Be Humble Or You Will Stumble

James 4:6 "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

In this short verse there are two parts:

1. A warning:  God resists the proud.
2. A promise:  But gives grace to the humble.

1) A warning: God resists the proud.  What is pride?  Thinking too highly of yourself.  The proud think they don't need God; they think they are better than everyone else.  How does God resist the proud?

• He will not save the proud.  The proud do not see themselves as needing a Savior anyway.
• He will not listen to the prayers of the proud.  The proud do not pray much, because they do not see their need for God's help.
• He will put obstacles in the path of the proud.  Not only will God withhold His help, but He will make life more difficult for the proud.   

2) A promise:  God gives grace to the humble.  What is humility?  Seeing yourself the way God sees you.  Seeing yourself through the lens of Scripture.  Not too high, and not too low.  How does God give grace to the humble?

• He saves them, because they see themselves as sinners and totally rely upon Jesus Christ.
• He hears their prayers, because they pray much.
• He gives them strength, because they fully yield themselves to God's authority.
• He grows them, because they know they have much room for growth.
• He gives them wisdom, because they know they don't know it all, and they seek God's wisdom in prayer and Scripture.

If humility is seeing yourself the way God sees you, then to be humble you must know what the Bible says about you.  Humility requires Biblical knowledge.  Pride and ignorance go hand in hand.

The Lord loves you, and wants to give you grace today.  Grace for your battles and struggles.  Grace for salvation.  Grace for marriage.  Grace for parenting.  Grace for your finances.  Grace for your illnesses.  But He is waiting for you to humble yourself.  Will you humble yourself before the Lord today?  "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you (James 4:10)."