word and Moses would die. Yet, Moses was brazen in his approach and made some outrageous demands. Why would he do such? Because, he had submitted HIS will to the will of God.

Who among us is willing to stand up in the face of those who have the power to kill us and speak the truth of God’s Word?
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